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Birth
I was born on November 16, 1993. I was slightly post-mature as my expected due date had been late October/early November. My pre-natal development had been normal. There was a minor complication during birth. My head became stuck. The doctor had to pull my head free to prevent oxygen deprivation. Other doctors have since guessed that this force on my immature skull may have contributed to my vision problems. -
Period: to
Life span
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Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
Psychosocial: As a toddler I liked to explore. I would disantle objects around the house. I also took glee in removing pots and pans from kitchen cupboards and banging on them with forks and spoons. -
Trust vs Mistrust
Psychosocial: As an infant it seems likely that I was mistrustful of my surroundings. My crying, which doctors assumed was colic and would go away in a few months, continued for a full year. My parents were concerned as I only stopped crying to eat or sleep. The crying finally stopped roughly around my first birthday when I learned to crawl and was able to explore on my own. -
Sensorimotor
Cognitive: I took joy in hiding my toys behind furniture and in cabinets of our old house. This demonstrated that I was able to understand that objects still existed when they were out of my sight. -
Simple climbing and balance
Biosocial: I began mimicing brushing my teeth (despite not having any) as my parents did. I balanced on the closed toilet seat to reach the sink and used a mirror to make sure I was brushing the same way they were. This showed that I had attained some mastery of balance and could climb on simple structures like chairs. -
Climbing Stairs
Biosocial: We moved to a new house where my brother was born. The new house had two floors and a basement. My parents say that I enjoyed running up and down the stairs and playing on the slide in the backyard. This demonstrated that I had mastered climibing stairs and ladders. -
Initiative vs Guilt
Psychosocial: One day, after making a bouque out of weeds from our yard for my mom, I spontaniously sat down and read aloud "Go Dog Go" from cover to cover. My mom was surprised and initially wondered if I had remembered the words from when my mom or dad read to me. She changed her mind as I sounded out words and continued reading other simple books, which my parents hadn't previously read to me, to myself in the time following this incident. This showed how I tried to do adult-like activities -
Using scissors
Biosocial: I liked to do arts and crafts projects in class, especially ones involving scissors and glue. My favorite project was making cut-out snow flakes to hang up around our house during the winter. This showed that at the age of four I had the motor skills necessary to use scissors. -
Clap, bang, sing in rhythm
Biosocial: In pre-school I liked to play "clap games" with other students. These were simple games of singing a song or rhyme while clapping your hands with another child to the tune. This demonstrated my motor ability to clap, bang, and sing. -
Preoperational
Cognitive: I liked to play imagination games with my neighbor. We would pretend that the floor was lava, our sandbox was a chocolate factory, and that the monkey bars were tree branches in a jungle. This shows my use of imagination in self expression and socializing. -
Wash face, comb hair
Biosocial: My parents finally allowed me to grow my hair out after I demonstrated that I was able to brush it and keep it clean on my own. This shows an improvement in my motor skills in that I was now able to wash my face/hair and brush my hair. -
Ride a bicycle
Biosocial: I learned how to ride a bicycle and began riding around our neighborhood with my parents and siblings. This was another phase of motor skill growth. I now had the motor skills (balancing, using multiple limbs at once, etc.) to ride a bike. -
Industry vs Inferiority
Psychosocial: After seeing one of my classmates drawing non-stick figure people and landscapes with markers I aspired to become a good artist as well. I began practicing drawing and painting in my free time and dramatically improved. This became a lifelong hobby. -
Concrete Operational
Cognitive: I began demontrating the ability to use logic. To the dismay of my religion treacher I began questioning why there were no dinosaurs in the bible if, as she said, it was supposed to include everything important that happened in the ancient past. Since my teacher couldn't answer my questions I began reading encyclopedias about science and evolution. -
Reading chapters
Biosocial: Instead of playing with my classmates I would read chapter books at recess. My favorite books were "The Secret Garden" and the Harry Potter books. This showed growth in my reading ability and in my ability to understand the meaning of paragraphs and chapters. -
Concentration
Biosocial: During fourth grade my teacher praised my ability to remain quiet and focused in class. During this school year I mastered my multiplication tables and could finish timed multiplication quizes in under a minute. This showed growth in my ability to concentrate on tasks and in my maturity. -
Puberty
Biosocial: I experienced menarche and my sleep schedule began to shift. I had a more difficult time falling asleep earlier in the evening. Over the next few years I grew several inches and was no longer the shortest person in the class. -
Formal Operational
Cognitive: I began volunteering at a local nursing home and at a nearby food bank as my beliefs about moral obligations changed. In the years that followed I've continued to volunteer and be involved in projects to help improve circumstances in the communities when I live. -
