STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS
1. Pre-natal Period
2. Infancy (birth – 2 years)
3. Early Childhood (3 – 5 years)
4. Middle and Late Childhood (6 to 12 years)
5. Adolescence (13 – 18 years)
6. Early Adulthood (19 – 29 years)
7. Middle Adulthood (30 – 60 years)
8. Late Adulthood (61 years and above)
3 PHASES
1.) GERMINAL STAGE – first 2 weeks conception, implantation, formation of placenta
2.) EMBRYONIC STAGE – 2 weeks – 2 months formation of vital organs and systems
3.) FETAL STAGE – 2 months – birth bodily growth continues, movement capability begins, brain
cells multiply age of viability
PRENATAL – Overview of fetal development It involves tremendous growth – from a single cell
to an organism complete with brain and behavioral capabilities
INFANCY (BIRTH – 2 YEARS OLD)
• extreme dependence on adults
• beginning psychological activities:
• language, symbolic thought, sensorimotor coordination and social learning
•language of newborn is the cry
• usually eats every 2 to 3 hours
• uncoordinated movements
• toothless
• poor vision (focusing range 8 to 12 inches)
• usually doubles weight by 9 months
• responds to human voice & touch
1 YEAR OLD
• change from plump baby to leaner more muscular toddler
• begins to walk & talk
• ability for passive language (better understanding of what’s being said)
• tentative sense of independence
• determined explorer
2 YEARS OLD
• begins to communicate verbally (name, etc.)
• can usually speak in 3 to 4 word sentences
• famous for negative behavior “NO!” to everything! temper tantrums
• will play side by side other children, but does not actively play with them
• great imitators
EARLY CHILDHOOD (3-5 YEARS OLD)
3 YEARS OLD
• wants to be just like parents
• vocabulary and pronunciation continue to expand
• climbs stairs with alternating feet
• can briefly stand on one foot
4 YEARS OLD
• sentences are more complex; speaks well enough for strangers to understand
• imagination is vivid; line between what is real & imaginary is often indistinct
• develops fears (common fears: fear of dark, fear of animals, & fear of death)
5 YEARS OLD
• can hop on one foot & skip
• can accurately copy figures
• may begin to read
• socialize with other children their age
MIDDLE AND LATE CHILDHOOD (6-12 YEARS OLD)
• both large & small muscles well-developed
• developed complex motor skills
• from independent activities to same sex group activities
• acceptance by peers very important
• parental approval still important
ADOLESCENCE (13-18 YEARS OLD)
• traumatic life stage for child & parent
• puberty occurs
• extremely concerned with appearance
• trying to establish self-identity
• confrontations with authority
EARLY ADULTHOOD/YOUNG ADULTHOOD
• physical development complete
• emotional maturation continues to develop
• usually learned to accept responsibility for actions & accept criticism
• usually knows how to profit from errors
• socially progress from age-related peer groups to people with similar interests
MIDDLE ADULTHOOD (30-60 YEARS OLD)
• physical changes begin to occur: (hair begins to thin & gray; wrinkles appear; hearing & vision
decrease; muscles lose tone
• main concerns: children, health, job security, aging parents, & fear of aging
• love & acceptance still take a major role
LATE ADULTHOOD (61 YEARS AND ABOVE)
• fastest growing age bracket of society
• physical deterioration (brittle bones, poor coordination)
• some memory problems
• coping with retirement & forms of entertainment
• very concerned with health & finances
• significant number become depressed; suicide rate is high
DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS
One that “arises at a certain period in our life, the successful achievement of which
leads to happiness and success with later tasks while failure leads to unhappiness, social
disapproval, and difficulty with later tasks.” by Robert Havighurst , 1972
What is an outstanding trait or behavior of each stage?
What task/s is/are expected of each development stage?
Does a developmental task in a higher level require accomplishment of the lower level
of developmental tasks?
Infancy and Early Childhood (0-5 )
Learning to walk
Learning to take solid food
Learning to talk
Learning to control the elimination of body waste
Learning sex differences and sexual
Acquiring concepts and language to describe social and physical reality
Readiness for reading
Learning to distinguish right from wrong and developing
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD (6-12)
Learning physical skills necessary for ordinary games
Building a wholesome attitude towards oneself
Learning to get along with age level
Learning an appropriate sex role
Developing fundamental skills for writing, reading, and calculating
Developing concepts necessary for everyday living
Developing conscience, morality, and a scale or values
Achieving personal independence
Developing acceptable attitudes toward society
ADOLESCENCE (13-18)
Achieving mature relations with both sexes
Achieving a masculine or feminine social role
Accepting one’s physique
Achieving emotional independence of adults
Preparing for marriage and family life
Preparing for an economic career
Acquiring values and an ethical system to guide behavior
Desiring and achieving socially responsible behavior
EARLY ADULTHOOD (19-29)
Selecting a mate
Learning to live with a partner
Starting a family
Rearing children
Managing a home
Starting an occupation
Assuming civic responsibility
MIDDLE ADULTHOOD (30-60)
Helping teenage children to become happy and responsible adults
Achieving adult social and civic responsibility
Satisfactory career achievement
Developing adult leisure time activities
Relating to one’s spouse as a person
Accepting the physiological changes of middle age
Adjusting to aging parent
LATE ADULTHOOD (61 AND ABOVE)
Adjusting to decreasing strength and health
Adjusting to retirement and reduced income
Adjusting to death spouse
Establishing relations with one’s own age
Meeting social and civic obligation
Establishing satisfactory living quarters
