Developmental Analysis Essay

Attachments and relationships are developed at a young age and any distressed or non-existent attachments can affect the child’s developing brain and their future relationships with caregivers and others. Though not true for all, many cases of RAD are attributed to children who grow up in institutions or have been adopted and/or placed in foster homes (APA, 2013).

This paper serves to apply the knowledge learned throughout the course, COUN 502, to the development and growth in my lifespan. I will aim to demonstrate a working knowledge of the theories, terminology, and concepts of human growth and development. I will show how these disciplines apply to my own life experiences and how I did throughout my key life events, through the use of empirical studies.

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) was first introduced just over 20 years ago, with the publication of DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980). In the DSM-IV. The disorder is defined by aberrant social behavior that appears in early childhood and is evident cross contextually(1994). The disorder describes aberrant social behaviors in young children that are believed to derive from being reared in caregiving environments lacking species-typical nurturance and stimulation, such as in instances such as maltreatment or institutional rearing. (First, M., & Tasman, A. 2010) . In cases of RAD two major types of abnormalities have been cited; these include an emotionally withdrawn/inhibited type and an indiscriminately social/disinhibited pattern (First, M., & Tasman, A. 2010).Conditions in in foreign orphanages and institutions such as, multiple caregivers, maltreatment, abuse, neglect, and others contribute to the inability for internationally adopted children to form secure attachments. All of these factors contribute to internationally adopted children being at a higher risk to develop attachment disorders such as RAD and other behavioral problems.

According to Bowlby, the founder of attachment theory, a dependable, safe, and caring relationship with a primary caregiver is vital to an infant’s psychological health (Bowlby, 1951). In particular, children lacking a secure attachment with their primary caregivers are at risk of developing emotional and behavioral issues (Blakely & Dziadosz, 2015). Unfortunately, the human bonds normally formed in infancy are fractured in neglected and abused children suffering from RAD (Shi, 2014). As a result, these children become withdrawn, distrustful, and fearful of the world (Shi, 2014).

At the root of RAD lies maltreatment that has disrupted a child’s attachment formation process. Attachment occurs when children consider their primary caregivers a source of safety and comfort which they use as a base to explore the world around them (Benoit). Also, the attachment between caregivers and children allows children to develop skills that make personal connections possible. Therefore, attachment serves as an indicator of the relationships children will have with the world (“Reactive Attachment Disorder”). Carl Sheperis et al. explain that attachment is built during a four-stage process starting at birth and ending around two years of age. The first stage occurs immediately after birth and is characterized by children communicating

This paper serves to apply the learning adapted all through the course, the advancement and development in my lifespan. I will plan to show a working learning of the speculations, wording, and ideas of human development and advancement. I will indicate how these orders apply to my own particular backgrounds and how I did all through my key life occasions, through the utilization of observational studies. Develop mentalist’s knowledge the development of growth in nonhuman species, the most popular observe progress and transformation in people. In difference I will emphasis on the ways people and myself change and grow during our lives, with reflection of constancy in our live span. Together, these conclusions recommend that

Attachment theory is the joint work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (Ainsworth & Bowlby, 1991). It states that the caregiver-infant exchange is the foundation for all self-regulatory capacities. The physiological regulation occurs when caregiver-infant exchanges are marked by congruency and attunement (Schore, 2003). Infants with secure attachment experienced this attuned and congruent response by their caregiver, thus appropriately expanding their coping strategies for managing distress in the service of regulation (Padykula, 2010). In other words, Attachment Theory says that when an infant does not get the needed attention and predictable care from their caregiver, their ability to regulate themselves is severely effected. In human behavior specifically, Bowlby (1969) identified goal-directed behaviors as links within a chain. Each act sent stimuli terminating its unique goal while activating the next link. This stimuli was either external or intrapsychic. Attachment Trauma is when the caregiver is not emotionally attuned, and instead of being a regulating force, extreme levels of stimulation and arousal are induced. This results in very high stimulation in abuse, and/or very low stimulation in neglect (Padykula,

Interventions may be different for children depending on their particular family and home circumstance such as adoption, foster care, institution, original attachment figure, etc. Based on current evidence, interventions focus on enhancing current attachment relationships, creating new attachment relationships, and reducing problematic symptoms and behaviors. Children who have a healthy and supportive relationship with an adult are less likely to be negatively affected by insecure attachments. Caregiver involvement in the treatment process, providing the caregiver is psychologically healthy, is believed to have a positive effect on treatment outcomes (Hardy, 2007). A simplified explanation of RAD is the child is lacking trust due to abuse