Growth and Nutrition
Biosocial: The onset of menstration in addition to my choice to pursue vegetarianism lead to me becoming anemic due to iron deficiency. I began taking iron and vitamin suppliments to help improve my health. -
Sadness and Anger
Psychosocial: From the later months of eight grade until my last year of high school I struggled with reoccurring depression. While I didn't "act out", try drugs or alcohol, or rebel, I was very unhappy and dealt with feelings of hopelessness and low self worth. -
Identity vs Role Confusion
Psychosocial: Over the course of my second year of high school I reexamined my interests and goals for the future. I joined my school's Anime club and furthered my interests in art, studied politics and formed my own opinions about them, and renounced my religous faith. -
Formal Operational
Cognitive: After taking an A.P. U.S. History course at my highschool I became extremely interested in how politics and ethics influence law and public policy. I began reading the daily news online and listening to radio broadcasts about social issues. -
Teaching and Learning
Cognitive: I took advanced and AP courses at my high school in preparation for college. I studied hard and did well on high stakes exams like the ACT and SAT as well as in my classes. My classes challenged me and helped me decide what I wanted to study in the future as well as altered how I thought about many topics. -
Higher Education
Cognitive: I graduated from High School and was accepted into my dream college, Wayne State University. In addition to studying indepth concepts of biology I learned more about different ideas and values by taking general education requirements. -
Taking Risks
Biosocial: I began getting more involved in scholastic and volunteering activities at my college. I made new friends and lost contact with old ones. I changed my major a few times, from pre-med to biology to my final decision clinical laboratory science. After finally finding the right path for me I will begin the uppergraduate part of this program this fall. -
Intimacy vs Isolation
Psychosocial: I tried going out with someone for the first time. After the date went badly and the person bothered me for weeks afterwards I decided not date anymore until I was out of school in order to focus more on my schoolwork. -
Family relationships
Psychosocial: While my parents continued to support me financially, I moved ifrom my school's dorms into an apartment off-campus and began living on my own. I began to learn more independence skills like cooking for myself and balancing a credit card. In contrast I continued to visit my parents and siblings on the weekends and remained involved in "household issues". -
Growth and Strength
Biosocial: Unlike many of my peers my insomnia only seemed to grow worse as I left adolescence. My hair began falling out and I experienced chronic pain. After a year of trying to cope with my symptoms I was finally refered to an endocrinologist and found out that I had hyperthyroidism and Grave's disease. After I began taking medication my health and symptoms improved dramatically. -
Postformal Thought
Cognitive: I applied practical, flexible, and dialectical reasoning to my studies in college. I began applying what I'd learned to other classes to gain greater understanding, instead of just storing away trivia for exams. -
Change and sameness
Psychosocial: Many of my key personality traits remained constant despite my changing knowledge and views. Shyness and introversion in addition to my caring and curious nature continued through college. -
Problem Solving
Cognitive: Selective compensation causes slective gains and losses as the brain ages. This means that people become specialists in chosen areas. Overall trends include more flexible and intuitive thinking. This could alter my problem solving strategies. -
Senescence
Biosocial: Since most of my relatives and my parents began to show signs of aging in their forties, I expect that the same will be true of me. I may need to get bifocals, like my mother, or have noticable wrinkles by this time. -
Generativity
Psychosocial: By middle age most adults have many social obligations. People may care for children, others may need to care for their aging parents. Some do both (the sandwich generation). Planning for my future must include how I plan to help take care of my parents as well as my younger brother. -
Health and Aging
Biosocial: Unlike many of my relatives, who died from diseases related to alcoholism or cigarette smoking, I likely have better health by middle age because of my abstinance from both. This means that I will also likely have a lower risk of cadiovascular or liver problems. In contrast I may need to worry about my weight as many of my relatives became obese near middle age. -
Intelligence over time
Cognitive: As the brain ages fluid intelligence (like short term memory) decreases while crystallized intelligence (like vobulary) increases. Practical intelligence also increases due to life experiences. These trends would affect how I think and my memory. -
Personality
Psychosocial: While personalities remain similar over time they are still subject to smaller changes. Trends among adults show increased conscientious. Although someone's life style and environemnt may also influence their personality it could impact one's personality at middle age. -
Aging
Biosocial: As I approach middle age daily habits and hereditary health will make more of a noticable impact on my own health. Getting regular exercise and adequate suppliments/vitamins will become important in preventing osteoporosis after menopause as well as combatting other effects of lower estrogen levels. -
