Hannah's Life

by Hannah Goodwin

1. Adolescence

1.1. Physical- Our text mentions that a physical demand on adolescence includes sleep deprivation. Because of increased academic and social demands, teens often get less sleep than needed! This was definitely the case in my life. In high school my average amount of sleep a night was 5hrs.

1.2. Cognitive- I grew up in a ghetto part of LA California. Low SES high school students reflected poor cognitive growth which was indicative of the environment they grew up in. It's so interesting to me how much environment can influence ones cognitive development!!!!

1.3. Social/Emotional- Religion and spirituality can be a huge part of the adolescent development. The individual starts to reflect on "what is the meaning of life." In my adolescent years I discovered my desire to know God and have pursued a relationship with Him ever since. It's been the most fun and fulfilling life!!!

2. Middle Childhood

2.1. Physical- In my Middle childhood i started devloping my fine motor skilsl by writing in cursive. I absolutely hated my handwriting!

2.2. Cognitive- Cognitive development in Middle Childhood is huge! No longer is reading an accomplishment in and of itself, it is a means to an end- children learn by reading! My favorite book to read in Middle Childhood was "Boxcar Children."

2.3. Social/Emotional- Moral Development is making big strides in Middle Childhood. At this stage, more development for girls includes, "goodness as self-sacrifice." Basically females begin to think that they must sacrifice their own wishes to benefit others. I definitely had this mentality in my relationship with my mom. I felt that I was only good if I made sure that I did everything to make her life easier (clean my room, do the dishes, etc.)

3. Pre-Natal & Newborn

3.1. Physical- Even though I was legitimately freaked out when I read about lanugo hair in our texts, I was informed that I did have it. The idea of that is still so weird to me!

3.2. Cognitive- In this stage of development, habituation occurs. A new stimulus becomes normal and no longer evokes an "orienting response." The baby becomes used to the activity. My mom says that I had a mobile over my crib. At one point it use to captivate my attention, but with time I got use to it and it no longer entertained me.

3.3. Social/Emotional- at the newborn stage researchers found that infants can imitate behavior! As a baby, I often imitated smiles and sounds!

4. Infancy & Toddlerhood

4.1. Physical- As the infants strength increases, their gross motor skills are able to expand. While they aren't very sophisticated in their movement, at 6months babies can usually move themselves in particular directions. Crawling occurs typically around 8-10 months. I was crawling at 8.5 months!

4.1.1. New node

4.1.1.1. New node

4.2. Cognitive- Between 12-18 months infants enter the sensorimotor period called "Beginnings of Thought." This is when the young child has the capacity for mental representation (an internal image of a past event or object). They can even plot in their heads that a ball will come out of the opposite side when rolled under a couch! Many times my dad would rolls balls to me and I'm told my reaction was intense! I'd stare at the position it'd come out of till it came out!

4.3. Emotional- One of my favorite aspects of the devlopment of the emotions in Toddlers is their ability to empathize! Around age 2 infants begin to show the beginnings of empathy (an emotional response that corresponds to the feelings of another person. I have a picture of me at this stage- my friend was hurt in the sandbox and I was leaning over looking very concerned.

5. Preschool Period

5.1. Physical- By age 3, children have mastered a variety of gross motor skills (jumping, hoping, running, etc.). My favorite activity was HOPSCOTCH!

5.2. Cognitive- in preschool years the emergence of intuitive thought occurs. They ask "why?" questions for practically everything! I was DEFINITELY a "why mom?" child! At the same time, they may present themselves on being experts on various topics. This is due to intuitive thought.

5.3. Social/Emotional- By age 4 children engage in constructive play- manipulating objects or building things. One of my favorite building toys was Lincoln Logs!

6. Early Adulthood

6.1. Physical- What stood out to me the most in the physical aspect of young adulthood was the correlation between physical health and stress. I took the stress test- my stress level was higher than the "normal" listed in our text. Consequences of stress include damage to the immune system and low tolerance against colds, which I often experience.

6.2. Cognitive- This stage of cognitive development encompasses dialectical thinking- an interest in and appreciation for argument, counterargument, and debate. This makes total sense to me- I love a good, stimulating, intellectual fight on current topics! I feel like it's one of the most dynamic ways for me to learn.

6.3. Social/Emotional- This stage in life is often referred to as the Intimacy vs. Isolation stage. Many are looking for deep friendships or something more than friendships to satisfy this desire, One thing the book mentioned regarding intimacy is the topic "Is Love the Only Thing That Matters?" I traveled to India two years ago and discovered the prevalence of arranged marriages. It's an interesting thing to consider- as their marriages typically lasting and they usually don't have an experience of initially being "in love."

7. Middle Adulthood

7.1. Physical- Stress in Middle adulthood still has great impact on ones physical health as it lowers the immune system. My goal is to have a lowered stress level from now through Middle Adulthood.

7.2. Cognitive- As people move into middle age they often experience cognitive growth and decline. Selective optimization is a process people use in concentrating on a particular skill to compensate for losses. My hope is that if I'm slower to recall names, I will have some kind of mental strategy to compensate and maintain quality personable interactions.

7.3. Social/Emotional- A fairly typical part of development in this stage includes marriage. My desire is to be in a satisfying marriage relationship, developing a healthy family.

8. Late Adulthood

8.1. Physical- In late adulthood the tongue looses taste buds. There is a decrease in both taste and smell. People in this stage often eat less because the food is no longer appetizing. My hope is to remain a healthy eater and make sure my body is still getting the nutrients it needs.

8.2. Cognitive- Memory capacity changes during old age. Short-term memory slips gradually till age 70, then there is a more pronounced decline. Still, many people are able to compensate for their memory loss. When I'm in this stage, I of course hope that I'll retain my memory, but if I don't, I will definitely come up with ways to compensate!

8.3. Social/Emotional- Friendships are significant in late adulthood. The likelihood of loosing a spouse increases and the spouse left behind will still need companionship. My hope is to have close connections with friends- whether in a nursing home, or in various networks, I want to make friendships a priority,.

9. Death and Dying

9.1. Physical- In our reading I learned that there are two types of death- functional death and brain death. The delineation of the two was very helpful in understanding resuscitation. People can still have brain activity after their heart beat is gone. But if people loose brain functioning, resuscitation is no longer an option, My Dad died 4 months ago. They did try to resuscitate him for a while, but when they lost brain activity, they stopped.

9.2. Cognitive- For Late Adulthood deaths, dementia can be an example of cognitive change. An individual can loose their memory or ability to recognize people or places. My hope is that I never get dementia- it's a painful occurrence particularly for other family members.

9.3. Social/Emotional- The emotional response of those who are dying varies incredibly. From those who are in denial, to those who accept their death. In my experience of family and friends who are dying, I've only witnessed those who have accepted it. Their deaths (although sad) have been peaceful. I hope that my personal response to dying would not only be peaceful, but a positive experience.