Running head: DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS
1
Developmental Analysis
Liberty University
Erica Swain
DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS 2
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to apply the knowledge, terminology, and theories learned
throughout the HSCO 502 course to the personal development and growth in my developmental
lifespan. By exploring the development and experiences of key life events this paper will show
how the theories that have been learned throughout the course apply to my personal life
experiences and how the strengths and barriers of my development have shaped who I am today.
DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS 3
Developmental Analysis
There is no one way to go through development; every person experiences different trials
and tribulations in their life that leads them to become the person that they are. It is through
personal, social, and cognitive developments and experiences that shape an individual; these life
events that shape an individual’s life can occur in any stage of one’s lifespan starting as early as
the prenatal period. By exploring the development and experiences of key life events this paper
will show how the theories that have been learned throughout the course apply to my personal
life experiences and how the strengths and barriers of my development have shaped who I am
today.
Prenatal Period
Factors such as mother’s health, support system, and the fact that she was going through
college to become a registered nurse, assisted her in this given time period of pregnancy. My
parents married shortly after both had turned 21 years of age and after my mother had achieved
her goal of becoming an registered nurse and my father already being a sheriff’s deputy.
Infancy and Toddlerhood
Following birth I was described as a
Preschool Period
During my preschool period one of the key events in my development was during what
Erikson considered the initiative-versus-guilt stage. This stage is known as the stage where
“children experience conflict between independence of action and the sometimes negative results
of that action” (Feldman. 2014, p 241).
Middle Childhood
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Although physically I developed at the average pace of a child in the middle childhood
period; but it was in my middle childhood period where I begin to experience learning
difficulties. I was not as good of a reader as most children my age, and my grades were effected
majorly because of that. Feldman (2014) describes a learning disability as a difficulty in the
acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities
(p. 283). Reading is the most fundamental task to learn when it comes to schooling (Feldman.
2014, p.283); and my struggle with reading not only had an impact on my grades but it affected
my confidence as well. Reading is a common struggle, the National Assessment of Educational
Progress reports show that 34 percent if fourth-graders perform below average reading levels,
and 41 percent of children according to Leach, Scarbough, and Rescorla (2003) experience their
first reading disability in the middle childhood period (Andrusik, K., Ritchey, K., Schatschneider,
C., Silverman, R., Speece, D., & Walker, C. 2010, p.289).
When it came to reading I would not be the student who wanted to read out loud for class
assignments, I struggled with class presentations, and would often stress over the issue. My
mother would try to assist, but it was because of the help I received from my fifth grade teacher
that I was able to learn how to read successfully. By using what Feldman (2014) described as the
code-based approach to reading, where the focus was on the sounds of letters and their
combination together (p.297), I was able to grasp the needed techniques to become fluent in my
reading skills. With better reading skills came better grades and also a better feeling of self-worth
and confidence.
Another change that I experienced in middle childhood was me and my mother getting
our own home. My mom by this point had graduate school and had received associates degree;
with more income she was able to provide a home for the two of us. It was a huge transition
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going from a three-generational home, to a home that just consisted of just me and my mother.
The transition did bring us closer because I went from depending on my grandparents for things,
to learning to trust and depend on my mother more. With my mom still working there were times
where I would come home from school and be there by myself until she returned from work; I
believe that having those moments of being home alone impacted my relationship and
development with my mother because it gave me a sense of maturity knowing that my mother
was comfortable enough and trusted me to be responsible during that time. Feldman (2014)
reports that “being a self-care child may lead to a greater sense of independence and
competence” (p.335). But on top of having a sense of independence, when feeling that your
parent trusts you enough to be self-sufficient in certain situations, allows you to be more open
with your parent and in my situation began to build back the bond we had in my younger years.
Adolescence
Adolescence was the most impacting period of development in shaping who I am today.
One thing that I regret about my relationship with my mother is that she was young when she
first had me. I don’t feel that some things that parents teach their children were taught to me, and
I learned a lot through personal experience. My entire schooling period from kindergarten up
until 8 grade was at one school and in that time frame I had grew close friendships, one being
th
with my best friend Javelyn; but from there I was forced to go to a catholic school where I knew
no one and 95 percent of my classmates had totally different lifestyles.
The beginning of adolescence started with me losing my virginity, being that it was
something I never talked about with my mother I never felt the need to tell her when it happened.
