Oh Baby!

This week we learned a lot in our two chapters about how we are constructed from a set of 23 chromosomes up to how children learn to walk, talk, see and move. We also learned how our development is affected not only by our heredity but by also how and where we are raised. All facets of who we are are affected by the environment we grow up in.

I found it very interesting how the same person could grow up with a different personality based on their developmental environment. Meaning that a person’s temperament depicts their environment and even the way their parents act to their temperament can determine how a child grows up. I found the relation between birthing complications (I e., prematurity, low birth weight, poverty) and anger problems and schizophrenia in children to be very interesting (p. 74).  My cousin was born premature and with family problems causing an unstable environment. He now has anger issues that have caused problems for him in school. I am sure that this is partly because of his unstable family environment but also because research shows these issues causes problems in development for children.

I would like to talk to the researchers about further ways to help impoverished children develop and what other steps we could take to encourage their development. I would talk to them about ways to prepare parents for their children and places to turn for help with raising children.

Week One: Lifespan Psychology and the Biopsychosocial Framework

As a previous psychology student, I took psych 100 last semester with Mudd, this weeks reading in our text book was a refresher from what I previously learned. There are many things I find interesting in this chapter about human development. I learned that all factors in our life, from something as minuscule as the dog tearing up toilet paper to the death of a relative, have an effect on our lives. I found it especially interesting reading about life-cycle forces.

This past week my mom gained temporary physical custody of my cousins two youngest children. This is the third time my mom has been put in this position because of my cousin. As I read through the material I now realize this is because of the young age at which my cousin had children. She mothered her oldest child at 16 and her most recent at 28. As pointed out if Kyndal, my cousin, would have waited until she was in a stable relationship and had a stable career and also was at an age where child rearing was both mutually beneficial for her and the children my family would not be in this position.

Beyond this I wonder about the extent of trust issues her children will have because of their unstable life. As Erikson stated trust is nurtured in children at birth from their parents and builds throughout adulthood based on personal experiences. I would ask Mr Erikson as a family member to these children what is the best thing I can do to help aid in their emotional development to make sure that they are able to grow up as stable adults and break the cycle their mother has created.

After reading this week I wonder if these findings have to do with all children or just children who were brought up in dual parent homes. Do children who were brought up in foster care and adopted families mature and develop at the same rate and pace as a child from a "normal" family or are there delays that have been noticed?  I look forward to learning more about the developmental stages of infants and children so I can possibly help my two little cousins grow up and become well rounded, stable and productive adults.