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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
Developmental Analysis Paper
Amber Daly
COUC_502
November 2023
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
Abstract
Throughout our lifespans, we all grow at our own rates. Whether it be developmental or
physical, everyone is unique in their own path that got them to where they are today. When
completing this assignment, the author had to dive deep into her past which caused her to
experience an array of emotions as well as ponder different questions; Could my life be different
if certain situations played out in other ways? This paper will explore the authors own personal
history of developing into who she is today as well as apply the theories, knowledge and
terminology learned throughout this course. By exploring the different experiences the author
had through life events, this paper will explain how the different aspects of this class can apply to
the author’s personal life.
Keywords: Development, Adulthood, Childhood, Path, Lifestyle
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
Developmental Analysis
Everyone develops at their own pace, hitting milestones when they are ready for it. Some
of us develop faster than others, some of us need extra assistance to hit those milestones.
Regardless of how you got there, you eventually get there. Through social, personal, and
cognitive development as well as experiences, these can help shape you into the person you are
today. Another aspect that shapes our development is how we react to certain situations which is
what makes everyone’s path in life unique. By exploring the different stages of development and
experiences of life events and applying the different tools learned during this class, the author
has dissected each aspect of her life into the following categories, Prenatal Period, Infancy and
Toddlerhood, Preschool Period, Childhood, Adolescence and Early Adulthood.
Prenatal
During the author’s mother’s pregnancy, her mother described it as an easy pregnancy
until the last trimester when her mother developed Toxemia. The author’s mother stated that the
author was due on December 26 , 1994 but she did not go into labor until January 6 , 1995 and
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gave birth on January 8 , 1995 via cesarean. The authors mother was 25 years old when she was
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born and married her father the year prior to her birth. She stated that her mother, the authors
grandmother, moved in to help the author’s mother prepare for the birth of her first child. The
author’s mother was currently working as a special education teacher and the author’s father was
working as a New York City Highway Patrol Officer.
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
Infancy and Toddlerhood
After the author was born, her mother described her as an easy baby; hardly ever cried
and was extremely curious of her surroundings. One of the more notable theorist to speak about
infancy and toddlerhood was Jean Piaget. He believed that in early infancy through early
adulthood, individual’s cognitively develop in stages (Paris & Rymond, 2022). Like all infants,
the author explored and developed by using her hands and her feet to touch and feel her
surroundings. The authors mother stated that the author was not a fan of the binky, but did take a
liking to mouthing on different hard objects such as blocks and wooden toys she could hold,
which is typical and follows the flow Piaget laid out for infant development. As the author
continued to grow, she advanced more cognitively than she did physically and was often was
called “advanced” for her age group. Although she was right on track for physical development,
she was off the charts for cognitive. Her mother described how the author was able to say words
and convey what she needed by eight months old. The author’s first phrase was “I want that”
when requesting items either out of her reach or in her view. However, she would not point to the
item she wanted. This is interesting because typically, according to Piaget, the infant would learn
to point first before expressing verbally what they wanted (Learning, 2020). Piaget believed that
infants and toddlers maintain cognitive equilibrium by balancing what they know with what they
see (Learning, 2020). However, this is a difficult task for infants and toddler’s to achieve because
they are often confronted with learning situations every single day. The best way infants avoid
confusion is by placing the information learned into schemas by the process of assimilation
(Learning, 2020). For example, the author learned how to obtain objects she wanted at a young
age by expressing her wants by saying “I want that” whenever a desired object was out of reach
or she was looking for something specific; this can be considered a schema.
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
The author was able to walk by her first birthday. At this stage the infant is transitioning
into a toddler and is experiencing a whole new level of growth both cognitively and physically.
There is a level of fine motor skills that are being developed as well as new connections in the
brain that are helping the toddler grow. From the ages of one to three, the toddler is learning how
to gain independence from their caregivers as well as learning how to recognize themselves in a
picture (Learning, 2020). According to the author’s mother, she was able to identify herself by
the age of 18 months, often referring to herself as “Pretty Baby”. However, the author was
developing her independence on par with her age bracket until about a year and a half old when
her parents separated and her mother was newly pregnant with her younger sister. All of those
changes threw off the authors daily equilibrium and she struggled with different types of
regression such as separation anxiety. Her father was never a strong role in her life due to his job
and working overtime. So the author was naturally more attached to her mother. After her parents
separation, she did not see her father for almost a full year. This was due to her father moving
away and having little time to come and see her and her sister after she was born. “When fathers
are found to be emotionally and physically remote from their infants at 3 months and again at 12
months of age, by the time they enter preschool the children were found to be more aggressive
with their peers. This was particularly true for boys and occurred independently from how the
mothers behaved with their infants” (Johannason, 2023). The author’s mother stated that even
though the author was developing on par with her age bracket with the little involvement her
father did have in her life, the stress of him completely cutting ties plus her mother being
pregnant created a devastating regression for the author. Her mother continued on to say it took
the author about six months to regulate to her new normal life without her fathers little
involvement.
