BPSY 107 BSP 3-1 GROUP 7 - ESCALANTE, GABON, VIDALLO

LIFESPAN PERSPECTIVE,
RESEARCH, AND THEORIES

I. INTRODUCTION TO LIFESPAN PERSPECTIVE • Development is Contextual – Development is

shaped by life experiences, culture, history,
and environment. Where and when a person
The lifespan perspective is a framework for lives affects their growth.
understanding human development from birth
to death. It recognizes that development is a • Development is Multidisciplinary – Studied
lifelong process influenced by biological, across various fields such as psychology,
psychological, and social factors. Rather than sociology, and neuroscience.
seeing development as something that
happens only in childhood, this perspective II. MAJOR THEORIES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
emphasizes growth, change, and adaptation
throughout life.
Different theories explain how humans grow
Key Features of Lifespan Perspective: and change over time. These theories provide
insights into the biological, cognitive, and social
• Development is Lifelong – No single age aspects of development.
period is more important than another.
Development does not stop at childhood or
Psychosexual Theory (Sigmund Freud)
adolescence; it continues from birth to old age.
Every stage of life—infancy, childhood,
adolescence, adulthood, and late adulthood— •Personality develops through five
brings new growth, challenges, and changes. psychosexual stages: (OAPhaLaGe)

• Development is Multidimensional – Involves This theory suggests that human personality

physical, cognitive, and socioemotional develops through five psychosexual stages,
changes. Development occurs across multiple where unconscious sexual and aggressive urges
domains, including: Physical (growth, motor influence behavior.
skills, brain development) Cognitive (thinking,
memory,problem-solving)Socioemotional Each stage is centered on a different
(relationships, emotions, personality) erogenous zone (mouth, anus, genitals) and
requires resolution of conflicts.
• Development is Multidirectional – Some Failure to resolve a stage leads to fixation,
abilities increase while others decline with age. impacting personality in adulthood.
Development involves gains and losses—some
abilities improve while others decline over time. Failure to resolve a stage leads to fixation,
No single path of development applies to impacting personality in adulthood.
everyone.
1. Oral Stage (0-1 year): Focus on sucking,
• Development is Plastic – People can change fixation may lead to nail-biting or smoking.
and adapt at any stage of life. Human abilities 2. Anal Stage (1-3 years): Focus on toilet
are flexible and adaptable throughout life. The training, fixation may lead to obsessive
brain and body can recover and learn new cleanliness or messiness.
things, even after setbacks.
3. Phallic Stage (3-6 years): Focus on gender new attitude and ability to stay true to yourself.
identity, unresolved issues may cause Identity confusion develop sense of identity,
confusionabout identity and guilt. uncertainty about who they are and where
4. Latency Stage (6-12 years): Social & they are going.
intellectual development/skills, no fixations. Strong self-identity vs. identity crisis. (Who am
5. Genital Stage (12+ years): Mature sexual I?)
relationships, unresolved issues can affect
intimacy and have relationships difficulties. 6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (18-40 years):
A person is prepared to share meaningful love
PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY (ERIK ERIKSON) or deep friendship with other. It means ability
to care for others. Need to form intimate,
Development occurs through eight stages, loving relationship. Failure to establish intimacy
each involving a crisis: with others leads to isolation. Feeling alone
and uncared in life. Often set the stage for
1. Trust vs. Mistrust (0-1 year): latter difficulty.
If the physical and emotional need of the child Healthy relationships vs. loneliness. (Can I form
were met, they will develop trust. If the care close relationships?)
they receive is inadequate, it can result to
mistrust. 7. Generativity vs. Stagnation (40-65 years):
Secure attachment vs. fear and mistrust. (Can I Generativity is characterized by being
trust others?) productive and responsible as parents.
Stagnation is the opposite, stagnant parents
2. Autonomy vs. Shame (1-3 years): failed to perform the tasks expected of them.
if the parents encourages the child to do on Productivity vs. self-absorption.(Am I
their own, it can lead to autonomy. If the contributing to society?)
parents are overprotective, they may develop
shame and doubt. 8. Integrity vs. Despair (60+ years):
Confidence vs. self-doubt. (Can I do things on Integrity refers to feeling of wholeness. Feeling
my own?) of despair is when the old man or woman has
a lot of frustrations and anger about their lives.
3. Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years): Wisdom vs. regret. (Did I live a meaningful life?)
Parents who are allowing their children to
explore the environment will develop initiative. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY
In contrast, if parents curtail the child’s (JEAN PIAGET)
exploration, it will develop guilt on the part of
Children actively construct knowledge through
the child.
four stages:
Leadership vs. fear of failure. (Can I take
1. Sensorimotor (0-2 years): Learning through
initiative?)
senses & movement, object permanence
develops.
4. Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years):
A child who receives encouragement, rewards
SIX SUBSTAGES OF SENSORIMOTOR STAGE
and more from significant others will develop
industry. If child’s effort is rebuffed or ignored,
1. Use of reflexes (birth-1 month)
the child will develop inferiority.
- trying out automatic behaviors without
Competence vs. low self-esteem. (Can I
purpose.
accomplish things?)
2. Primary Circular Reactions ( 1month- 4
months)
5. Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18 years):
- repetition of pleasurable behavior
Individual develop new body, new feelings,
 - activities FOCUS ON the infant’s body rather Animism: belief that inanimate objects have
than the effects of behavior in the human feelings and intentions
environment.
Egocentrism: inability to see the situation from
3. Secondary Circular Reactions (4- 8 months) another person’s point of view.
- infants become more interested in the
environment. Artificialism: belief that environmental
characteristics can be attributed to human
4. Coordination of Secondary Scheme ( 8-12 action.
months)
- learned to generalized from past SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY
experiences to solve new problems. (LEV VYGOTSKY)
- this substage is MARKS THE DEVELOPMENT OF
OBJ. PERMANENCE

