Life Course Theory : Theories And Complications Of The Life Stage Concepts

My full name is Christina Kaysone Chantharavongsa and I was born March 23, 1995 in Bridgeport Hospital located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was a little city and a small world since a ton of people would know each other. My parents were in an arranged marriage and were both moved to the United States from Laos during their high school years. But I’m actually half Laotian and Thai since my mom’s side is Thai from Thailand although she was born in an Asian Southeastern country called Laos. I’m the second oldest out of four children with two sisters and one brother. The order goes from Sarah, Christina (me),

One of the major obstacles for researchers in the field of Health Psychology and Aging is understanding the role of health disparities across different populations. Health disparities can be understood in terms of differences in some facet of health and well-being across different groups of people. The issue of health disparities across different populations is one that must be understood not only in the context of genetic and biological factors, but also in the context of a broader sociocultural perspective. The influence of health disparities are implied in the context of aging, but are discussed across the entire lifespan. The existence of health disparities in later life is often a product of a lifelong experience and life-course trajectory. This essay will address some of the major

The majority of lifespan development theories analyze growth and development from two major possibilities, that is, development as a continuous process and development as a discontinuous process (Berk, 2007). Continuous development is defined as the process where an individual builds on the same skills exhibiting at an early age while the discontinuous development is the process that allows individuals to exhibit new and different ways of understanding and responding to different situations and occurrences (Berk, 2007; Koren, 2011). The lifespan development theories that explain growth and development as a process of stages follow a discontinuous development perspective (Berk, 2007).

For instance, half of all children can sit unsupported by the age of 6 months, while the majority, (90%) can take up to 7 ½ months. What this means is that for accurate data we would need to observe theses children multiple times to see the growth they are making.

Throughout this course Dr. Zeng has taught and explained many theories about human developments through a life span. Such has Erikson’s stage of Identity Vs. Identity confusion which is explained by how aging adolescents face deciding who they are, what they are all about, and where they are going in life. Identity is aided by psychosocial moratorium, its noted that society leaves adolescents free of responsibility, and allows them to try different identities throughout a lifespan. Another theory that Dr. Zeng taught and explained to us was the Ethic Identity development theory which was proposed and composed by Jean Phinney. Which can be explained by adolescent’s self-categorization in, and psychological attachment toward, an ethic group or groups. Ethic identity development can also be described as a process of the construction of identity over time, due to a combination of experience and actions of the individual and includes gaining knowledge and understanding of in-groups, as well as a sense of belonging to an ethic group or groups. These two theories intrigued me the most when Dr. Zeng explained to us in class, because I believe they translate the most to all humans going through life. So when Dr. Zeng assigned the class to write a life span term paper, and to choose two theories there was no doubt which theories I would be picking. Dr. Zeng wanted the class to conduct survey/interview in which we would spend four to six hours outside the class, interviewing an

After critical review of all three different criminological theories, Life Course Theory was the theory that was most effectively represented the issues discussed in Code of the Street. Life Course Theory embodies many of the issues that occur in black inner-city neighborhoods. It precisely explains how delinquents are prone to implicating themselves in criminal activities. It gives rise to an explanation behind the initial crime. The theory then presents an oversight to the different motives that delinquents might have for escalating or de-escalating away from the crimes. An individual’s desistance from their crimes also explains why many perpetrators age out of crime. Life Course Theory can be applied to most of the characters, especially John, Robert, and Angela as they want to follow a decent life, but have persistent trouble

The life course perspective theory is a micro theory that delves into a subject’s past to interpret present endeavors that may assist in predicting future behavior or misconduct. It could be classified as a road map to an individuals expected behavior and may provide reasoning for that individuals’ life choices, not only in relation to criminal behavior but also on ones ability to sustain relationships.

Ninety six percent of people sixty-five and older are nonmovers (Quadagno, 2014, p.203) yet the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) follows seven individuals who are seeking a place that can accommodate their elderly needs. Despite this being a fictional film, the text Aging and the Life Course: An Introduction to Social Gerontology (Quadagno, 201) can support the ways in which the film accurately depicts various obstacles associated with aging. Each of the characters in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel overcome ageist social constructions present within western culture but represent that there can still be hope in old age.

