Chapter 1: The Life-Span Perspective
Outline:
◦ The Life-Span Perspective
◦ The Nature of Development
◦ Theories of Development
◦ Research on Life-Span Development
The Life-Span Perspective: Topics
◦ The importance of studying life-span development
◦ Characteristics of the life-span perspective
◦ Some contemporary concerns
The Importance of Studying Life-Span Development
◦ Prepares individual to responsibly for children
◦ Gives insight about individuals’ lives & history
◦ Provides knowledge about what individuals’ lives will be like as they age into their
adult years.
Development: the pattern of change beginning at conception & continuing throughout the life-span.
◦ Involves growth.
◦ Also includes decline brought on by aging & dying.
,Life Span perspective the perspective that development is lifelong
multidimensional multidirectional plastic multidisciplinary contextual
Development involves growth maintenance
regulation is constructedthrough biological
sociocultural individual factors working together
The emphasis is on
developmental change
throughout childhood adulthood
Life Expectancy
The upper boundary of the human life span is 122 years
Life expectancy in the U.S is about 77years
People are living longer in part due to better sanitation
nutrition medicine
The rapid increase in life expectancy has negative implications for quality of life for older people.
Society reflects the needs of younger people:
• Parks, transportation systems, & so on are built assuming they are used only by able-bodied people.
• Planning & building does not consider the needs of low-strength or low-stamina people.
The focus has been on what older adults lack, not what they can contribute to society.
• Older citizens can share deep expertise & motivation to make a difference.
, Characteristics of the life-span perspective
Development has these qualities:
◦ Lifelong
◦ Multidimensional
◦ Multidirectional
◦ Plastic
◦ Multidisciplinary
◦ Contextual
◦ It involves growth, maintenance, & regulation of loss
◦ It is a co-construction of biological, sociocultural, & individual factors.
Types of contextual influences
Normative age-graded influences are similar for individuals in a particular age group.
• For example, starting school, puberty, menopause.
Normative history-graded influences have common generational experiences due to historical events.
• In the 1930s, the Great Depression; in the 1960s & 1970s, the civil rights & women's rights
movements; in 2001, the attacks on 9/11.
Non-normative life events are unusual occurrences that have a major life impact.
• For example, early pregnancy, losing a parent as a child, winning the lottery.
Outline:
◦ The Life-Span Perspective
◦ The Nature of Development
◦ Theories of Development
◦ Research on Life-Span Development
The Life-Span Perspective: Topics
◦ The importance of studying life-span development
◦ Characteristics of the life-span perspective
◦ Some contemporary concerns
The Importance of Studying Life-Span Development
◦ Prepares individual to responsibly for children
◦ Gives insight about individuals’ lives & history
◦ Provides knowledge about what individuals’ lives will be like as they age into their
adult years.
Development: the pattern of change beginning at conception & continuing throughout the life-span.
◦ Involves growth.
◦ Also includes decline brought on by aging & dying.
,Life Span perspective the perspective that development is lifelong
multidimensional multidirectional plastic multidisciplinary contextual
Development involves growth maintenance
regulation is constructedthrough biological
sociocultural individual factors working together
The emphasis is on
developmental change
throughout childhood adulthood
Life Expectancy
The upper boundary of the human life span is 122 years
Life expectancy in the U.S is about 77years
People are living longer in part due to better sanitation
nutrition medicine
The rapid increase in life expectancy has negative implications for quality of life for older people.
Society reflects the needs of younger people:
• Parks, transportation systems, & so on are built assuming they are used only by able-bodied people.
• Planning & building does not consider the needs of low-strength or low-stamina people.
The focus has been on what older adults lack, not what they can contribute to society.
• Older citizens can share deep expertise & motivation to make a difference.
, Characteristics of the life-span perspective
Development has these qualities:
◦ Lifelong
◦ Multidimensional
◦ Multidirectional
◦ Plastic
◦ Multidisciplinary
◦ Contextual
◦ It involves growth, maintenance, & regulation of loss
◦ It is a co-construction of biological, sociocultural, & individual factors.
Types of contextual influences
Normative age-graded influences are similar for individuals in a particular age group.
• For example, starting school, puberty, menopause.
Normative history-graded influences have common generational experiences due to historical events.
• In the 1930s, the Great Depression; in the 1960s & 1970s, the civil rights & women's rights
movements; in 2001, the attacks on 9/11.
Non-normative life events are unusual occurrences that have a major life impact.
• For example, early pregnancy, losing a parent as a child, winning the lottery.
