“All the world’s a stage.

And all the

men and women merely players. They
have their exits and their entrances.
And one man in his time play many
parts.”
—William Shakespeare
As children, each of us
traveled some common paths.
Yet, we are also unique.
What is human
development?

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
refers to the pattern of
movement or change in
human capabilities that
begins at conception
and continues
throughout the life span.
 Most development
involves growth, but it
also consists of decay.

The pattern of change is complex because it is

a product of several developmental processes.
PROCESSES OF DEVELOPMENT:
1) BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES—involve changes in an
individual’s physical nature.
2) COGNITIVE PROCESSES—involve changes in an
individual’s thought, intelligence, language.
3) SOCIO-EMOTIONAL PROCESSES—involve changes
in an individual’s relationship with other people,
changes in emotions and changes in personality.
These processes
are interwoven in
the development
of the individual
throughout the
human life cycle. BIOLOGICAL
PROCESSES

COGNITIVE SOCIO-
PROCESSES EMOTIONAL
PROCESSES
 Development is lifelong—
from conception to old age
Development is
multidimensional—it
consists of biological,
cognitive and socio-
emotional dimensions
 Development is
multidirectional—some
dimensions of development
expand and others sink.
Development is
multidisciplinary—it cuts
across disciplines
 Development is contextual
—individuals are changing
beings in a changing world,
acting on contexts such as
biological make-up, physical
environment, cognitive
processes, historical contexts,
social contexts and cultural
contexts.
 Development involves
growth, maintenance and
regulation—the mastery of
life often involves conflict
and competition among three
goals of human development:
growth, maintenance and
regulation.
I. Prenatal period (conception to birth)
II. Neonatal and infancy (birth to 1.5 years)
III. Early childhood (1.5 or 2 to 6-7 years)
IV. Middle and late childhood (7 to 12 years)
V. Adolescence (puberty to 18 or 21 years)
VI. Early adulthood (18 or 21 to mid 30’s)
VII.Middle adulthood (mid 30’s to 60 years)
VIII.Late adulthood (60 years onwards)
“The history of man for
nine months preceding
his birth is probably far
more interesting and
contains more stunning
events than all the
years that follow.” –
Samuel Taylor, 20th Century
American poet-essayist
It is the time from
conception to birth
and lasts about 266
days or nine months.
It is a time of
tremendous growth
—from a single cell
to an organism
complete with brain
and behavioral
capabilities.
 PRENATAL STAGES

Germinal Embryonic Fetal

Stage Stage Stage
GERMINAL STAGE—refers to the two-week
period following conception

1
OVULATION—refers to the
release of an ovum or egg cell
from a woman’s ovaries.

CONCEPTION or FERTILIZATION—

2 occurs if one of the millions of sperms

penetrates the ovum’s outer
membrane. Hence the sperm and the
egg are joined together
 Once the ovum has been fertilized, it is called a ZYGOTE,

3 which will begin the process of repeated division. The

developing zygote floats down the fallopian tube and
after two weeks, it will attach itself to the uterus.
 On the second week, the
blastocyst, or developing
embryo, is looking for a spot to
implant itself in the uterus.
EMBRYONIC STAGE—
STAGE
occurs from 2-8 weeks after
conception; during this
stage, cells divide and
begin to differentiate into
bone, muscle and body
organs.
EMBRYONIC STAGE—
STAGE
Early formation of the central
nervous system, backbone and
spinal column, as well as the
heart and gastrointestinal
system, has begun. Arms and
leg buds are visible and facial
features are also observable.
FETAL STAGE—begins two months
after conception and lasts until birth.
 During the
fetal stage,
the fetus
develops vital
organs, such as
lungs, and The brain is fully
physical developed and the
characteristics fetus can suck,
that are
distinctively swallow and make
human. irregular breathing
sounds. Fetus makes
active movements
including kicks and
somersaults.
 The fetus is vulnerable
to toxic agents and
chemicals—called
teratogen—that can
harm the developing
fetus. The fetus is
protected by the
placenta. However,
certain viruses and drugs
pass from the placenta
into the fetus’ blood
vessel and thus affect
fetal development.
“In every child who is born, no matter what the
circumstances, and no matter who the parents are,
the potentiality of the human race is born.”
–JAMES AGEE, 20th Century writer
 II. INFANCY
INFANCY—developmental
period that extends from
birth to 18 or 24 months.

During infancy, babies experience

rapid physical growth and
development. The nervous system
also develops, allowing them better
control of the head and limbs and
enabling them to explore their
environment and interact with
others.
Infancy is a
time of extreme
dependence Newborns are not
upon adults for empty headed; it
care and comes into the
protection. world equipped
with several
genetically “wired”
reflexes.
 Reflexes—are simple unlearned
responses to a stimulus, occurring
automatically, that is, without
thinking about them or without prior
knowledge.
Examples of reflexes:
• Crying
• Cooing
• Grasping
• Sucking
• Coughing
• Blinking
• Stepping
• Startle
• Bobinski reflex
Many psychological
activities are just
beginning—such as
language, symbolic
thought, sensorimotor
coordination and social
learning.
Examples of developmental
milestones:
• Rolling over by themselves
• Sitting alone without support
• Crawling
• Making babbling sounds
• Standing up
• Walking with support
 Although most infants
reach developmental
milestones at similar
stages, infancy
development can differ in
terms of pacing. Some
babies may display signs
of developmental delays
during infancy, including
motor abilities.
 EARLY CHILDHOOD—
extends from infancy
to about 5 or 6 years;
the preschool years

Many changes take place during early

childhood, as tiny dependent infants transform
into children who can walk, talk and begin formal
learning.
In early childhood, young
children learn to become
more self-sufficient and to
care for themselves. They
learn self-help skills such
as eating, dressing and
undressing without
assistance, etc.