Later adulthood is the time in life when changes in marriage, families, and peer relationships are affected the most by the loss of someone close to that person. “Most people 70 years of age or older are widowed, divorced, or single” (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010, p.619). Losing a spouse or close friend can create a sense of loneliness, which causes depression, anxiety and the emptiness feeling can become overwhelming. Depression also leads to psychological effects that will deteriorate a person’s health causing the chance for a terminal disease to become much higher. The weaker appearance of older adults causes family and remaining peers to step up in the role of making sure the person’s wellbeing is being met. (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). Living accommodations and healthcare needs

As this period is considered to be the most integral developmental stage of life, the impact of social, environmental, and economic determinants can have long lasting, if not permanent effects (World Health Organization (WHO), 2015) . Children who in early life are subjected to adversities, such as poverty, inappropriate care, maltreatment, inadequate health care, or substandard education, are more likely to suffer difficulties later in life (Hertzman, 2013).

After reviewing the two articles provided and studies of my proposed topic, there was no evidence of the theoretical and conceptual frameworks in six of my studies. However, there is one theoretical framework in my quantitative study that focuses on the individual and is grounded within the context of the life-span perspective of human development theory. Contextual influences include the types of changes in resources that occur in response to the individual's needs for resources throughout a changing life-span. Life-span development involves biological considerations, cultural considerations, and individual factors working together. The life-span perspective put emphasis on the development of the course of a lifetime, and all stages of the

The life-span perspective is a modern scientific approach to the study of human development that accounts for all phases of life including childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and it breaks each phase into individual stages of development (Berger,2014). This perspective suggests that development is multidirectional, metacontextual, and all stages of development are important and play a crucial role in the individuals cognitive health (Berger,2014). The stages of development are categorized as infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood, adulthood, and late adulthood. For the purpose of this paper I will be focusing on the infancy stage due to the importance of cognitive development before the age of two, middle childhood due to a child’s social structure becoming a defining factor in their lives, and emerging adulthood due to the stresses that an individual must endure while maturing into a young adult.

According to Crawford and Walker(2010), the life course is defined in literature as, “The progression and path an individual takes from conception to death.” (Crawford and walker, 2012, p.3). The study of the life course and human development is extremely complex and could be described as interdisciplinary as it encompasses many fields of study. When examining the life course of individuals it is necessary to consider all of the various factors that affect human behaviour. These may include; psychological, biological, social, behavioural, cognitive or culture factors. Age can also be considered as a factor that influences lifespan development. In the early 19th century, the term “age related change” was regarded as only applicable to the early childhood stage but in recent years, psychologists have come to accept that age related changes occur throughout the entire life span. According to Boyd and Bee (2014), other earlier theories included Charles Darwin’s suggestion that, “the wide variety of life forms that exist on earth evolved gradually as a result of the interplay between environmental factors and genetic process.” (Boyd and Bee, 2014, p.3) Therefore Darwin proposed that it was either solely, “nature” or “nurture” that influenced the human development, but instead, a combination of both. In this assignment, I am going to focus on the specific psychological factors that influence human behaviour during the life course. I will compare two different psychological

Some scientist and theorist believe that a person 's current position in life is the result of a combination of their experiences and interacting influences. This can occur from infancy through very old age, even before birth. For example, career choices can be affected by personal experiences or inborn abilities. This may be from the individual or the influence of adult role models, which can be positive or negative. According to Sigelman, Rider, & De George-Walker (2013), human development is shown to be very complex, with many interconnected processes through the modern lifespan perspective. This context is based on seven key assumptions, where I will analyse in depth in this paper and will show how the modern life span perspective is relevant to my decision to become a Social worker based on my experiences.

Throughout the Human Behavior and the Social Environment course, we have encompassed the many stages of the life cycle process. Now that I am twenty two years old, I found the early adulthood stage to be the most influential, and the most sensible one to relate to given the point that I am at in my life. More importantly, I decided to research and apply this life cycle stage to a variety of milestones, experienced by my interviewee, Chelsie. Living just houses apart, being raised by single fathers, Chelsie and I found that we had many things in common. We have remained friends since we were children, and have only grown to be closer into our early adulthood years.