In this article we will consider the subject and tasks of developmental psychology, the laws of mental development and the changes that occur to a person throughout his life.
Are we changing - the question is rather rhetorical. Someone believes that people are constantly changing under the influence of both external and internal factors, someone believes that it is impossible to change the character, and a person remains the same throughout his life, only accumulating experience.
The problem concerns not only philosophers and laymen. There is a whole section that studies the changes that occur to a person throughout his life - age psychology.
About the subject of developmental psychology
As we age, we face unforeseen situations, we learn, we gain experience. This invariably affectson our behaviour. We also change internally - we react less emotionally to some things or vice versa.
The well-known expressions “grew up as a person”, “formed personality” or simply “not mature enough” just characterize the changes that occur in a person with age, which is the subject of study of developmental psychology.
This section highlights the behavioral patterns and learning trends inherent in each age group, therefore it is closely related to educational psychology.
Educational Psychology
The subject of its study is the identification of patterns of human learning and their dependence on psychological factors. Contrary to popular belief, this section of the described science affects not only children of preschool and school age.
We learn throughout life. Many, having studied at school, go to college, and then, in adulthood, to graduate school, receive additional education or advanced training courses. The oldest university graduate, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is 96 years old.
Teachers know firsthand how different teaching the same subject to students of different age groups is. Many even have their own "favorite age" and prefer to teach students who fit that description.
Each age has its own perception of educational material, its own interests, various distractions and methods of dealing with them, as well as its own speedlearning. Educational psychology considers a person of any age from the point of view of the student and his perception of learning, therefore it directly intersects with the section of interest to us, because the subject of study of developmental psychology is the worldview, features and changes that occur in the human psyche during his life.
Developmental psychology
Another section closely related to developmental psychology is developmental psychology. Changes that occur to a person during life are inextricably linked with development. We do not just grow up, we accumulate knowledge and experience both academically and psychologically.
The subject of study of developmental psychology in short is the psychological characteristics of people of different ages, while the subject of study of developmental psychology is the patterns of changes that occur in a person throughout life.
If we take the psychology of a child or teenager, then both of these sections are inseparable. But over the years, they begin to diverge, as human development slows down, and the changes associated with age are no longer so noticeable.
The concept of "age"
It is necessary to clarify that the very concept of "age" in psychology differs from the generally accepted one. When mentioning an age group, it does not mean those born at about the same time, but people with the same level of development. Experts call this “psychological age.”
By the way, hemay not correspond to the physical: a child may behave like an adult and perceive the world in a completely different way than his peers, and vice versa, a 50-year-old man may feel like a teenager in his soul and behave accordingly.
Scientifically correct definition of age is used to determine the level of psychological and personal development of a person. It serves as the basis for a variety of tests and is the starting point for any specialist in this field when working with a client.
Having decided on the concept of psychological age, we can consider the subject of study of developmental psychology in chronological order.
Child psychology
This section deals with the study of the psychology of the child. At this age, changes in behavior and worldview are most rapid and easily noticeable to others. Yesterday the child could not speak, but today he said “mom”, a month ago he did not know how to hold a spoon, and today he is already playing hide and seek with other children and arguing with them about observing the rules.
It is at this age that it is most easy to identify developmental deviations and influence further changes in the psychology and personality of a person, based on his norms of behavior, learning and worldview, which is the subject of study of age psychology.
Psychology of a teenager
The psychological characteristics of a teenager are significantly different from those characteristic of youngerchildren. This is a critical period, a link between childhood and adolescence. Man is no longer a child, but not yet an adult.
At this stage, the subject and tasks of developmental psychology include not only the identification of norms, but also the definition of a "boundary state". The so-called teenage crisis is a normal phenomenon, but it should not develop into depression and interfere with the further development of personality, because it is at this age that the formation of a person’s self-determination and a kind of ideal in terms of character and personal qualities is laid.
Psychology of youth
During adolescence, the development of a person as a person begins to slow down little by little. It is by the end of this age that many mental qualities, such as attention and certain types of memory, reach their climax.
Independence of the individual arises as you get rid of dependence on adults. One's own opinion is completely formed, often different from the parent's, relationships with peers change.
A person has already formed for himself a certain picture of the world and a line of behavior that he will adhere to in his life. Awareness of oneself and one's life priorities are the main features of this age.
Psychology of an adult
Becoming an adult, a person is fully aware of himself as a person. He no longer needs the constant approval of others and does not depend onsociety. But it should be noted that many people are not able to reach psychological maturity and often remain in the previous stages of development until the end of life.
However, one should not always strive to achieve psychological maturation. As an example of this, we can cite a separate category - creative people who live precisely at the expense of their inner child. Their worldview allows them to create genuine masterpieces: paint pictures, books, draw cartoons. Having reached psychological maturity, they will simply lose the meaning of existence and lose their unique ability.
At the same time, the maturation of the personality is simply necessary for many people to properly interact with society and loved ones. Emotionally immature people cannot create a full-fledged family. Especially in such cases, children suffer, who are forced to become peculiar parents or confidants for their own parents.
Gerontopsychology
This section of developmental psychology deals with the study of older people. At this stage, the physical extinction of a person occurs. Aging also often negatively affects psychology and worldview. As they say, "old age is not joy." That is why many pensioners are characterized by apathy or aggression towards others.
Finding ways to prolong psychological activity and help older people adapt is the subject and task of developmental psychology. Its structure allows not only to identify norms, but also to influence behavior and worldview.human.
Active pensioners live longer and are less prone to physical illness, so educational psychology comes to the aid of age and provides a lot of ways to improve the cognitive functions of a fading organism.
Age changes
You can define the subject of study of developmental psychology briefly - this is the study of the norms of life and the human psyche, often subject to changes under the influence of external factors, at any age. Note that changes that affect the character, worldview and personality development can be both age-related and situational. At the same time, the first of them are connected with the change of ages and adaptation to the current situation.
It's not just about the teenage crisis and midlife crisis. In childhood, a person experiences a lot of stress under the influence of age-related changes, which is part of a natural process.
The most dangerous age-related changes in the retirement period. A person needs to get used to the fact that physically and psychologically he is not capable of much that was easy before, further activity and even life expectancy depend on this.
Situational changes
Not all changes that affect psychology and changes in character are age-related. We learn a lot from the situations we find ourselves in. However, not everyone is affected in the same way by the same situations. For example, after losing a job, one personwill look in themselves for the cause and perhaps find themselves in another area, while the other will give up and become depressed.
To a large extent, this is determined by the maturity of the individual, but also by the stability of the psyche. Often, situational changes affect the character and worldview of a person even more than age.