Smith, Saisan, and Segal all did research together regarding RAD. “Attachment is the deep connection established between a child and caregiver that profoundly affects your child’s development and ability to express emotions and develop relationships..” (Smith, Saisan, Segal, 2015) A child with Reactive Attachment Disorder is inadequate in the skills used for constructing important relationships and controlling their own emotions. The outcome is a shortage of trust and self-worth. The child is scared to get close to anyone, and has building anger, and a

This course explores the process of human development, from conception through adolescence and continuing through later adulthood. The developmental approach integrates across many areas of psychology, including perception, cognition, social and emotional development, personality, morality, human factors, and neuroscience. Topics will include such things as infant brain plasticity, the development of identity in adolescence, and memory changes in adulthood. In addition, experimental methods of developmental research will be introduced and practiced, including issues specific to studying children and adults.

Age has been one of the most revisited correlations within understanding crime itself. According to Schram, & Tibbetts, (2014), developmental theory assumes that people could change over the course of time. Researchers presented how developmental theories points out multiple approaches in occur with changes in the individual’s adolescence to adulthood. (Sweeten, Piquero, & Steinberg, 2013). Consequently, this goes into understanding the following study conducted, trying to explain how age has a contribution to the variation of crime over time. The study, Age and the Explanation of Crime, by Gary Sweeten, Alex R. Piquero and Laurence Steinberg utilized pathways to Desistance, a longitudinal study. In the following study, they associated developmental theory by presenting from their following study ways crime endures a vigorous relationship with age.

The economic costs on society of child abuse and neglect can be due to “mental and psychological problems” (Smith &Smith, 2010) as development of mental health problems is likely to be evident. The direct costs on social services for abuse and neglect was estimated at “15 billion annually for the UK with the Christie Commission in Scotland recently estimated that 40% of public spending goes towards these cases” (Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services, 2011) demonstrating additional costs paid within society. Indirect costs related to mental health as abuse is associated with “depression” (Molnar, Buka, & Kessler, 2001) , “PTSD and anxiety” (Chen et al., 2010) resulting in loss of productivity and unemployment. As Currie and Widom (2010) found those “maltreated as a child were less likely to be employed and if

Developmental psychology is a branch of the study that characterizes the human life span through physical, cognitive and social change. A human goes through three distinct life span stages, including infancy and childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The study of developmental psychology focuses on three major issues starting with nature and nurture, which deals with interactions between genetic inheritance and experiences to alter human development (Myers & Dewall, 2015). The second issue is the continuity and stages of the human life span. This issue targets the gradual and continuous parts of development and also the abrupt changes throughout each stage of life. Even though all individuals may pass through each stage of life at a different pace, everyone faces them in the same order. The last of the three aspects of developmental psychology is stability and change. This study identifies which human traits carry throughout the entire life span and how they change with age. Stability and change are both key aspects in the progression of age. Part of a human’s identity is shown through their stability. If an individual is stable with themselves in life, it allows them to depend on others and feel sympathy and care for the development of a healthy child. To see a better future, one must first be open to change. With an outgoing personality and receptive mindset, one will have a greater chance of living an excellent life. A human’s potential for change stimulates concerns

Attachment theory was developed by psychoanalyst John Bowlby in the 1950s to focus on the bond formed between a mother and child; this first relationship is critical in determining a child’s developmental outcome and it is indicative of the child’s future relationships (Brooks, 2013). A parent and child can develop a secure attachment or fall into one of three insecure attachment styles: anxious-avoidant attachments, anxious-resistant attachments, and disorganized/disoriented attachments. Children with secure attachments seem happy and secure around the parent, and become distressed when they leave often seeking out their parents. With anxious-avoidant attachments child finds parent over stimulating thus uninterested when the parent leaves

Lifespan development is a term used to specify a branch of psychology that looks into the changes that occur in human behavior from conception, through birth, youth, adulthood to our death. There are numerous studies looking into pre-natal development and studies of the environment on the fetus (Berk, 2012) and these are a significant part of lifespan development. It is a scientific approach aiming to find understanding of human cognitive, physical, social development. Our growth and development is sensitive to all aspects of our culture, ethnicity and socio-economic background. Within developmental psychology, there are four main issues: the nature versus nurture debate, continuous versus discontinuous development, the significance of critical periods and whether to focus on specific life periods or our entire lifespan (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2013) It is common for researchers to look into these issues. They are problematic and lead to a constant debate between psychologists with inconsistent views. These conflicts exist because a large amount of research done in psychology, especially in developmental psychology, shows contradictory results. Studies of adult development did not emerge until the 1960s and were preceded by child development only by a couple of decades. The research