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
Preschool
When the author entered preschool, one of her major experiences in her
development was what Erikson would consider the “Initiative versus guilt” stage (Feldman, 2015
p13). This stage is known as the period in development where the “Child has experienced or is
experiencing conflict between independence of action and the negative results of the action”
(Feldman, 2015 p14). The author was around the age of four so this was on par developmentally
with Erikson’s chart. During her preschool years, the author was often very eager to try new
things and had very little confidence issues. However, when the author did struggle with a task,
she would often cry, and lack the confidence to try again or continue to learn how to complete
the task. Her biggest issue was with potty training. The author’s mother educated the author on
the importance of using the potty since she was considered a “Big girl” by reading her stories
and playing VHS tapes of potty-training cartoons. At first, the author was doing well with her
potty training but when she had her first accident, she was ready to give up and put the diapers
back on. If the author’s mother reacted in a shaming matter, this could have led to a potential
increase in the timeframe that it took the author to fully potty train. Instead, her mother was still
encouraging and expressed to the author that accidents happen, which is the current term she is
using with her own son who is currently potty training. This stage can also be applied to when
the author began learning how to read simple words during her time in preschool. The author
vaguely remembers her preschool teacher creating songs that helped them memorize the spelling
of certain words which helped them retain the information. However, when the author was asked
to read out loud, she would often struggle to read the right words. This was from one specific
incident where the author was asked to spell, and read the word aloud from her notebook. The
author spelled the word correctly, but said a different word out loud, resulting in the class
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
giggling. From that moment on, the guilt of the mistake followed the author through her young
adulthood and even at her current job, she often has a hard time speaking out loud in front of
crowds.
Middle Childhood
The author began to develop faster physically, then she did cognitively, which was not
her typical growing pattern. From early infancy through preschool, she was cognitively ahead
and developed physically on par with her age bracket. However, when the author entered
Elementary school, she began to fall average with her classmates, which was not something the
author was proud of. One of the negative connotations from her fathers early abandonment of her
and her sister was the development of the author’s sense to be the best at everything she does. If
the author deemed herself “not good” at something, she would often quit before really truly
learning how to preform the task. For example, it took the author until the age of 12 to fully learn
how to ride a bike. This was due to the author continuously refusing to keep trying after falling
off of her bike. Her mother would often have to give her extra encouragement in order for the
author to make any future attempts at riding a bike. This example can be directly linked to
Erikon’s fourth stage of development: Industry vs Inferiority (Feldman, 2015). Since the author
was struggling with coming to terms over her fathers abandonment, she often strived to be the
best, hoping it would gain his attention. Since the author had very limited contact with her father,
she often lashed out behaviorally in school and at extracurricular activities. It is proven that
children with active fathers are often 80% more likely to do better academically as well as
behaviorally (Johannason, 2023). This is because the father is often the disciplinary in average
households, and children tend to respect their fathers authority more than their mothers
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
(Johannason, 2023). Around the age of seven the author began her school career playing softball.
This sport would be something that followed the author through her college years. The author’s
mother thought the sport would help alleviate the author’s stress caused by her fathers
abandonment as well as give her more structure to help her develop and grow with her age
group.
Another situation that negatively impacted the author during early childhood was when
she began to gain weight much faster than her peers. Since the age of six, the author was placed
on diets implemented by her own mother. Since the first diet, the author has had extreme
struggles with her self-image and often dresses in baggy, neutral tone clothing to avoid being
seen. This has also caused the author to have a lack of self-control when it comes to food and she
often struggles with her weight still to this day due to early dieting. Research suggests that
children, specifically girls, who are put on diets without the guidance of a doctor are 60% more
likely to struggle with bulimia and anorexia (Harrison, 2020). Due to the authors urge to be the
best at everything, she often felt like she was letting her mother down and blamed her weight as
one of the reasons as to why her father was not coming around. The author’s younger sister did
not struggle with her weight and often was able to eat whatever she wanted while the author was
subjected to a protein and a vegetable for her meals. This caused a rift between the author and
her sister which resulted in the author taking her frustrations out at her sister by means of
physical aggression and refusing to play with her. These imposed diets followed the author
through her middle school years as well.
Adolescence
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
This was one of the more pivotal developmental moments in the authors life. As she
struggling with her weight and her continued desire to be the best at everything she did, she was
also struggling with her desire to get the attention of the boys she was fond of. This is also when
the author’s body started to change the most and she felt uncomfortable in her own skin.
