Human Growth and Development | Approaches to Human Development | Part 1.1

Human Development as a Discipline from Infancy to Adulthood:

Table of Content

1. Human Development
2. Development in the Prenatal Period
3. Development in Infants
4. Development in Childhood
5. Development in Adolescence
6. Development in Adulthood

Human Development

Human Development means the overall growth of a person which could be physical, cognitive, or emotional. Development is a continuous and never-ending process that cannot be classified into stages and occurs throughout a person's life. Human Development comprises various aspects and is a multi-level process that helps humans develop into functional social beings. However, Human Development has three significant elements: i) Biological and Physical ii) Cognitive ability and processes iii) Social behavior and relationship

Let's first understand these aspects

1. Biological & Physical: The changes that happen in a human body with time be visible or not.
2. Cognitive Ability & Processes: The ability to grasp and understand and remember things that the child learns during his/her lifetime.
3. Social Behavior & Relationship: A course of development where the child learns how to behave in society and forms relationships.

Development in the Prenatal Period

The prenatal period is referred to as the period before birth. It is considered from the time of fertilization till before the birth of the baby. The developmental stages in this period are biological and physical and involve the rapid growth of the infant.

The prenatal period has 3 continuous phases that are:

1. Zygote/ Ovum: This is the phase that is also called the germinal period. It is roughly the first 2 weeks from fertilization till the fertilized ovum reaches the uterus and is embedded in the uterine walls.
2. Embryo: This phase extends from the 2^nd week to the 8^th week of the pregnancy.
3. Fetus: This phase is from the 9^th week till the birth of the child. 

If the prenatal period is affected, the development of the child can suffer. Any malformation or malnutrition can drastically affect the health and cognition of the child

Development in Infancy

This period starts right after the birth of the child and lasts up to 2 years of age. This is the stage with the most rapid development of a child after birth. The child develops both in terms of physical and intellectual development. The child develops all 5 senses and starts to build a relationship with the mother, father, or caretaker.

Development in Childhood

This period lasts from 2 years to 12 years and is broadly divided into two phases:
Early Childhood: This stage lasts up to 6 years of age. Preschool or pre-gang age, here the child starts to make social relationships and the growth slows as compared to infancy. The child begins to develop curiosity.

Late Childhood: This age lasts up to 12 years and the child is more curious and develops fine and gross motor skills (fine motor skills like writing, eating, etc; gross motor skills like walking, jumping, etc. The child acquires social knowledge along with the school that will help in the later stage of life.

Development in Adolescence

This phase starts roughly around 12 years and lasts till 18 years. The physical and psychological development speeds up in this stage and the child's relationship with peers of the same or opposite gender intensifies.

Development in Adulthood

This phase starts after 18 years and lasts till the end, this phase is broadly divided into three phases:

Early Adulthood: Lasts up to 40 years of age. This age is about setting career goals and making important life decisions. 

Middle Adulthood: Lasts up to 60 years. There is a decline in physical health and the individual beings to feel a sense of dissatisfaction. This age is also often termed midlife transition. Causing stress in both men and women due to a sense of dissatisfaction and hormonal changes.

Late Adulthood: Starts around 60 years of age and the individual is more concerned with their health and death. Retirement has the worst impact on them, they lose the sense of meaningfulness of life and some begin taking an interest in social work, travel, and religion.

This point in the B.Ed S.E. syllabus is to give a brief on the development of a human being and this will help us understand various aspects in regards to psychology we will be studying in this paper.