Educ 1000 - Human Development Spring 2004 - Växjö University: Dr. Helen Mongan-Rallis

1000 Syllabus|Schedule|Assignments

Final Paper - Developmental Life Story

This final paper is your "Life Story" from a developmental perspective. In this version of your life story, you must include the theories, concepts, and behaviors for each life stage that are described in the textbook. Please follow the outline below, giving each of the six sections a heading. Within each section you may organize your paper as you wish, but make sure that you address each area (taking into consideration that your parent(s) may not be able to or willing to share information on all questions) and that you follow a clear organizational structure. Feel free to add to the following outline as you tell your story.

Format and suggested length: Papers that do an adequate job of covering the outline are generally a minimum of 8-10 pages of word-processed text, double spaced. If you have any photographs of yourself and other people and aspects of your life that you would like to use to illustrate your story, you are welcome to use these (or to create your own illustrations). Submit paper as an attachment via e-mail to hrallis@d.umn.edu

Paper guidelines & outline:

Stage 1: Prenatal

  1. How does/do your parent(s) describe your prenatal development? What was your mother's pregnancy like?
  2. Describe yourself at birth (weight, length, hair, anything else you can find out about your appearance at birth). Also: medical interventions, any complications, where you were born, who was there, what your birth was like.
  3. Did you mother use drugs to relieve labor pain?
  4. How were you described as as a newborn. Sleep patterns? Family's adjustment to you?

Stage 2: 0 - 2 years

  1. Were you breast or bottle fed? What were your mother's reasons for choosing one over the other?
  2. Who took care of you? Did you stay at home? Did you attend childcare? (Describe details)
  3. Describe your motor and language development.
  4. Referring to Chomsky's idea that innate ability and rich linguistic and social environment combine to promote language development, describe your environment and how it could have contributed to your language development (p. 108)
  5. Discuss your development of attachment using the four attachment patterns (p. 128)
  6. Describe your temperament (pp. 131-135)
  7. Refer to Erikson's theory in describing the way you were parented.

Stage 3: 2-6 years

  1. Describe your growth during this time. What was your general health like? Describe your motor development.
  2. Use Piaget's theory as a framework describe your thinking and playing.
  3. Use Vigotsky's social-cultural theory and describe your language and your schooling during this stage.
  4. Describe the formation of your gender identity (pp. 203-209). Do you remember when you realized you were a boy/girl?
  5. Discuss your caregivers' child rearing styles (Baumrind and others, pp. 185-188).
  6. Who did you play with? What were you like to play with?
  7. Did you suck your thumb/nuk or have a favorite "blankie?" When did you give these things up? Was it traumatic for you?

Stage 4: 6 - 11 years

  1. Describe your health, motor development and play at this stage.
  2. What kind of student were you? Was school a positive experience during this time?
  3. Describe how you used information processing at school.
  4. Refer to your resolution of Erikson's stage of inferiority.
  5. Describe your friendships and your category of peer acceptance (pp. 256-260).
  6. Describe family influences on your development (parent(s), siblings and/or other relevant family members).
  7. What do you remember most about this time?

Stage 5: Adolescence

  1. Describe your experiences of puberty and the effects that it has on your life.
  2. Describe how your experiences fit into Erikson's theory of Identity vs. Identity confusion.
  3. Describe your adolescent identity status according to James Marcia's theory.
  4. Refer to the imaginary audience and personal fable during your adolescence. Describe an example of how this manifested itself in your life.
  5. Describe and comment on the influence of your peer group (pp. 323-326)
  6. Did you experiment with drinking/smoking/other drugs? What types of intervention occurred as a result (if any)?

Stage 6: Early Adulthood

  1. In what ways have your body and mind changes since you were younger?
  2. How do you expect them to change as you get older?
  3. How has attending college affected your life, and what difference do you think it will make in your future?

 

     

Educ 1000 - Human Development Spring 2004 - Växjö University: Dr. Helen Mongan-Rallis

1000 Syllabus|Schedule|Assignments