Social Life Course Theory

What is to be said about life and circumstances? There are many different theories and perspectives about it, but my concern is when someone feels they have to be subject to their circumstance. Further in this paper I will discuss my personal counseling theory and how I believe that not one person has to be ruled by a certain circumstance and that they are not by any means validated by one person because they have the opportunity to discover meaning in their life for themselves and discover an array of opportunities in life.

Life has its way of turning an individual’s attention to better understanding the overall course of life. One may experience different transitions, and turning points as well as particular life events and family experiences that may influence the developmental trajectories of life. The Moore Family- Ed, Jessica, Derrick, Terrance, Debbie and Barbara- all have stories that have unfolded over a period of time. One of the useful ways I will attempt to explain the Moore’s family stories, and the relationship between time and human behavior, is the life course perspective. The life course perspective maintains that chronological age, relationships, common life transitions, and social change shape people’s lives from birth to death (Hutchinson, 2013). Timing is very important.

Lifespan development is essential, as it is the changes that happen to us throughout a person’s lifespan. Our development occurs at ages stages where we develop from infancy till death. This essay will contain my life story to display the domains in 5 age stages in my lifespan development. The domains I will be exploring is in this essay is physical, emotional, cognitive, social, cultural and moral domain. The influence of biological and environmental play a significant role in my development. Development is influenced by nature or nurture and its affect will occur throughout lifespan. The changes that occur during development have stage. Each theorists has stages of development where they display the changes. This essay will explore my

“The life course is the progression and path an individual takes from conception to death, and considers that the whole life of the individual presents opportunities for development, change and growth” (Crawford and Walker 2010).

In middle adulthood there are many changes that occur physically, psychologically, and socially as explained in the above passages. Yet, some say that this is the best time of their life, they experience enhanced self-confidence, great sex lives, career success, and enhanced brain functions. Middle age adults are better equipped to make better life choices and decisions and not worry so much about the negative parts of life. Their problem solving skills are greater which allows them to reason more creatively. They are able to enjoy sex freely without the worries of getting pregnant and they feel more confident with their partners. In general they are happier about life and look forward to enjoying the rest of their lives.

This essay will demonstrate my understanding of developments which occur at each stage of an individual's life cycle. I will relate these developments to two relevant psychological theories and discuss how an individual's needs must be met to enable them to develop.

Another advantage of theories is that there are many kinds to suit a diversity of people. For example, if a teacher observes that students are interested to learn about children, there are many theories about how children learn and mature. Also, some teachers will prefer some theories over others, and because there are many theories, people can choose one that best suites their beliefs and styles of life. For example, I find most of the theories helpful and capable of guiding people when they do not have any other resources. For instance, in the olden times’ child labour was an issue, and people were not educated as they are now. This I learned it from this lesson and also from my grandmother. My grandmother used to tell me stories of how children especially girls had to start work early. The children did not only help in the house to raise the babies and clean, but they also worked at the family business. Boys, however, were encouraged to go to school and expand the family business or start their own work. In addition, evidently from this lesson and from my experience, in the olden times, people did not keep track of their age. This can victimize children again. Not only children were victims of labour, but they were on many occasions forced to marry at a young age. Psychologist, who wanted to help children or young adults, came up with theories for

The last principle which is the principle of historical time and place says period, cohort, and contextual factors have an influence on the life course (Kotch,

The Life Course Theory is looking through health through a life course perspective. This theory addresses three key areas: your health as an individual, your health before your conception, and your children’s health. These don’t necessarily proceed in a given sequence but rather make up the person’s actual experience of these areas. The socioecological

Life periods tend to be blurred in a modern society for many reasons. Getting married, having children, and working used to have specific age frames. Now, many individuals do not feel rushed because societal expectations are not as clear. People do not always get married in their young adulthood years anymore, starting a new job does not have to be when an individual is young, and attending college has no age limit. As people progress through their lives, they find out their personal identity and throughout that time, life decisions can change. A person may way to retire when they are 50 and start a new path, or divorce after 10 years and explore more. An example of this can include how my dad recently just started to take college classes.

This methodology encompasses examining the child’s life through many different contexts, such as: demography, history, sociology, biology, developmental psychology, and economics. ( w. website ) The Life Course Perspective takes the combination of the historical and social factors and sees them in an individual’s course of personal development. A life course is defined as a sequence of socially defined events and roles that the individual enacts over time. ( W. website ) The theory loosely follows the sage old adage, “To know where you’re going, you have to know where you have been.” More precisely, the theory explains that the roles, events or transitions in an individual’s life don’t naturally progress in a structures order, but instead but create the sum of one’s life experience. (website) Transitions play an important role in the life experience.

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.

. According to John Dewey education plays a large role in the development of an individual and it is an element that separates humans from other animals. It is important to try to comprehend what Dewey means by this and in order to do so the following must be done. First, one must understand the role education plays in an individual and Dewey’s notions of education in the areas of growth, direction and social function. Second, after comprehending Dewey’s notions of education in the areas of growth, direction, and social function, one must be able to grasp the distinction between education as a social function and the simple notion of training and what sets these two apart. Third, after being able to comprehend the notions of education and the distinction between education as a social function and training, the idea of why education is distinctive of human life will be further developed.

There are many explanations for the origins of modern social psychology. It is therefore important to consider that social psychology cannot be traced back to one single source of origin (Burr, 2003). Hence, this is the reason why there are debates of what social psychology is. Allport (1985) described social psychology as the study an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours which are influenced by the actual, imagines, or implied presence of others. As seen from this definition there is a direct link between social science and the individual psychology (Sewell, 1989). Social psychology cannot be seen as a linear phenomenon. This is because social psychology has been derived from a combination of influences. The development of