Human Development

Human Development

Human development has never been a subject I have thought about for any reasonable amount of time. I took a general psychology class when I was a freshman at the young age of 19, but those days are long gone and I am sure human development was one class worth of dialogue. I have never thought of how I have developed or others have for that matter. I just live life one day at a time, knowing where my faith resides and work hard to keep my life on the right path. Keeping my life in check will in turn keep my family in check and vise versa.

Thus, I never thought of the stages or what stage I am in or how does this stage define who I am or how I define a stage. After reading the theories of Erikson, Kohlberg, and Fowler it was interesting to notice how these theories are based on social interactions versus biological interactions.

Erickson broke down human development into eight stages that span a whole lifetime. The stages in order: trust v. mistrust, autonomy v. shame and doubt, initiative v. guilt, industry v. inferiority, identity v. confusion, intimacy v. isolation, generativity v. stagnation, and integrity v. despair. I feel as if I am in stage seven, as I focus on my family’s needs to be productive in the community. I am proud to be my parent’s son, a father to my children, and a husband to my wife. I care for them and would do what I could whenever they need me. I know that the work I have done was positive and will continue to be positive as I learn new skills and change careers.

Kohlberg broke down development into three stages broken down into six stages. Pre-conventional morality is the first level consisting of stage one and two, where kids learn about punishment and different viewpoints. Level two, conventional morality, is where most adults are associated. Level three and four make up this level and most adults fall into this level, where interpersonal relationships are built and maintaining social order. The...