Running Header: The 12 Stages Of Life

Eric Erikson developed a theory that divides an individual’s life into eight stages that extend from birth to death (unlike many developmental theories that only cover childhood). Erikson (1902-94)

To commence with, during development a human being grows at an astonishingly rapid pace. According to Guttmacher Institute, “89% of all abortions in the United States are performed in the first trimester of pregnancy.” (2005). In the first trimester (16 weeks), the baby’s eyes and eyelids, nose, mouth, and tongue have formed, and the baby's reproductive organs also develop. The cardiovascular system is the first system that begins to function. The baby’s heart begins to circulate their own blood, similar to his mother’s heart, twenty-two days after conception. Electrical brain activity can be detected at six or seven

There are many stereotypical perceptions of life stages and their possible effect on development. Each of the six life stages will be explained with the expected norms and how this affects the development.

In the first month of pregnancy head and trunk appear and tiny arm buds begin to form, followed by leg buds. The early embryo seems to have a "tail", but this is really a protective covering for the spinal cord because the central nervous system (brain, spine and spinal cord) is so important. At this point of development the structures that eventually form the face and neck are becoming

P1 – Describe physical, intellectual, emotional and social development for each of the life stages

E. Describe some of the physiological events that occur in a baby’s body as it is born and leaves the womb behind.

There are five stages that we all go through in our life, theses stages are;

The concept fetus is used to denote the unborn human from the end of the eighth week after conception to the moment of birth, as distinguished from the earlier embryo (the product of conception from implantation in the uterus through the eighth week of development). A fetus contains all the organs and has the basic human form. (Rand)

this time, the baby's heart is beating, major organs are formed and maturing, facial features are

In the Life Cycle Completed by Erik H. Erikson, Erikson talks about the stages in life those stages range from infancy to elderly age. The stages are basic trust vs. basic mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generatively vs. stagnation, and finally integrity vs. despair. In Wild Strawberries the character Isak Borg goes through all the stages that Erikson talk about in his book Life Cycle Completed and you get a visual understanding of what Erikson means about the stages.

    According to parents.com, after conception, a fetus begins to develop rather quickly. In the fifth week of pregnancy, a baby’s heart begins to beat. A baby also develops three distinct layers, ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. These three layers will eventually form the body systems that are necessary

Important stages of pregnancy: Pregnancy is counted from the first day of the mother 's last period. Important development immediately takes place after fertilisation of egg and sperm cells. It divides into many cells in the first week, which forms a zygote made out of 100 to 150 cells that are already differentiating. In the second week, the zygote is then changed to an embryo and it sticks to the uterine wall. This process takes up to nine months to form and develop a baby.

Many of our temperament traits are evident at birth. However, other characteristics such as trust, guilt and competency are learned based upon our life experiences and the support we receive as we grow and develop. Based upon his research, Erikson became aware of the influence maturation and social demands have on behavior and ultimately on our development. He believed these two forces "push[ed] humans everywhere through…[a set of] eight psychosocial crises" (Sigelman, C. & Rider, E., 2009, pg.332). He organized life into eight stages that extend from birth to death.

Infancy is recognized as the stage of life from a human 's birth up until he or she learns how to speak: generally until the age of one or two. During this stage, the child transitions from a dependent toddler to a relatively active child; he or she is typically able to crawl, roll over and walk. In terms of physical development, the stage of infancy witnesses the most growth. Also during infancy the child gains a sense of trust when its caregivers provide affection and reliability, a lack of such

The fetal stage is the stage in which is marked by rapid growth and preparation