developmental stages

• Growth


  Physical changes in height, weight, and appearance of the body
• Development


  Change in functional ability, such as cognitive, motor, and psychological aspects
• Growth and development start from the time of conception and progress until a person dies
• Growth and development theories provide a framework to understand changes, and help healthcare providers plan individualized care and provide anticipatory guidance
• Major growth and development theories

  • Biophysical developmental theory by Arnold Gesell
  • Psychosocial development theory by Erik Erikson
  • Cognitive development theory by Jean Piaget
  • Moral development theory by Lawrence Kohlberg
  • Psychoanalytic development theory by Sigmund Freud
• Gesell's theory of biophysical development

  1. Cephalocaudal growth (head and brain develop first, then progress towards feet)

  2. Proximodistal growth (central body parts develop before distal parts like arms and legs)
• Gesell's theory

  • Every child has unique growth patterns influenced by interaction between genes and environment
• Erikson's theory of psychosocial development

  1. Trust vs mistrust (birth to 1 year)

  2. Autonomy vs shame and doubt (1 to 3 years)

  3. Initiative vs guilt (3 to 6 years)

  4. Industry vs inferiority (6 to 12 years)

  5. Identity vs role confusion (12 to 18 years)

  6. Intimacy vs isolation (18 to 40 years)

  7. Generativity vs self-absorption and stagnation (40 to 65 years)

  8. Integrity vs despair (65 years to death)
• Trust vs mistrust


  Infant needs physical comfort and reliable, sensitive caregiver to establish trust in the world
• Autonomy vs shame and doubt


  Toddlers explore world and learn independent activities, allowing choices promotes autonomy
• Initiative vs guilt


  Preschoolers assert control, learn to initiate activities and master tasks, lack of praise or harsh control can impair initiative
• Industry vs inferiority


  School-age children eager to increase knowledge and learn social skills, supported learning develops sense of accomplishment
• Identity vs role confusion

  Adolescents strive to discover personal identity, lack of encouragement can lead to uncertainty
• Intimacy vs isolation


  Young adults search for meaningful relationships, failure can result in isolation
• Generativity vs self-absorption and stagnation


  Middle adults contribute to future generations, failure can lead to self-absorption and stagnation
• Integrity vs despair


  Older adults contemplate life achievements, contentment leads to integrity, disappointment leads to despair
• Piaget's theory of cognitive development

  1. Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years)

  2. Preoperational stage (2 to 7 years)

  3. Concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years)

  4. Formal operational stage (11 years to adulthood)
• Sensorimotor stage


  Infants learn through senses and motor activity, develop object permanence
• Preoperational stage


  Children use symbols, engage in pretend play, experience egocentrism and animism
• Concrete operational stage


  Children use logic to understand principles like cause and effect, develop seriation and conservation
• Formal operational stage


  People develop ability to understand abstract concepts, characterized by idealism and logical thinking
• Kohlberg's theory of moral development

  1. Pre-conventional morality (actions guided by reward and punishment)

  2. Conventional morality (acceptance of social rules and moral standards of role models)

  3. Post-conventional morality (understanding of shared values and self-chosen ethical principles)
• Pre-conventional morality


  Lack of moral code, behaviors guided by reward and punishment
• Conventional morality


  Acceptance of social rules and moral standards of valued adult role models
• Post-conventional morality


  Understanding of shared values in society, self-chosen ethical principles
• Freud's model of personality development

  1. Oral stage (birth to 1 year)

  2. Anal stage (1 to 3 years)

  3. Phallic/Oedipal stage (3 to 6 years)

  4. Latency stage (6 to 12 years)

  5. Genital stage (adolescence to adulthood)
• Oral stage


  Infant finds pleasure in sucking, biting, and breastfeeding, recognizes parent/caregiver as separate
• Anal stage


  Child's focus is on attainment of bowel control, caregiver's reaction impacts personality
• Phallic/Oedipal stage


  Children become aware of presence/absence of penis, Oedipus/Electra complex, identification with same-sex parent
• Latency stage


  Libido becomes dormant, energy channeled into socially acceptable activities
• Genital stage


  Sexual urges reawakened, directed outside family, sexual experimentation in adolescence, mature relationships in adulthood