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Organizing Life
Into Developmental Stages of Growth
We don't think of
the earliest cavemen as sitting around the fire and discussing whether
impatient Ug and shy Ong turned out the way they did was because
they didn't have emotional support when they were growing up. With
a hard, mostly short, life, people were assumed to be the way they
were because of fate.
It wasn't long, though, before men and women
decided that one reason we are the way we are has something to do
with what happens, or doesn't happen, as we progress from child
to adult and old age. Then in the past century several prominent
theorists developed fairly insightful observations about the relationship
between nature and nurture. They felt that many of our characteristics
and coping skills are formed as we pass through developmental stages
when it is easiest to learn certain things.
In other words, particular times in life create
opportunities to learn particular skills. When we progress through
these periods successfully, we develop positive characteristics
and have a solid beginning for the next stage. If we aren't successful,
we are more likely to end up with other, less desirable, characteristics
and coping skills.
These articles offer a basic understanding of
some of the commonly accepted approaches today.
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