Children gain muscle control,

balance, eye-hand coordination,
which enable them to become
more physically active and
independent.
Pre-school children
experience changes
in their cognitive and
language abilities.
They develop school-readiness
skills (such as following
instructions, identifying letters,
numbers, shapes and colors).

Pre-school children also

spend many hours in play
with peers.
MIDDLE AND LATE
CHILDHOOD—
extends from
about 6 to 11
years of age,
approximately
corresponding to
the elementary
school years.
 Elementary school
children master the
Children at this stage fundamental skills of
show significant
reading, writing,
differences in physical
appearance (e.g.
arithmetic.
height, weight, built).
Muscular strength,
hand-eye coordination
and stamina progress
rapidly, allowing older
children to perform
complex tasks.
 Children are
formally exposed to
the larger world
and its culture.
They also learn how
to make friends.

Achievement becomes a
more central theme of the
child’s world and self-
control increases.
 Adolescence period
is the transition from
childhood to early
adulthood, entered
approximately at 10
to 12 years of age
and ending at 18 to
21 years of age.
Adolescence period begins
with rapid physical changes
(e.g. weight and height gains,
changes in body contour,
development of sexual
characteristics such as the
deepening of voice and
growing of pubic and facial
hair for males, menarchy and
development of pelvis and
enlargement of the breasts
for females, etc.)
Adolescent’s thought is
more logical, abstract
and idealistic.
At this point of human development,
the pursuit of independence and
identity are prominent.
It is generally a time of self-
discovery, in which young people aim
to define their place in the world.
The questions of “WHO AM I”
and “WHAT DO I WANT TO BE”
become the central theme.

Adolescence period can be a

challenging time for teenagers and
their families.
In their quest for independence, many
teenagers start questioning parental
authority and often show signs of
rebelliousness.
Teenagers have an increasing need to
belong in society.
Many of them spend most of their time
with friends than their family, allowing
them to develop and practice social skills.

However, it is also within this setting

that adolescents may face issues
regarding peer pressure, sexual
intercourse and experimentation with
alcohol and drugs.
Many young people are overwhelmed by
feelings of stress, confusion and
depression from circumstances related to
family, academic and social life—leading
them to self-destructive behaviors.
This begins in the
late teens or
early twenties
and lasts through
the thirties.
 Early adulthood is a time of establishing
personal and economic independence from
parents, as self becomes the main reliance

Young adults strive to take

responsibility for themselves
and make their own decisions.
It is also a time for
selecting a mate,
starting a family and
rearing children.

Young adults often

become more focused
on advancing their
careers and gaining
stability in their
personal lives.
It begins at
approximately
35 to 45 years of For many, midlife is a time
age and extends when they start to think
about “how much time they
into the sixties. have left,” and hence
individuals begin to re-
examine their lives, their
relationships, their work
and the meaning of it all.
• This is referred to as “midlife crisis”,
primarily due to some physical changes
and socio-emotional problems.
However, people at this point have
achieved the “wisdom” in life.
• Major physical and Middle adulthood
biological changes is a time of
occur during middle expanding
age. Hair is graying, personal and
bodies are sagging and social
teeth are yellowing. involvement and
•There are also health responsibility, of
concerns, including assisting the next
cardiovascular generation; and
problems, menopause of reaching and
and stress. maintaining
satisfaction and
commitment in
careers.
In their personal lives,
many marriages either
improve or deteriorate
during middle age.
Specific issues include
empty nest syndrome, It is also at this time
late parenting, that adults adjust their
separation, idealistic hopes to
remarriage, sexuality realistic possibilities
and grandparenting. and attainable goals,
depending on how
much time and
resources are left.
LATE ADULTHOOD—
begins in the 60s or 70s
and lasts until death.

Late adulthood is a time of

adjustment to decreasing strength
and health, life review, retirement,
and adjustment to new social roles.
It is a time to come to terms
with mortality, accepting
one’s self—including
mistakes and achievements.

Grandparenting is one of the most

important milestones during old
age. For some, it means having
continuity and may involve
emotional self-fulfillment.
 “The power, complexity and
beauty of human development
has been about life’s rhythm
and meaning, about turning
mystery into understanding, and
about weaving together a
portrait of who we were, are,
and will be. From the first cries
of a newborn baby to the final
prayers of an elderly adult—we
arrive, laugh, grow, seek, work,
question, hope, mate, quarrel,
sing, achieve and care.”
–JOHN W. SANTROCK, 20th
Century psychologist