As you’ve learned, we divide the study of lifespan development into three broad categories: conception through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood to death. In this assignment, you will be looking at the first broad category, which is conception through childhood, and applying your research to compare and contrast two of the lifespan theorists and how this is reflected in your own development
Later in this course, you will have this assignment again but applied to the other lifespan stages.
Step One:
Please choose two theorists from the list below. You may select different theorists or keep the same theorists for the subsequent perspective assignments.
Freud’s psychosexual stage theory
Erikson’s psychosocial stage theory
Kohlberg’s moral understanding stage theory
Piaget’s cognitive development stage theory
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory
Step Two:
Research your selected theorists. The embedded text in this course will help, and you may also use resources from the approved list of websites given to you here:
www.apa.org
www.eric.ed.gov
www.plos.org
www.scholar.google.com
www.omicsonline.org
Step Three:
Use the attached template to write your paper. Follow the format given in the template EXACTLY!
Title Page
Introduction
Introduction to your lifespan span (birth through childhood)
Overview of your two theorists and their theories
Body Paragraph One:
Identify the parts of each theory that are relevant to this lifespan stage.
Body Paragraph Two:
Discuss the similarities of the theorists and their theoretical stages in relation to this particular lifespan timespan.
Give specific examples of each of the similar stages. (How would an infant/toddler/early childhood child demonstrate that he/she was in X stage for X theorist, which parallels X stage for X theorist?)
Body Paragraph Three:
Contrast the theoretical stages in relation to this particular lifespan stage. Where are there differences between what your two theorists believe?
Give specific examples of each of the stages where the theorists differ. (How would an infant/toddler/early childhood child demonstrate that he/she was in X stage for X theorist, but according to theorist #2, a child would behave like this in this stage?)
Conclusion:
Summarize the key points from your essay. Why is this information important to you?
Your final product should be a 2-3 page paper, not including your title page or reference page. Remember this is meant to be a reflection of your own development and how it relates to your chosen theorists.