Chapters 10, 11 and 12. Infancy, Adolescence and Adulthood.

We live our lifes in stages, we change from being a baby to an adult. As we grow we change our ideas, the way we think, physically, in religion, philosophies and other things. As we grow, we learn many thing, we gain experience and knowledge.

Chilhood and infancy is the first stage of life. Nature means heredity and nurture means environment which is whaat we learn of our surroundings. Maturation is the automatic and secuential process of development that results from genetic signals. Critical period is a stage or point in development during which a person or animal is the best suited to learn a particular skill or behavior pattern. Babies grow at an amazing rate, but their most dramatic gains are in height and weight. Soon after the baby is born, the doctor or nurse places a finger against the palm of the baby's hand. By doing this babies usually grasp their finger firmly. Some reflexes are essential to our survival. Breathing is a reflex, but we can also breathe consciously if we wish. Attachment is the emotional ties that form between people. This feeling keeps people together. Stranger anxiety is a fear created by babies from about eight months. Separation anxiety as the word says causes the infant to cry or behave in other ways that indicate distress if their mothers leave them. There are different styles of parenting. There are parents that are warm or cold, warm parect show a great deal of affection to their children. For example, they hug and kiss them and often smile at them. Cold parents may not be as affectionate toward their children or appear to enjoy them as much. There are also strictive or permissive parents, strictive parents impose many rules and supervise their children closely. Permissive parents tend to be less concerned about neatness and cleanliness than are strict parents. Authoritarian parents believe in obedience for its own sake. Self-esteem is the value or worth that people attach to themselves. Self-esteem helps protect people against the stresses ans struggles. Unconditional positive regard means that parents love and accept their children for who they are, no matter how they behave. Conditional positive regard means that parents show their love only when the children behave in certain acceptable ways. Assimilation is the process by which new information is placed into categories that already exist. Accommodation is a change brought about because of new information. Precoventional moral reasoning base their judgments on the consequences of behavior. Conventional moral reasoning makes judgements in terms of whether and act conforms to conventional standards of right and wrong. Postconventional moral reasoning is reasoning based on a person´s own moral standards.

Adolescence is the period of transition from childhood to adulthood. Adolescent growth spurt usually lasts 2 to 3 years in which the body grows 8-12 inches in height. Puberty refers to the specific developmental changes that lead to the ability to reproduce. During puberty males and females change. Some changes in males are hormones from pituitary gland cause the testes to increase output of the hormone testosterone. Sexual organs grow, their voices deepens, hair grows on their face and chest. They also develop broader shoulders and thicker body. And for females: Hormones from the pituitary gland stimulate the ovaries to secrete more estrogen. Estrogen makes the growth of breast tissue and supportive tissue in the hips and buttocks. Pelvic region widens, hips become wider. Production f androgens (similar to testosterone). Growth of pubic underarm hair, menstrual cycle. Menarche is a major life event for most girls, most societies see this as the beginning of ¨womanhood¨. Some adolescents reach physical maturation before others. Many people think that adolescence is constant rebellion but the truth is that most of our changes are more positive than negative. Most adolescent conflicts are because of homework, chores, money, appearance, curfews and dating. There are stages for dating. Stage 1 is when adolescents will places themselves in situations where they can meet people of the other sex. And stage 2 is when adolescents participate in group dating. According to psychoanalyst Erik Erikson the main task of adolescence is to search for an identity. Identity status: Reaction to  patterns and processes. Identity moratorium: Making commitments about important questions. Identity foreclosure: Make a commitment that forcloses (or shutsout) other possibilities. This commitments are usually made by the suggestions of other people. Identity diffusion: Adolescents in this category seem to be constantly searching for a meaning in life and for the identity because they have not committed themselves to a set of personal beliefs or an occupational path. Identity achievement: In this category adolescents have coped with crises and have explored options.

Young adulthood also calles early adulthood, covers a span of approximately 20 years- 40 years old. Young adulthood is characterized by deciding new ways of doing things and by changing relationships with parents. After the upheal of early 30´s the mid- to late 30´s is often characterized by sttling down in life. In the United States 51% of marriages end up being divorced for many reasons. In middle adulthood are people between 40. Middle transition is a period in middle adulthood when people´s perspectives change in a major way. Middle life crisis is in some people, the middle life transition triggers a second period of reassessment. Menopause is the end of menstruation, usually occurs in a woman´s late 40´s or early 50´s. In late adulthood we face many physical changes. There are programmed theories that are the developmental theories that maintain the aging is the result of genetics. During this period we tend to forget things We get diseases such as alzheimer´s disease that is a progressive form of mental deterioration that affect 10% of people over the age of 65. Ego integrity is the belief that life is meaningless even when physical abilities are not able to accept it. There are stages of dying such as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. 

Life is full of stages, in which we change with nature or nurture. Childhood is a stage of new discoveries and learning how to react in many simple situations. Adolescence is dealing with what we really want in life and our thoughts change dramatically and in adulthood we experience middle life and late adulthood is where we take important decisions and where we stablize in life.