Psych Development Life stages and Identity Week 3

Moral Development

the thinking that occurs as we consider right and wrong

Lawrence Kohlberg

found that as we develop intellectually, we pass through three stages of moral development:
preconventional morality, conventional morality, and postconventional morality
believed the levels formed a moral ladder
as thinking matures our behavior becomes less selfish and more caring

Preconventional Morality

kids before 9 show morality to avoid punishment and gain reward

Conventional Morality

kids in early adolescence are able to see and follow social rules/laws and uphold them for their own sake

Postconventional Morality

see morality through peoples agreed upon rights/ follow their personally perceived ethical principles

Carol Gilligan

talked about flaws in Kohlberg's findings:
focused on male moral development through life
she focused on female moral development
she said:
boys have a more absolute perspective on morality while girls tend to look at the situation and relationships of the people involved and tend to lean more towards the caring rather than justice perspective

Moral Action and Feeling

Moral action: doing the right thing which feed the moral attitude/feeling

Erik Erikson

believed infants with sensitive caregivers form lifelong attitude of trust rather than fear

Erikson's Stages of Social Development

each stage of life has its own psychosocial task/crisis that needs resolution

Infancy (to 1 year)

trust vs mistrust: if needs are dependably met, infants develop sense of basic trust

Toddlerhood (1-2 years)

autonomy vs. shame and doubt: toddler learn to exercise will and do things for themselves, or they doubt their abilities

Preschooler (3-5 years)

initiative vs. guilt: preschoolers learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans, or they feel guilty about efforts to be independent

Elementary school (6 years to puberty)

competence vs. inferiority: children learn the pleasure of applying themselves to tasks, or the feel inferior

Adolescence (teen years into 20s)

identity vs. role confusion: teenager work at refining a sense of self by testing roles and then integrating them to form a single identity, or they become confused about who they are

Young Adulthood (20s to early 40s)

intimacy vs. isolation: young adults struggle to form close relationships and to gain the capacity for intimate love, or they feel socially isolated

Middle Adulthood (40s to 60s)

generativity vs. stagnation: in middle age, people discover a sense of contributing to the world usually through family and work, or they may feel a lack of purpose

Late Adulthood (late 60s and up)

integrity vs. despair: when reflecting on his or her life, the older adult may feel a sense of satisfaction or failure

Basic trust

a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy

Social Identity

an individual's knowledge of their belonging in a certain social group

Intimacy

having a close loving relationship

Social Clock

a culturally preferred timeline that things need to happen by

Peak of Physical performance in adulthood

occurs around 20 years of age

Crystalized intelligence

accumulated knowledge and verbal skills and increases with age

Fluid Intelligence

ability to reason abstractly and speedily and decreases with age

What are the 5 stages of grief?

denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance

What changes socially during aging?

love and job commitments, physical abilities, sensing

How does Alzheimer's and Dementia effect mental ability?

dementia: damages brain cells, causing mental erosion--> more likely with age
Alzheimer's: gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and physical functioning

Peer influences

they can influence the student based on what group they are in: can be more susceptible to smoking, drugs, etc...