Developmental Psychology - Development throughout a Life - Essay Example

?Developmental Psychology- Case Study Introduction This is a case study, or a life history, of a person d Mike. The paper is divided into three sections. First section describes Mike’s physical, cognitive, and social development when he was in his early adulthood. Second section is dedicated to details of his middle adulthood, regarding occupation, personal life, and physical, cognitive, and social development. Third section describes his physical, cognitive, and social development when he was in his late adulthood. This paper is an illustration of Mike’s development throughout his life. APA referencing style has been used properly. Young Adulthood Physical Development Mike was 15 years of age at the time of this observation. He had just passed his puberty stage. He now had hair on his face and body. His voice was getting hoarse as his throat was maturing. His built was manly; yet, he was obese due to overconsumption of junk food. He was very much into fast food which gave him empty calories, meaning that it lacked nutrition needed to maintain a healthy body (Brown, McIlveen and Strugnell). Since he did not do any exercise, that made him pay in terms of health. Obesity made him inactive, as he would lose his breath if he had to run or walk for longer periods of time. Other than this, his physical functioning was fine. Cognitive Development Mike’s thinking changed as he stepped into young adulthood. He was no more interested in childish activities. He liked to watch and read sex related content on television and magazines. Although this was normal for a teenager of his age, yet it was a great change in his morals. He was fascinated toward drinking too; however, he could not get his hands on drink due to laws. He was not coping well with his conscientious control. He dreamt of becoming a model or a superstar, which showed the immaturity of his thinking capabilities. However, he had good decision-making ability, since he remained focused on his academic goals. He was dealing well with Erikson’s stage of Identity vs. Confusion, as he was exploring his inner self and independence. He could concentrate well on his studies, because he had good critical thinking and analyzing capabilities. He was very sensitive regarding others’ behavior toward him, but he was very forgiving in nature. Social Development Mike shared healthy relationship with his parents as they were not very authoritative, and compromised with Mike’s changing beliefs. This gave rise to trust, and thus, Mike also enjoyed good relationship with his peers. He was dealing well with Erikson’s stage of Intimacy vs. Isolation. For example, he would go out with his friends on movies. Due to his good nature and mannerism, his friends did not exclude him out of their circle just because he was obese. As he grew older, he found Eliza, the love of his life. Eliza was fond of him because of his joyous nature. They got married, and had two children who were planned. Their marriage was successful, as Mike knew how to share trust. This ability of his also made him a good father. Middle Adulthood Occupational Development Mike specialized in business marketing. His parents were a big support in making the career choice. Since Mike was focused about his career, he did not change careers, and was satisfied with his choice. He would never have wanted to make a different choice. However, he had to deal with discrimination while selection at his workplace, since the employer did not prefer him due to his obesity. But, the company had to employ him under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Personal Life 35 year old Mike’s personal life was full of bliss. He enjoyed good communication with his parents. As they were living apart, he did not have to take care of them directly. Since Mike knew how to share trust and communication, he enjoyed fulfilling relationship with his children. In his free time, he would go into a library and read research papers. He was a member of a fitness club, and enjoyed swimming the most. If he had more free time, he would have joined a golf club. Physical Development Mike had grown into a well built man, but still he was obese as he had not left consuming junk food. He had joined a fitness club, and had started exercising and swimming. He was not very strong and sturdy, but his overall physical functioning was fine. Since he had started exercising, his shortness of breath had also gone. He was undergoing stress due to discrimination he had to see at the workplace because of his obesity. He was not appointed to field work requiring extra effort. Cognitive Development Mike’s thinking had become mature with the passage of time. He had outgrown his teenage fantasies of sex and alcohol. He had become responsible enough to understand the pros and cons of bad habits, and had proven to be a good citizen after stepping into adulthood. His morals had taken a good form, as he had started believing in ethics and standards. He believed in fairness and equality of all human beings. His decision-making and critical thinking skills had also become stronger over time. Social Development Mike had been able to maintain the friendships from early adulthood. He had also formed many new friends. He maintained healthy relationships among family as well. He proved to be a responsible son, a loyal husband, a dependable father, and a good companion. He always stayed in contact with his siblings. His children went to a boarding school, and whenever they left for the hostel, Mike killed the empty nest feeling with socializing. He was dealing well with Erikson’s Generativity versus Stagnation as, for example, he was an active member of his city’s local social work community. Late Adulthood Physical Development As Mike grew old, his health started declining. He had left the fitness club and swimming. Since he had not left junk food all his life, the lack of healthy diet took its toll on his health. At the age of 60, he was a patient of diabetes and blood pressure. His weight was also reducing because of diabetes. He was on medication, but started taking insulin injections as the sugar level rose. He had also become far sighted, and wore glasses while reading books and magazines. He was not lean, but was not strong either. He could not go on long walks. His sleeping patterns had also got disturbed, as he was suffering from insomnia. He felt quite inactive during the day, and at nights, he was not able to sleep well which added to his fatigue. Cognitive Development Mike had started forgetting many things, such as, he could not remember his friends’ phone numbers any more, and had to write them down. He had become forgetful toward his daily chores, and his wife had to remind him of his appointments and meetings. He was not able to concentrate well, and could not pay attention to little details of daily activities. However, he was still able to process the information quite well, as he would come up with wise suggestions and answers. The only problem he was having was with information storage and retrieval. He also suffered from depression because his children had left him, as they had settled in their own lives. They visited him every now and then, but he was no more able to cope with his empty nest feeling any more. Social Development Mike’s sister visited him every week to help him come out his depression. He was very close to her. Mike was no more able to retain his independence, as he had started depending on his wife and sister to come out of his empty nest feeling. He was not very joyous any more, but he still enjoyed when he was with his old friends. His close friends were still there with him, and visited him whenever he needed them. He missed his children. However, he was successfully passing Erikson’s stage of Integrity vs. Despair as, for example, he often reflected back on his life while sitting with his wife and sister, and would come up with feelings of satisfaction. There were only a few regrets, but life had been fulfilling on the whole. That is why, his anxiety about death was little. For him, death was an inevitable reality that could not be escaped. It was his pathway toward an eternal life, and this thought comforted him. He would see strange dreams about his deceased mother. He advised young people to be responsible and caring toward their family, as for him, happiness of family is the purpose of life. Conclusion Mike was an immature young boy in his early adulthood. He was carefree and humorous. He preferred junk food, and thus, he was obese. He was attentive and focused. He was very sociable. In his middle adulthood, he became conscious about his fitness. He was clear about his career. He faced discrimination at workplace due to obesity. He believed in ethical practices as his thinking matured. As he grew older, his health deteriorated. He suffered from diabetes, blood pressure, and depression. He became forgetful. He still enjoyed the company of his friends. His reflection of life was fulfilling and satisfactory for him. References Brown, K., McIlveen, H., & Strugnell, C. (2000). Nutritional Awareness and Food Preferences of Young Consumers, Nutrition & Food Science, 30(5), pp. 230 – 235. Read More