psychology essay 18

by

Human Development: Conception to Old Age

You are to write an essay with a 1000 word minimum (not including title and reference pages) in which you analyze and synthesize psychological concepts and connect them to personal experiences. In each section you are to describe personal events from that time and correlate it to the textbook information read.

The essay is to be divided into eight distinct sections that address the areas below. The examples provided after the initial questions are just that, examples. They are meant to stimulate your thinking. You may use them as they are written or feel free to elaborate as you see fit.

  1. First describe your family. How many people were in your family during your childhood years? Did your family structure change (e.g., divorce of parents, death of a family member, inclusion of grandparent in the home, addition of a sibling)?
  2. Write about your birth. Was there anything unusual about your birth (e.g., were you born early or a twin)? Were there any notable circumstances during your infancy (e.g., sibling was born)?
  3. Write about what you remember about your early childhood, from 2 to 6 years of age (e.g. did you go to preschool? Who did you play with? What kinds of pretend play did you participate in? What scared you most?).
  4. Write about your most vivid memories during middle childhood, from about 6 to 10 years of age (e.g. who were your friends: How did you do in school? What did you do in your free time? What kind of identity did you develop as a boy or girl? What kind of an identity did you develop as a member of an ethnic or cultural group? What kind of chores did you have at home?).
  5. Write about your adolescence, from about 10 to 18 years of age (e.g. what do you remember about searching for your identity? What were your close friends like? What other kinds of peer interactions did you have? What were your romantic relationships like? Did you participate in extracurricular activities? What did you do to explore the boundaries of acceptable behavior – in other words did you participate in risky behaviors?).
  6. Write about the accomplishments and struggles have you had or are experiencing as a young adult, from about 18 to 30 years of age (e.g., how have you or will you negotiate your personal relationships? What kinds of jobs have you had or are considering?).
  7. Write about your experiences or experiences you anticipate having during middle adulthood, from about 30 to 60 years of age (e.g., What responsibilities have you had or anticipate having? How have your relationships changed or will change? Have you or do you anticipate remaining stable through this time or changing? What areas of your life have been or do you believe will be the most satisfying?).
  8. The final section or conclusion should summarize what you have learned about the areas of your life in relation to the information gained from this course. The final section will require you to use your critical thinking skills and your writing ability to address the question of relevance.

Please note that if you prefer to not examine your own life, you may choose to write about another person or report on a published biography or autobiography. If you choose the first option, make sure to give the person a pseudonym. If you choose the second option provide a full reference.

In discussing information from your text, you must reference the appropriate chapters, identify and define each relevant concept, and explain why the psychological concepts you focus on are relevant to your life.

Your paper must be done using APA formatting style which includes:

  • A title page with the title in the middle of the page
  • Page numbering in the upper right corner beginning with 1 on the title page
  • In-text citations in APA format (that means the citation follows either the quote or the paraphrase of the information provided)
  • A reference page at the end (called References) in APA format