5. Tertiary Circular Reactions ( 12- 18 months)

- actions gets one pleasing results, leads to
perform actions to get similar results.

6. Mental Combinations (18- 24 months)

- transition to pre operational stage
- development of representational ability.
Preoperational (2-7 years): Egocentrism,
pretend play, struggles with logic.

2. Preoperational (2-7 years): Egocentrism,

pretend play, struggles with logic.

3. Concrete Operational (7-11 years): Logical Cognitive development is shaped by culture,

thinking, understanding conservation. language, and social interaction.
Child can solve problems logically about
concrete events, can do mathematical - Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The
operations. range between what a learner can do alone
Conservation: the principle that irrelevant and with guidance.
changes in the external appearance of - Scaffolding: Teachers and mentors provide
objects have NO EFFECT on object’s quantity. structured guidance to help learners grow.
MORAL DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE
4. Formal Operational (12+ years): Abstract KOHLBERG
reasoning, problem-solving. person can think
abstractly, deal with hypothetical situations, Level 1: Pre Conventional Morality
use of metaphor in literature and literary NO personal code of morality
criticism.
Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY - they obey because the want to avoid
BY JEAN PIAGET punishment

Symbolic play: use toys to represent something Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange
else. - what you can get/ reward after performing
a behavior
Level 1: Pre Conventional Morality
NO personal code of morality

Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment

- they obey because the want to avoid
punishment

Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange

- what you can get/ reward after performing
a behavior

Level 2: Conventional Morality

- acceptance of social rules regarding what is
good and moral BEHAVIORISM (B.F. SKINNER & JOHN
WATSON)
Stage 3: Good boy and Good Girl Orientation
- Social Approval Learning occurs through conditioning:
- I will do it to be called “good boy/ good girl”. - Classical Conditioning (Pavlov, Watson):
Learning through association (e.g., phobias).
Stage 4: Law and Order Orientation - Operant Conditioning (Skinner): Behavior
- I will do it because we have a LAW about shaped by consequences (e.g., rewards for
this. good behavior).

