DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS 2
Developmental Analysis: Childhood and Adolescence Assignment
Personal Introduction of Childhood – Adolescence
I can honestly say that I am incredibly blessed to have had a relatively pleasant
childhood. I am the youngest of 6 half-siblings and the only girl. I grew up with both parents in
the household. They have been married for over 40 years, and I aspire to be in a long-lasting and
loving relationship just like them. Both of my parents were supportive and involved well
throughout my childhood and adolescent years. My mother was very active in my education and
volunteered at my schools throughout my elementary and middle school years. Once in high
school, she encouraged me to find a part-time job to prepare me for the work and life balance
that the real world demanded. Although I was not initially excited about finding a job while in
school, I eventually grew to love it. I gained independence and learned how multi-task work and
real-life responsibilities at an early age. My father was also very active in my academics but also
provided that quality time that so many young girls need from their fathers. I can recall my father
taking me to various events throughout my childhood and teenage years. I enjoyed spending that
time with him and grew an amazing bond with him.
As I transitioned into my adolescent years, I began to experience some growing pains,
although I still received support from my parents and family members. I seemed to struggle with
the thought of transitioning from being under the roof of my parents to becoming independent. It
was this new reality that I was terrified of at the time but did not realize it. Due to these internal
battles, I sometimes took my frustrations out on my parents with various mood swings or even
times of complete silence. Despite these battles, I made decisions for my life that turned into
major successes. I could not have created these achievements without the love and support from
my parents.
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Theoretical Perspectives of Development
Stage of Development According to Freud
It is through the psychosexual stage of development that infants first establish significant
interpersonal connections (Garcia, 1995). During the first year of life, an infant’s life centers
around the mouth (oral stage). According to my mother, she was unable to breastfeed me due to
medical reasons, so I was introduced to formula via bottles. Oddly enough, I was not interested
in pacifiers as an infant. I believe due to not being breastfed and not having to be weaned off my
mother’s breast; I did not develop any feelings of dependency and hopelessness.
Stage of Development According to Erikson
Erikson’s theory focused on attitudes and feelings toward the self and others (Broderick
& Blewitt, 2020). Erikson described eight psychosocial stages. The Identity vs. Role confusion
stage is one that most resonates with me. During this stage, adolescents seek a sense of self and
personal identity (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). Erikson described the development of identity
formation as a "crisis" of "identity as opposed to identity confusion (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020).
During this phase of my life, I contemplated my identity more times than I could count. I do not
assert that it was a form of identity confusion. However, I struggled with whether I would be
truly happy with who I was in adulthood. That is what makes this time of growth so unique
because it demonstrates how adolescence develop the essential core of how they will be as
adults.
Stage of Development According to Piaget
According to Piaget’s theory, the human mind constructs its own knowledge. When
infants and children are presented with new information, what is learned is not simply a
reflection of what comes from the environment but rather by a process of adaptation (Broderick
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& Blewitt, 2020). Piaget proposed that children move through four different stages of
development. These stages include sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and
former operational stage. During my sensorimotor stage, I began walking at a relatively early age
(10 months). My mother stated that I was a very eager child that was always on the move even
before learning to walk. I was also very observant and was fascinated by the actions of
individuals. Piaget indicated that an indicator of recall is deferred imitation which is when
children observe the actions of another person and then imitate it (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020).
As I grew into my preoperational stage, I began to learn through pretend play. Although I
had five half-brothers, I grew up as the only child in my household, so I had to have a creative
imagination to keep myself occupied. I mentally represented the things symbolized (Broderick &
Blewitt, 2020), such as a skateboard as a vehicle, the armrest of a couch as a pretend horse. I
believe this stage of development was a major influence on my ability to understand and relate to
children at this age. Pretend play is a vital component in development. It is also an important
stage for language development (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). In other words, by pretend playing
with other children during this stage, I learned words that gave me the means to act a story from
a book, movie, or even a real-life experience.
Nature versus Nurture
Some common questions in discussions regarding nature versus nurture are whether a
child is born with certain characters and traits or are they born with a clean slate and they learn
what you teach them. I think throughout my childhood and adolescent years, I had a healthy
balance of both. Both of my parents were major nurturers in my life. I believe the amount of
love, time, and effort given by both of them had a huge impact on my self-esteem. Throughout
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my childhood, I was active in school and had many friends. I also produced above-average
grades in school and received many academic awards.
Throughout my childhood, I was always told I looked like my father. My father and I
have the same skin shade, hair color, and even nose shape. I also inherited some of the same
medical ailments, such as skin eczema and a condition called “tongue-tie." As I developed into a
teenager, my personality blossomed, and people then began to say I looked more like my mother.
