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Students should write this paper in third person and it should be explicitly evidence based in empirical research (articles, books, journals, academic works from the last 5-10 years) and not just a personal journal about one’s life. There should be specific topic areas of development as discussed in the course and a true connection to the area of development that can be a personal reflection. You can address however many areas of human development, or more focused areas of human development – that is up to you and how you craft your thesis statement and develop your topic to include transitions, full exploration of the topic, transition and detail based on evidence, etc. Keep in mind that if articles, books, etc. are older than 5-10 years, then they must be foundational materials as presented by the original theorist. An example of both the paper in third person which works through the application of theory and personal human development and use of influential (foundational) information is attached. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions about this assignment. Be sure to incorporate feedback in earlier weeks as well as tools presented throughout the course to develop a Master’s Level project. As always, you are welcomed to access the Writing Center. Please reach out to them early so that you can work through their feedback in order to submit a complete paper by the deadline. As a final piece of help, I want to encourage you to read through the grading rubric to be sure that you are aware of the expectations for the assignment. I am just an email away should you need me.

Regards,

Dr. Smith

Brief Sample Writing – Developmental Analysis – Dr. Smith

One of the greatest things that have been personally impacting as a professional, and even on a personal level are values. According to Sommers-Flanagan and Sommers-Flanagan (2007), a person’s values influence their professional perspectives, and cannot be hidden from daily work. Rules of morality, and ethical perspectives define a person’s role in the social environment in which they exist (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2007). Morality then is not necessarily “black and white”, but is based upon the experiences, culture, background, beliefs, values and norms of any human being. It is well said then that values both personally and professionally influence all areas of operation. As a professional, diplomacy, tact, fairness, and integrity are always expected, but what people do not realize is that there is also a human element to myself also as a human, and with that there is also a level of fallibility. Personally, there is a grappling with the realities of perception, and expectation as they pertain to professional environment, and there are hopes that others, including subordinates can see that even professionals in an upwardly mobile trajectory have room for growth, mistake making and even grace versus criticism for a lack of “perfection”.

Bandura (1989a, 1989b) defines cognitive theory as behavior which is a direct result of a person’s evaluation and perspectives of the world in which they live. Bandura (1989a, 1989b) further clarifies this position by saying that people are able to make judgments based on their observations and adjust their behavior according to their own personal beliefs. McAdam’s Life-Story model abides by the premise that one’s past, present and expected future will shape one’s identity and lead to purpose (McAdams, 1988). A person’s journey through life presents them with the question of defining who they are, and delineating how they fit into the social structures of the world (McAdams, 1988). While people go through this, every individuals experience is unique to their own personal life story (McAdams, 1988). By using the various elements of our own lives, and putting them together, there evolves a story which reveals a supposed personal identity, and hence our purpose for life (McAdams, 1988). Reaction and response to those that are under my leadership is based on an evaluation and perspectives developed through experiences both professionally and personally. There are times when it is difficult to make critical assessments without passing judgement, especially given negative experiences. For example, medical professionals that are treated poorly by patients are still obligated to treat the clientele professionally.

A person that has allowed their behavior to be appropriately shaped in a morally sound manner will yield kindness versus retaliation and grow from the experience versus the alternative which is to retaliate and allow forgiveness to fester into something worse. Past experiences of forgiveness can help to shape response and reaction based on theoretical perspectives of McAdams (1988). Scripturally speaking, forgiveness breeds forgiveness (Mark 11:25). To begin the cycle of heightening a personal life’s journey, there must be experience with certain behaviors in order for them to become ingrained behavior. This is also part of cognitive theory which allows you to learn behaviors through experience and then have experiences through learned behavior (Bandura, 1989a, 1989b; McAdams, 1988).

References

Bandura, A. (1989a). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American Psychologist, 44, 1175-1184.

Bandura, A. (1989b). Regulation of cognitive processes through perceived self-efficacy. Developmental Psychology, 25, 729-735.

McAdams, D. (1988). Power, intimacy and the life story: Personological inquiries into identity. New York: Gilford Press.

Sommers-Flanagan, R. & Sommers-Flanagan, J. (2007). Becoming an ethical helping professional. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.