Family and friends
Psychosocial: Support networks are important during this time period. While many form families and friends others may divorce. Although I don't have any plans to marry or have children I should consider maintain friendships in order to preserve social relationships and bonds. -
Generativity vs Stagnation
Psychosocial: By this stage in life most middle aged adults have contributed to the future in some way either through their work, activities, or by raising a family. Those who don't may suffer feelings of disconnection from their community or society. While I plan to enter the medical field and don't plan to have children these choices may change as I age and impact how feel about my place within my niche. -
Ageism
Biosocial: While ageism may influence relationships, it also can impact your health. Those who given into preconceptions about the elderly being weak and unable to care for themselves often live shorter lives and have worse health. Combatting internal ageism as I grow older may help prevent this from being a problem when I am elderly myself. -
Disease Risks
Biosocial: Due to weaker immune systems and degredation of the body over time the elderly are more vulnerable to certain types of diseases like pneumonia and Alzheimer's. I will need to consider preventative care and maintaining a healthy life style in order to combat these risks. -
Diseases of the Brain
Cognitive: Since I have a risk of developing Alzheimer's in my family I must be concerned about this as I age. Activities such as memory training and monitoring my cardiovascular health are important to minimizing my risk of developing this deadly condition. -
Longevity
Biosocial: How long someone lives depends largely on their genes and their overall health. Luckiy many of my relatives have lived to advanced ages, thus making it more likely that I will to. Like my relatives who have lived past ninety I need to maintain important health habits and remain involved in my community. -
Thinking
Cognitive: By late adulthood the memory can become extrememly altered, due to both natural brain shrinking and diseases such as dimensia. One way of helping minimize this is by continuing to learn new skills, study and use language, and do memory activities in order to preserve neurons. These are all activities I should consider in order to preserve my memory. -
Continued Development
Cognitive: While the brain naturally shrinks as we age it doesn't necessarily limit our ability to learn. Some people may have renewed focus in the arts or writing as they grow older. Other people may also aquire wisdom from their experiences. As I grow older I shouldn't assume that I am becoming less able to learn new skills, thus cutting myself short. -
Relationships
Psychosocial: It's been shown that elders who maintain their close relationships and bonds with the community, such as clubs or organizations, report better quality of life. This shows that social interaction is just as important to aging as monitoring your health. I should work at maintaining these bonds not only out of obligation but also for my own well-being. -
Frailty
Psychosocial: The frail elderly, those who require care and are unable to accomplish daily activities on their own, become so for a variety of reasons. Lack of self-care, misguided care by others, and one's health all impact whether one become frail. Like other factors that affect aging I should have plans in place for what I wish to happen should I become frail. -
Near Death Experiences
Cognitive: Some people who have been in comas or had life threatening experiences experience a sudden change of heart afterwards. They believe that their experiences, lights, angels, or feelings of peace, may be prove of an afterlife. Although I don't believe that this is the case I may be tempted to change my mind if I experience something similar. -
Integrity vs Despair
Psychosocial: By this point in my life I will likely have reached my goals and look back happily on my life, or regret choices and descisions. In the latter case, as it would be near the end of my life, it could be unlikely that I could alter these choices by this time thus leading to feelings of despair about the life I had lived. -
After Death
Cognitive: Due to greater sharing about religious beliefs and lack there of more people have different ideas than their ancestors about what happens after death. In contrast to my grandparents I don't believe in a heaven and think that cognition ends at biological death. While I am sure of my beliefs they may change late in life. -
Choices in Dying
Psychosocial: It's important to consider planning with family and friends what you wish to be done if you are physically or mentally unable to make your own discisions. While in some areas this may mean euthenasia, nursing care, or whether you want to be resuscitated, it is important to discuss these options with whoever may be caring for you. This could also require discussing grief and grieving with my family or friends. -
Biological Death
Biosocial: Inevitably, we do not live forever. Eventually I know I will die. Planning for when this happens, such as preparing funds in care I require hospitalization or long term care as well as having a directive about whether or not to recessitate me must be accounted for. -
Trends in Death
Biosocial: Within the last 100 years death has shifted. People now die later in life (often into their seventies), take longer to die, die in hospital settings, and causes of death has also changed. With these changes in mind I should plan around living a long life.
