Development signifies the continual changes we experience through every phase of our lifespan. It involves our progression in physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning, but that progression does not always move in a positive direction — unless we strive forward!
Development encompasses all the variances you encounters throughout life; whether those variances are positive or negative and the effect they have is a function of several factors. These variances come about through biology, the environment, even from the individual, and influence the path development takes.
Taking a closer look into your life as a single individual can help you better understand what cultivates the changes that equate to your development. Hone in on three specific features of development, as well as the outstanding quality that we all as humans possess to contribute to our own development. Development can be seen as a continual process that encompasses every aspect of life, with changes in one area evoking alterations in others.
The nature-nurture theme is one of the most fundamental to developmental psychology. Simply put, it pits biology against environment. From the nature perspective, development occurs due to genetically influenced maturation, while the nurture stance asserts that learning through experiences primarily shapes development. We must appreciate that it is the interplay between these biological and environmental forces that drives our development.
Depression can be used as an example of the interaction between nature and nurture. Biologically, depression has been linked to genetics, but a specific gene does not cause depression. Environmentally, negative stressful life events make one vulnerable to depression. It is not simply one or the other, but the collaboration between nature and nurture that make you who you are.
A second important theme to developmental psychology is that of activity vs. passivity. Activity denotes the active involvement of humans in constructing and modifying their environments, therefore aiding in their own development. Passivity implies that development is influenced predominantly by factors beyond an individual’s control. We cannot help that we are different, nor can we alter the way society treats us because of those differences. Accepting a passive role in our development is simply trying to become invisible, wishing that we could be more “normal.”
Rather than wallowing in self-pity, we should focus on changing our environment and pursuing our goals. Once we become actively involved in our own development, others will be more attentive to our uniqueness and no longer notice that we are different. Just as can be seen with the nature-nurture issue, humans have the capability to develop due to dynamics on the outside as well as the inside. Passive development occurs due to biological forces and outside environmental influences of which individuals have no control. However, active decision-making about what to pursue, where to live, and who to be involved with provides us with the opportunity to create and influence the environment around, which in turn brings about positive development.
Our struggle with taking an active role in shaping our development and overcoming our despair is indicative of one of the seven key principles of the life-span perspective: development is characterized by lifelong plasticity. Plasticity is the capability to adapt as the result of positive and negative experiences. Negative experience in our life, and our response to it, can help demonstrate this developmental principle.
Traumatic events can bring back feelings of hopelessness and lack of control; we stop sleeping and develop stress-related conditions and poor habits. With a desperate desire to escape these feelings, we must make active decisions to strive forward, and it is in this new environment that we realized our existence is valid and meaningful. We renew in ourselves the belief that we can make a difference in the world, and in ourselves. Taking our negative experiences and changing positively in response to it is an illustration of the unconstrained potential humans possess due to the attribute of plasticity.
Even with a childhood development optimized by an enriched environment, we can feel as though we are simply a bystander as our life spins out of her control. Fortunately, as a human, we possess the ability to adapt and change based on our experiences, and because of this we are able to not only survive, but also thrive (and forward strive!).
So now we have exemplified three key developmental principles:
- We are a product of both our genes and our environment, which validates the interplay between nature and nurture.
- Our development is the result of our active involvement in our environment, as well as the outside influences over which we lack control.
- We have the capability of making modifications and becoming part of our own development due to our plasticity.
All humans share these three features of development. Together, these factors and many others come together to generate all the variances we experience, which cultivate the changes throughout our life that equate to development. So join me on this journey, and let’s forward strive together.