PSYC 290N Week 8 Lifespan Development: Reflection (GREADED A}

Lifespan Development - Reflection Chamberlain College of Nursing PSYC 290N - Lifespan Development Lifespan Development Reflection Paper Throughout the last eight weeks, Lifespan Development has been quite an adventurous class. I had moments of deep thought, moments of realization, moments where I genuinely connected with the material, & many, many, many moments of “holy cow, why does my virtual child behave better than my real children & my parenting style is the exact same?!” During the session, we did a project titled My Virtual Life, in which we had to raise a child & I felt confident. I felt confident because having kids is real life for me, & I feel that I am a competent parent. As we continued into emerging & young adulthood, we switched roles & became the virtual person. I again felt confident, because I am currently in my young adulthood & have experience with this part of the lifespan. However, as we moved into middle adulthood & later adulthood, my ego leveled out tremendously & suddenly I realized that middle adulthood is a major part of the next ten years of my life. If I already felt inexperienced simulating middle adulthood, how am I going to cope with actually entering middle adulthood? This lingering thought made me reflect on what we have learned & what I could do to make positive choices moving forward. The theories & concepts we have absorbed can be applied to the next ten years of our lives on a personal & occupational level. On a personal level, after learning about Bowlby’s theory of attachment, it caused me to look at my children’s behavior differently. I began to study my children, their behaviors & routines. By underst&ing this concept, I was able to adjust my parenting approach & achieve the desired outcome. Moving forward with parenting, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development comes into play & has provided me with tools to underst& my children’s thought process as they age. In a different direction, Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development will, by far, stick with me the most. Not only will I reflect back on my own behaviors/actions, by way of Erikson, I will be better able to fully grasp what people’s major life concerns are based on what point they are at in the lifespan. Erikson’s theory provided me with a foundation & an excellent platform for practicing empathy. Occupationally, we as nurses should utilize & incorporate psychological theories while providing care. Erik noted, “In managing patients with different illnesses, both nurses & psychologists not only work in underst&ing the physical pain associated, but also change their thought & attitudes to improve well-being…with psychological knowledge also, nurses are able to get the trust of their patients (2015).” Conclusion In closing, this class has given me additional tools to put in my “toolbox for life.” There are many intellectual theories that I will take with me, & that will guide me in decision-making as I advance my way through life. I can wholeheartedly say that I enjoyed this class, its structure, & the content. References Erik. (2015). Importance of psychology in nursing – Distance learning systems. inc. Retrieved from