Lifespan Development
Conception marks the beginning of a new life and although humans are different in almost everyway, we share the basic developmental stages. Have you ever wondered why at different ages, we all are developing at different rates? Why a twelve year old is more capable of hypothetical questions than a nine year old? All these things are because of what we call lifespan development. Through out this paper we will take a closer look at the stages of lifespan development and hopefully have a better understanding of what changes we undergo within each stage.
Conception marks the beginning of life and also marks the beginning of lifespan development. The first stage of lifespan development is known as the prenatal stage and …show more content…
It is defined as “The period of transition from the dependence of childhood to the independence of adulthood.” (book) Usually starting at age 12, the once young newborn will notice significant changes in itself as it is faced with two major challenges brought on by adolescents: puberty and identify formation. Puberty begins with two biological changes, the first being a growth spurt and the second being sexual maturation. Puberty has always been known as an embarrassing time for both male and female, between growth spurts, voice changes, and hormonal changes it is also an emotionally time. It has been said that girls mature faster than boys, and it is true in a physically aspect. A females growth spurt can occur as young as nine or ten, and typically resolves by the age of fifteen. On the other hand, boys usually hit their growth spurt between twelve and seventeen years of age. Along with growth spurts some adolescents report physically growing pains in the arms and legs. Puberty also brings upon an increase in sexual hormones as the body develops. Although for males, there is no one true sign puberty will begin they will notice a change in there voice as the vocal cord lengthens. Most often, puberty is marked for males when live sperm develops in the semen. The start of puberty for girls is more easily noted by the first menstrual period. As we go through all the physically changes in adolescents, we are also changing mentally and emotionally as we try to identify ourselves. This is another time of stress as every young person is trying to see where they fit in with everyone else. They try out different hairstyles, clothing, body mortifications, and many other things just to see what they like. This is known as an identify crisis and is defined as a struggle to define and integrate the sense of who one is, what one is to do in life, and what one’s attitudes, beliefs, and