Lecture 3: Psychology Throughout Life
🧬 Overview of Human Development
- Human development is the study of psychological change across the life span.
- Types of development include:
- Cognitive
- Moral
- Psychosexual
- Personality
- Social
- Development is lifelong: from infancy to old age.
- Key theorists include: Freud, Erikson, Piaget, Kohlberg, Bowlby.
🧠 Major Theories of Development
Sigmund Freud – Psychosexual Development
- Development = movement of libido (psychic energy) through body zones.
- Stages:
- Oral (mouth)
- Anal (anus)
- Phallic (genitals)
- Latency (quiet phase)
- Genital (adult sexuality)
- Fixations cause personality issues later in life.
John Bowlby – Attachment Theory
- Children form working models of relationships from early caregivers.
- Attachment styles:
- Secure: consistent, nurturing care
- Insecure-anxious: inconsistent caregiving
- Avoidant: neglectful caregiving
- Secure base leads to exploration and future intimacy.
Jean Piaget – Cognitive Development
- Stages:
- Sensorimotor (0–2): learning through physical interaction
- Preoperational (2–7): symbolic play, egocentrism
- Concrete Operational (7–11): logical but tangible thinking
- Formal Operational (12+): abstract, hypothetical thinking
Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development
- Moral growth parallels cognitive growth.
- Stages:
- Preconventional: obedience, rewards/punishment
- Conventional: conformity, social approval
- Postconventional: ethics, justice, social contracts
Erik Erikson – Psychosocial Development
- 8 Stages across life, each with a psychosocial crisis:
- Trust vs. Mistrust
- Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
- Initiative vs. Guilt
- Industry vs. Inferiority
- Identity vs. Role Confusion
- Intimacy vs. Isolation
- Generativity vs. Stagnation
- Ego Integrity vs. Despair
👶 Infancy (0–1.5 years)
- Erikson: Trust vs. Mistrust
- Freud: Oral Stage
- Bowlby: Attachment begins; secure base formed
- Piaget: Sensorimotor stage
- Kohlberg: Preconventional morality (pleasure/pain)
🚼 Early Childhood (2–3 years)
- Erikson: Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
- Freud: Anal Stage (toilet training = control)
- Bowlby: Exploration begins with secure base
- Piaget: Still sensorimotor transitioning to preoperational
- Kohlberg: Still preconventional morality
🧒 Preschool (3–5 years)
- Erikson: Initiative vs. Guilt
- Freud: Phallic Stage (Oedipal/Electra conflict)
- Bowlby: Wider social attachments, less reliance on one caregiver
- Piaget: Preoperational phase
- Kohlberg: Moral development begins – children want to be “good”
🧑 School Age (6–11 years)
- Erikson: Industry vs. Inferiority (competence in school/social life)
- Freud: Latency Stage (sexual energy dormant)
- Bowlby: Chumship and friendships grow
- Piaget: Concrete operational (logic, conservation)
- Kohlberg: Conventional morality (rules, approval)
🧑🎓 Adolescence (12–18 years)
- Erikson: Identity vs. Role Confusion
- Freud: Genital Stage (adult sexuality)
- Bowlby: Romantic relationships echo childhood attachments
- Piaget: Formal operational (abstract reasoning)
- Kohlberg: Postconventional morality begins
🌱 Emerging Adulthood (18–28 years)
- New cultural phase of prolonged adolescence
- Not in Erikson’s original model
- Characterized by:
- Identity exploration
- Instability
- Delayed independence
- Influenced by social/economic changes
👨👩👧 Young Adulthood (29–40 years)
- Erikson: Intimacy vs. Isolation
- Focus on:
- Deep connections
- Romantic relationships
- Career identity
- Personality maturation: more conscientious, stable, agreeable
🧓 Middle Adulthood (40–60 years)
- Erikson: Generativity vs. Stagnation
- Focus on:
- Mentorship
- Creating/raising next generation
- Contributing to society
- Jung: transition to inner life; spiritual development begins
👴 Late Adulthood (65+ years)
- Erikson: Ego Integrity vs. Despair
- Focus on:
- Life reflection
- Making peace with choices
- Preparing for death
- Jung: transcendence, spiritual completion
🧩 Final Reflections
- Development is a lifelong, nonlinear process.
- Failures in earlier stages can be revisited and repaired.
- Growth involves both:
- Agency (individuation, responsibility)
- Connection (love, society, meaning)
- Each life phase brings unique psychological challenges and opportunities.
DANTE SISOFO · · dantesisofo.com/psychology-throughout-life/
