Reflection Of Human Development

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I am currently a Human Development major with a concentration in School and Society. During my freshman year at Merrimack College, I explored the Human Development major and took a few classes to figure out what career pathway I wanted to take. Human Development caught my eye immediately because I have always enjoyed helping and giving back to others. After taking several Human Development courses regarding Education and Psychology, I have decided to become a Guidance Counselor in a high school setting. The Human Development major accommodates people who are interested in Education and Psychology and wish to gain a better understanding of the continuum of development. Human Development and Psychology go hand in hand because one must understand …show more content…

One of these topics includes understanding the different stages of life and the psychological development of people of all ages. In Psychology class we learned about numerous Psychologists who had theories related to this important concept. One of the psychologist’s was named Erik Erikson. Erikson believed that there are eight stages of development across the lifespan and during each stage, there is a specific psychosocial crisis that most people face. Since I am planning on working with high school students, it will be essential that I fully understand the stage of development that they are in. Since high school students are in their adolescence, the central issue they would be dealing with would be identity versus role confusion. As Erikson explained, during this time “Teenagers work at refining a sense of self by testing roles and then integrating them to form a single identity, or they become confused about who they are” (Myers 209). Adolescence is a critical time in development because people are trying to figure out their identity and where they fit in society. Studies have shown that adolescents who have positive relations with others in their peer group tend to have a better sense of their well-being and have a more positive outlook on life. On the other hand, some adolescents have a hard time fitting in and becoming part of a peer group. This causes much stress on the individual and can cause the adolescent to isolate themselves from

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