Lifespan Developmental Psychology

The importance of an individual’s lifespan has to be taken into account in order to fully understand the human development. Throughout this module I have learned that an individual’s lifespan consists of several beliefs that form a group of perspectives, that gives a consistent outlook on the nature of development. The concept of lifespan development is the study that observes patterns of growth and change and stability in one’s behavior that occurs throughout one’s lifespan. An interesting thing I picked up is that lifespan development derives from other features, such as sociology, that suggest that this field of lifespan development did not completely originate from developmental psychology. There are different areas in a lifespan such as

physical, cognitive and personality development.

The first democratic election on April 1994 in South Africa marked the accomplishment of a self-governing and free society, but yet it did not attend to a unique stage of equal opportunities for the children and youth in South Africa. Some of these children grew up within a society with extraordinary prosperities and privileges. Now, these privileges had extended beyond whiteness and had to include a number of black children growing up within the fast growing black leading and middle class. On the other hand, highly impoverished children, whose regular hunger and lack basic services, assisted as an enduring condemnation of a post-apartheid society. I believe that many young South-African children and adolescents still live in poverty. By comparing and contrasting experiences across the social boundaries of race and class in South Africa, it is crucial for the degree to which the new political privilege has made a difference to the lives of the children. Young South Africans are exposed to international realms of fashion and intake of imported music and imported clothing, brands etc. So we as social people have been influence by the changing areas of childhood and adolescents.

I remember in the past as being a young girl, I had immediately been given adolescents roles, but now, realizing looking at my brother, childhood and the assumption of adult roles are stretching. I thoroughly believe that family and homes are of crucial importance to young people. Children and adolescents have the urges to protect themselves; therefore there is a widespread concern about safety for girls and young children in South Africa. In conclusion, anyone who lives in South0africa, knows that violence is a serious problem, it was during the early apartheid era, and remains a major problem now.