Mistrust stage occurs during the period between birth and one year. The first stage also known as the Trust vs. The changes characterizing the lifespan perspective of development can also be divided into eight stages of human development. Lastly, the cognitive domain of human development entails change in an individual’s thinking capacity, memory, and decision-making (Sugarman, 2000, p. On the other hand, the social aspect of development involves changes in different phases of human development, which are directly influenced by the social environment such as social skills and relationships. The physical aspect of development involves changes in weight, height, shape, and the changes in individual experiences with the external environment (Sigelman & Rider, 2008, p. The three aspects of the lifespan perspective are also implicated in different developmental changes. Therefore, human development is determined by biological, cultural, social, and physical environmental factors. On the other hand, the perspective has different contextual implications. Thus, this perspective is studied by scientists, anthropologists, and psychologists, which brings out its multidisciplinary nature (Sugarman, 2000, p. In addition, the perspective is embedded in the lifelong events that occur in the life of an individual. This plasticity of the lifespan perspective occurs in response to various environmental factors that influence human development. 59).įurthermore, other studies claim that the perspective is plastic in nature because some domains of lifespan development increase while others decrease. On the other hand, there are three major aspects of the lifespan perspective of development, which include the cognitive, social, physical dimensions of change (Sugarman, 2000, p. Moreover, the lifespan perspective can be defined in many ways.įor instance, the lifespan perspective can be a progressive and lifelong process of development that is not limited to any single level in human development. The lifespan perspective examines the changes that take place at each level of human development relative to the environmental (Society and culture) factors that influence these changes (Sigelman & Rider, 2008, p. In addition, the impact of the interaction between genes and the environment on the process of human development is also discussed. This paper presents discussions on the lifespan perspective of development and two major theories of lifespan development.

These levels include childhood and adolescence early adulthood middle adulthood and late adulthood (Sugarman, 2000, p.

Six major lifespan development theories