However, I believe this is mainly due to the similarity in personality and character traits. My
mother is exceptionally resilient and no stranger to hard work. She is a significant influence on
how I am today. This is an example where I am not certain whether nature or nurture comes into
play. Dr. Steve Southwick asserted that while no one gene or gene variation supports resiliency,
some genetic factors do play a significant role in determining how an individual responds to
stressors and trauma (Saravia, 2022).
Bowlby’s Attachment
Attachment between the infant and her or his parent/caregiver is a process with important
implications for the child’s future relationships (Fowler & Dell, 2004). Bowlby suggested that a
child has an inherent need to attach to one main figure, which is the mother (Bretherton, 1992).
Being the only child of my mother, I believe I had slightly more of an attachment to her. Mothers
are usually the custodial caregiver, so mother attachments tend to be the first to form (Broderick
& Blewitt, 2020). I was a sheltered child as well, so I did develop somewhat of separation
anxiety in regard to my parents, especially my mother. Bowlby touched on two sets of stimuli
that provoke fear in children, which are the fear of the unknown and the absence of an
attachment figure (Bretherton, 1992). My first experience being left alone at home on my own
was by far one of the scariest moments in my childhood. The interesting thing was that I was not
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afraid something would happen to me. I was most afraid that something would happen to my
mother and that I would never see her again. It was the thought of the absence of one of the
important attachment figures in my life that conjured this new unknown fear which was losing
my parents forever. However, as I grew older into my teenage years, that fear began to fade. As
attached children get older, they have a better understanding and tolerance of physical distance
from their parents (Howard et al., 2011).
Faith Development
There are a number of factors that must be considered if we are to begin to understand
faith development. These include emotional and cognitive development, psychosocial
experience, and a number of other factors (Fowler & Dell, 2004). I do believe that human
development and faith development can be interconnected. However, the phase of development
determines the time in which you develop that faith. For instance, during the primal faith stage
(infant to 2 years old), physical and neurologic growth and development occur (Fowler & Dell,
2004). My parents had such a major impact on my faith development. There are a number of
factors that influenced my faith development, such as emotional and cognitive development
(Fowler & Dell, 2004). Although during my childhood, I was too young to consciously think
about faith and what it truly meant, I was able to observe and develop love and faith through my
interactions with loved ones, especially my parents. I was always reminded to walk by faith and
not by sight, and to this very day, I live by that standard because it is the evidence of things not
physically seen.
Challenges and Success
I can honestly say by the grace of God that I had more successes than challenges in my
childhood. I was afforded the opportunity to travel and experience the world, make amazing
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friends, and have loving parents that supported me through all of my successes as well as my
challenges. I would not be completely honest if I did not mention some of the challenges I
experienced as well, although not many. As I transitioned into adolescence, I began to
experience many behavior changes. I was unable to pinpoint the reason behind some of my
behavior and mood. According to Broderick and Blewitt (2020), hormones influence brain
restructuring and changes in stress and anxiety responding in the teenage years. I would say
around my junior year in high school; I began to experience a sense of pressure from school and
my parents on deciding what I wanted to do once I graduated from school. I was not certain if I
wanted to attend college or join the peace corps. Adolescents encounter a host of changes that
can affect their moods, such as the prospect of making critical life decisions (Broderick &
Blewitt, 2020). Many studies have reported that teenagers are an extremely moody age group. At
the time, I felt like I was not understood when in actuality, I was experiencing internal changes
that I could not control. Despite going through these emotional developments, my parents and
family remained supportive and understanding.
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References
Bretherton, I. (1992). The origins of attachment theory: John bowlby and mary ainsworth.
Developmental Psychology, 28(5), 759-775. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.28.5.759
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2020). The life span: Human development for helping
professionals (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Fowler, J. W., & Dell, M. L. (2004). Stages of faith and identity: Birth to teens. Child and
Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 13(1), 17-33.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1056-4993(03)00073-7
Garcia, J. L. (1995). Freud's psychosexual stage conception: A developmental metaphor for
counselors. Journal of Counseling and Development, 73(5), 498-502.
https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1995.tb01785.x
Howard, K., Martin, A., Berlin, L. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2011). Early mother-child separation,
parenting, and child well-being in early head start families. Attachment & Human
Development, 13(1), 5-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2010.488119
Saravia,KB. (2022).KDefining resilience: Nature or nurture?%Thrive Global: Behavior Change
Platform Reducing Employee Stress and Burnout, Enhancing Performance and Well-
Being.Khttps://thriveglobal.com/stories/defining-resilience-nature-or-nurture/
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