According to Erikson’s theory of development, the author was struggling with what many of her
peers were struggling with: Identity vs Confusion (Feldman, 2015). Due to the author’s lack of
confidence during this stage, the author continued to develop a sense of unworthiness and her
confidence continued to decline. One of the main contributing factors was when the authors
mother would say things like “Here, this is too big for me, you can have it” or “Well, if you don’t
take seconds during dinner time maybe you can fit into the new dress I bought you”. These
phrases still ring through the author’s head now at the age of Twenty Nine. Although the author
played sports, her legs and arms were very muscular, which made the author feel as if she did not
look feminine like her peers. It also did not help that the author was being recognized for her
achievements in softball and rarely received acknowledgment for her academics or her passion
for art and music. As the author continued to develop through her adolescence years, she
continued to lower her expectations of the men she attracted and often found herself in
controlling or manipulative relationships. This struggle followed the author through early
adulthood as well.
Early Adulthood
During the author’s early adulthood, she really struggled with finding her place in life,
maintaining relationships and continuing to grow personally. The author hung out with friends
who were not good for her mental development which ultimately resulted in the author
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
experimenting with different drugs. From a once preppy school athlete to a grungy hipster, the
author’s self-image changed a lot, especially after she graduated with her bachelors and officially
stopped playing softball. The author also attempted to try to reconnect with her father and
because the author was weak mentally, she struggled a lot when he refused to own up to his
abandonment of her and continued to keep the author at arms length. This deepened the
downward decline of the author who dropped out of her masters program. The author’s boyfriend
at the time was also mentally abusive and would often assist in her mental decline by reminding
her that he was the best she could find and that no one would want her because of all the negative
things she was doing in life. Eventually, the author found herself pregnant and eventually
married her abusive boyfriend because she did not want her child to grow up with emotional
turmoil like she did over her father abandoning her. As the years progressed, she eventually
divorced her son’s father and reenrolled into her masters program. The author also began going
to therapy where she learned how to overcome her issues and negative attributes and begin living
a life that makes her happy.
Impacting events
The author feels if she had grown up in a more supportive environment, maybe she would
have turned out to be a completely different person. Would she be confident? Would she be
pursuing counseling as a career? Would she currently have her son? All of these questions are at
the forefront of the author’s mind when she is daydreaming about the future and picturing a
beautiful life for her and her son. The most impactful event that the author feels was detrimental
to her development was the lack of a father figure throughout her entire early life. The author
blames her struggles with being a perfectionist as well as her lack of confidence when choosing
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
her partner on the fact that her father has made her feel worthless for as long as she can
remember. Along with feeling worthless, her mother continued to decrease the author’s
confidence by implementing diets whenever her mother felt the author was “too big”. To this
day, the author often struggles with allowing herself to enjoy food and reduces her portions
tremendously because she feels like others are judging her for eating. However, due to therapy,
the author has created boundaries with her father and has accepted that their relationship is
minimal. The author has very little contact with her father and this time, it is the authors choice,
which helps the author’s anxiety and helps her feel more in control of her environment.
Lifestyle Behaviors
Although the author still struggles with being the best at everything, she has found that in
recent years she has been more gentle on herself, especially when it comes to her schooling and
parenting. Currently, the author is trying to balance being a full-time single parent, work full time
and keep up with her school work. These three priorities in the author’s life often make her feel
out of control. However, with the help of her therapist, she has learned to give herself grace and
allow herself to forgive herself for mistakes that are made because she is not perfect, and has no
intentions on being perfect anymore. This type of growth is incredibly important to the author’s
development because as she continues to age through life, she will be able to enjoy more of the
world around her and live in the moment. This pivotal learning point in the authors life began
two years ago when she found herself getting divorced and learning how to live on her own, with
her son. The choice to go back to school while she is climbing the ladder at her full time job was
not an easy decision to make for this once-perfectionist—however, she is learning that through
grace, her dreams can be achieved and that she is worth loving no matter what size she is.
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
Conclusion
The different theories presented by Piaget and Erikson gives us a map of cognitive development
and helped the author look back into her past and discover why she exhibited certain behaviors.
Although the author was always cognitively and physically on par with her developmental age
group, the lack of a father figure heightened the authors sense to be an over-achiever which
created a sense of failure when she was not the best. This developed in the author’s preschool
years and has created negative memories that are embedded into her long term memory. The
author has learned through this paper that the different relationships she held throughout her
development directly influenced her and how she reacted to those different stages in her life.
However, through therapy and self-reflection, the author feels she has made more positive strides
in the last two years than she has during her entire developmental lifespan. This can be
contributed to the lifestyle changes that came with beginning therapy and leaving a negative part
of her past behind. The author is confident after writing this paper that she will continue to learn
and grow from her past to ensure that her son’s development does not create the scars she had to
learn from.
References
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DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
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