Level 3: Post Conventional Morality FOUR PROCEDURES OF OPERANT

- develop an understanding of abstract CONDITIONING
principles of morality.
Positive Reinforcement- occurs when a
Stage 5: Social Constract and Individual Rights behavior is followed by a favorable
- Yes, there are laws, but I have my rights. stimulus.
Negative Reinforcement - occurs when a
Stage 6: Universal and Ethical Principles behavior is followed by the removal of
- self- chosen moral principles. existing unfavorable stimulus.
Positive Punishment- occurs when a
behavior is followed unfavorable or
ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY (URIE
aversive stimulus.
BRONFENBRENNER)
Negative Punishment- occurs when a
Development occurs within multiple behavior is followed by the removal of
environmental systems: favorable stimulus

SOCIAL LEARNING BY ALBERT BANDURA

Microsystem: Immediate relationships (family,
school, peers). Social Learning Theory/ Social Cognitive
Mesosystem: Interactions between - behaviors are learned by modelling and
microsystems (parent-teacher communication). imitating models.
Exosystem: Indirect influences (parents' Reciprocal Determinism
workplace affecting home life). - bandura’s term for forces that affect the
Macrosystem: Cultural and societal influences. development.
Chronosystem: Life events and historical Observational Learning
context affecting development. - learning through watching the behavior of
others.
 BANDURA’S 4 STEP MODEL III. RESEARCH METHODS IN LIFESPAN
DEVELOPMENT
Attentional Process/ Attention
- learners need to attend to the behavior. Researchers use various methods to study
They need to actually see the behavior that human development. These include:
they want to reproduce or that others want
them to reproduce. Longitudinal Studies
Observing the same individuals over time to
Retentional Process/ Retention identify changes and patterns in
- internalize and retain what they have seen. development. Strength: Provides accurate
developmental trends. Weakness: Time-
Motor Reproductive Process/ Reproduce consuming and expensive.
- opportunity to reproduce the behavior by
converting the information obtained from Cross-Sectional Studies
attention and retention processes into action. Comparing different age groups at one
point to understand age-related differences.
Incentive and Motivational Process/ Motivation Strength: Quick and cost-effective.
- learners need to be motivated to enact or Weakness: Cannot track individual changes
imitate the behavior they have observed. over time.

Sequential Studies
A mix of longitudinal and cross-sectional
methods to improve reliability. Strength:
Reduces biases of other methods. Weakness:
Still requires long-term investment.

Experimental Research
Manipulating variables to establish cause-
and-effect relationships in development.
Strength: Provides strong evidence of
developmental influences. Weakness:
Artificial lab settings may not reflect real-life
situations.
HUMANISTIC THEORY
(ABRAHAM MASLOW & CARL ROGERS) Case Studies & Observational Research
In-depth study of individuals or small groups
Humans are motivated by a hierarchy of needs: to explore unique developmental cases.
Strength: Provides detailed insights.
1. Physiological Needs: Food, water, shelter. Weakness: Findings may not apply broadly to
everyone.
2. Safety Needs: Security, stability.
IV. APPLICATIONS OF LIFESPAN RESEARCH
3. Love & Belonging: Relationships, friendships.
Understanding lifespan development helps in
various fields, including:
4. Esteem Needs: Self-respect, recognition.

• Education – Developing age-appropriate

5 Self-Actualization: Personal growth, achieving
teaching strategies.
potential.
• Healthcare – Addressing physical and
cognitive changes in aging populations.
 • Counseling & Therapy – Supporting
individuals through life transitions.
• Workplace & Career Development –
Understanding how people adapt to job
changes across life stages.

V. CONCLUSIONS

The lifespan perspective highlights that human

development is a continuous and complex
process influenced by multiple factors. By
studying different theories and research
methods, we gain insights into how people
grow, change, and adapt throughout life.

VI. REFERENCE

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA).

(N.D.). LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT. APA DICTIONARY
OF PSYCHOLOGY. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTPS://WWW.APA.ORG

FELDMAN, R. S. (2020). DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE

LIFE SPAN (9TH ED.). PEARSON.

SANTROCK, J. W. (2021). LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT

(18TH ED.). MCGRAW-HILL EDUCATION.

LALLY, M., & VALENTINE-FRENCH, S. (2023). LIFESPAN

DEVELOPMENT: A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
(4TH ED.). OPEN TEXTBOOK LIBRARY.
HTTPS://OPEN.UMN.EDU/OPENTEXTBOOKS/TEXTBOO
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