Transcript 11-9: Reflections on Two Major Developmental Issues

REFLECTIONS ON TWO
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT
ISSUES
CONTINUITY & STAGES
Adults life does not progress through the fixed,
predictable series of steps Erikson envisioned.
 The human brain does not experience growth
spurts during childhood and puberty that
correspond roughly to Piaget’s stages.
 Stage theories contribute a developmental
perspective on the whole life span, by suggesting
how people of one age think and act differently
when they arrive at a later age.
o
STABILITY & CHANGE



The first two years of life provide a poor basis for
a person’s eventual traits
Although delinquent children have elevated rates
of work problems, substance abuse, and crime
many troubled children have blossomed unto
mature, successful adults
As people grow older, personality does stabilize
STABILITY AND CHANGES
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
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Most shy fearful toddlers begin opening up by
age 4, and most people become calmer and more
self disciplined.
Conscientiousness increases especially during the
twenties and thirties
Many 20-year-old-goof-offs have matured into a
40-year-old business or cultural leader