According to Kapinus and Gorman (2004), communication plays a role in impacting adolescents’
decisions in high-risk behaviors such as sexual activity; open and positive communication
increased the likelihood that teens would listen and respect parents in concerns of risky behavior,
DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS 6
while poor communication increased the risk of these behaviors. (Burns, V.2008, p.281). On top
of having poor communication I also believe that the lack of a father in my life led me to the
decision of becoming sexually active at such a young age. Ellis et al. (2003) concluded that
father absence was a powerful and overriding risk factor for early-onset sexual
activity (Burns, V.2008, p.282). It was the absence of a male figure that made me
feel incomplete and it seemed at the time that I was feeling that void through those
high-risk behaviors.
I also dealt with low self-esteem during my adolescent years, being in a new
school and new environment I did not know how to make friends. Feldman (2014)
talks about how socio-economic status and race impact self-esteem (p. 384); and in
my situation I went from a predominately black school where my friends dealt with
the same social struggles as myself, to a predominately white school where I was
often seen as the “hood girl”. I would often find myself using my looks as my
advantage, where it may have seemed that I was confident I actually was suffering
from depression and low self-esteem. According to Burns and Porter (2007), self-
esteem was a key indicator of risk, and poor self-esteem was linked to early on-set
of sexual activity.
Although my adolescent years started off on a downward spiral, I eventually
gained friends that are still a part of my life today and I went off to college with a
greater sense of self. I owe a great deal of my progression to my school and my
spirituality. Being that I attended a catholic school I attended mass and I had
religion class daily. I was baptized at the age of 16, which was during a period where
I and my mother frequently attended church together to work on our relationship,
and I began to build a relationship with my pastor; but the biggest spiritual
influence was through an experience my senior year called Kairos. I went on Kairos
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and gained a better understanding of who I wanted to be, gained the confidence to mend
relationships with those close to me, and acceptance of myself. It had such an impact on my life
that I decided to be a leader the next time around to share my spiritual progression and to help
others with their search for who they are and who God is to them.
Early Adulthood
It is with early adulthood that I grew a lot of clarity. Starting college as
an adolescent I had a major at mind but there was more of a focus on the
partying side of college than the learning side. It was my junior year and I
was 20 years old when I began to have a concrete definition of my identity.
James Marcia suggested that identity achievement is when you have
successfully explored and thought through whom and what you want to be
(Feldman. 2014, p. 387); this is something that is usually discovered in
adolescence but took me a few extra years to achieve.
I started college majoring in Psychology and it was my junior year
where I realized I should have majored in human development and family
services, but being that I had made it this far I dedicated myself to finishing
school and focusing on building enough experience in the field I wanted to
work in to get where I wanted to be. I began volunteering for a Christian
counseling program that trained me how to counsel women and to be of
support but also helped me build a closer relationship to God. This program
allowed me to help others while helping me establish the person that I am
and who God called me to be.
Impacting Events
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As I continue through my early adulthood years I continue to grow a
better understanding of my life and how the events and situations I have
been through have impacted me today. Starting with my mother and her
abortion; I followed in her foot steps and at the age of 16 did the exact same
thing. I did not know about my mother’s abortion until it happened to me,
and instead of telling me as if it was something that I needed to know or
something to learn from, she waited until it happened to me and used as the
reason for me to do the same. I still think about that decision and feel as if it
was one that was forced into and not one I made on my own, I still feel guilt
and it has caused me to value life and the freedom of choice.
Also in these years I have come to see that not having a father figure
has impacted how I view intimate relationships; I involve myself in intimate
relationships to feel a void of not having a father, but at the same time I
don’t trust men so I don’t commit myself fully in relationships out of fear of
being hurt or abandoned. These two are the main events that have shaped
me into who I am and have led to me to shield myself from others of who I
really am.
Lifestyle Behaviors
With identifying how and why I am the person I am today, I now know the changes that
need to be made in my life for continuous progress. I have to continue building my self-worth
and my self-esteem up for myself, begin to focus on what makes me happy and not stress over
what others think of me; Baumeister et al. (2003) states that “a belief in one’s value as a person
irrespective of external circumstances and events, is considered to be a resource against stress
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(Grossi, G., Perski, A., Schrami, K., & Simonsson-Sarnecki, M. 2011, p. 994). Another change
associated with my lifestyle that I need to change is when I find myself in what Marcia describes
as the moratorium stage, in this stage various identities are explored but the individual has not
committed themselves (Feldman. 2014, p. 388). I often find myself knowing who and what I
want but I have difficulty committing out of fear of not being accepted, studies show that
individuals who face this issue with identity have difficulty controlling impulses and having
goal-oriented behaviors (Jankowski, P. 2013, p.296)
Conclusion
Through life we all have experiences that impact our development and shape us into the people
that we are. It is through family experiences and lack thereof that I have become the person that I
am today. I did not experience man physical or cognitive developmental hurdles, but the
relationships that I had and did not have had major influences on my barriers in development.
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References
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