FORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT

Formal Writing Assignment #1 Tressy J. Crutchfield University of Memphis

FORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT Formal Writing Assignment #1 As people age, there are certain mile markers along the way. In the lifespan development perspective, you see these changes and developments over the course of a persons entire life from birth until death. Everybody is different, and with this perspective, you see that people do not always develop and change in the same ways. Everybody has their own way of doing things. Growing up, children learn many different things. Whether it is from seeing others act a certain way or being influenced by friends

and family, childhood behavior and social learning are two very important aspects in child development. There are many different influences, like parents, peers, media, etc., that play a role in how a person develops and who they become after adolescence. However, the time of adolescence is one of the most important. A person will experience significant changes both physically and mentally, and the effects of these changes will aid in determining who a person will become. Everything and everyone that a person interacts with will play a part in that persons life. Personally, I have experienced all of these aspects growing up in one way or another. Some I remember, and some I do not. Nevertheless, the ones I do remember have shaped who I am today. According to Hart, Development occurs throughout the lifespan (p. 9). I know for a fact that I have not stopped developing since the day I was born. I change in some way everyday. Maybe it is my outlook on life, a subtle change to my personality, or maybe I lose or gain weight. Changes happen, no matter how subtle or insignificant. I feel like I was born with a lot of things. I am naturally athletic and tend to be pretty intelligent for the most part, so, nature played its role with me. On the other hand, the nurture I received from my parents is what cultivated and strengthened my natural talents. If my

FORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT mom had not signed me up for every sport, my athleticism might have slowly dwindled away. I might not have excelled the way that I did in school if she had not pushed me to

strive for my very best. I feel that nature and nurture go hand in hand in the development of a person. I often wonder how I became the person I am today. I owe a big part of myself, for example, my looks and mannerisms, to my genes. I received half of my chromosomes from my mom and half from my dad. The combinations of genes that I am made up of are my genotypes, while my outward appearance or traits that I have are my phenotypes. I am unique because of that combination of genes. My intraindividual changes are changes within me. My thought process, or cognitive domain, will continue to mature, either slower or faster than everybody else. The changes that my body will go through, or my physical domain, will be completely different than everybody else because no two peoples appearance changes in the same way. Lastly, the changes I will go through socially and emotionally, or my socio-emotional domain, will also be different from everybody else. Nobody experiences the same events, happy or traumatic, in their lifetime. You cannot expect everybody to develop the same or at a certain age because everybody is multidimensional. They may experience changes in one domain but not the other two until a few years down the road. Everybody is different, so it only makes sense that we cannot label a proper age for each stage of development. I think Bandura was spot on with his theory of observational learning. Still to this day, I learn new things from observing others. When I meet somebody new, it takes me a little while to warm up to him or her. I have to test the waters and know what is acceptable for me to say and do around them. I am a very cautious person in general. I

FORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT wait for somebody else to do something before I will do it. I do not like being embarrassed, so I have always learned vicariously through others. This type of learning that I do is called vicarious learning and Kibe simply states it as, learning from watching others (p. 15). I feel that is the only way the world goes around. Everybody learns from the successes and failures of others. The few people that do branch out and try new things, set the bar for everybody else. Another behavioral theory that I believe is sound is counter-conditioning. When I

was young, about 7 or 8, I developed a fear of small spaces. When I was younger, my mom ran a small daycare out of the house. One day, all of the kids, my sister, and I were playing Hide and Seek. My little sister was the one counting, and me being older, figured I could outsmart her by hiding in the toy box. The only thing I remember from the experience is that I was trying to push the lid off and I could not because my sister was sitting on top of it. I was eventually let out, but I have been terrified of small spaces and constrictions ever since. To this day, I cannot even think about being buried alive or being tied up. I developed a phobia almost 13 years ago, and I cannot get rid of it. I feel that if I attempted something that involved the counter-conditioning theory, I could probably overcome my phobia. Maybe being smothered in cotton candy or something Personally, I think that this technique, administered correctly, could cure almost every phobia that a person has. However, in the text, Kibe tells us, that conducting such an experiment today would be unethical (p. 6). There goes my chance of ever getting over my claustrophobia. One major influence that helped me to develop into the adult I am today was my mom. She raised my little sister and I without the help of either of our fathers. It was pretty much trial and error, but she did not do half bad. From my perspective, she was an

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authoritative parent. She demanded my best effort in everything I did. She was also very encouraging and always motivated me to want to do my best. I still strive for the best in every aspect of my life, and I owe it to my moms parenting style. The effects of being raised under an authoritative parent have really benefitted me the past couple of years. I question everything and everyone. I cannot just accept an answer without knowing every angle and aspect of it. I am also very opinionated. I feel like that may interfere with things sometimes, but overall, I see it as a positive characteristic of mine. Along with being an authoritative parent came discipline. I received a little bit of Punishment I and Punishment II. I was spanked and given extra chores, but I also had things taken away, like my cellphone or TV. I was not just punished all the time, though. I received positive and negative reinforcements when I did behave well. I was praised and rewarded, as well as, given the ability to do one less chore a week, or something else along those lines. My mom was strict, but I never doubted that I was loved. She would have and still will do absolutely anything for us. She has always been about being fair and has provided my little sister and I with continuous reinforcement. We know the difference between right and wrong. We have our wonderful single-parent mother to thank for it, too. The biggest change I ever remember going through is puberty. My body changed physically, and my mind changed mentally. I started thinking about things in different ways. My body started filling out and developing curves. It was a very nerve-racking experience. I had always been the tomboy of my group of friends and now I had breasts and a butt. I felt awkward and completely out of place. Looking back, all of my friends were most likely having the same thoughts and little freak out moments that I was. I

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experienced menarche right before I turned 14. I was a late bloomer, and according to the text, Late-maturing girls do have an advantage as they are beginning to sexually mature at the same time as most boys (Kiersky, p. 14). I have to disagree, though. I feel that because I went through puberty later than normal, it kind of set me back. I feel like I took longer to become comfortable with my body than other girls my age. I was still filling out my junior and senior year of high school, so I was still getting acquainted with my body. I also feel that because I went through puberty later that I had a certain body image I thought I should be, and I could not meet my requirements because my body was not done changing. All in all, I feel there are certain pros and cons to the maturation age of children and pre-teens. Some are going to handle it better than others; it just depends on the person. Throughout a persons life, there are going to be a vast variety of personal changes and developments. If you do not change, you cannot grow. I have gone through many changes, and I feel like I have grown and matured well, so far. I have experienced a ton of personal developments in my almost 20 years, but I still have so many more to look forward to. Knowing that puberty is the biggest physical change that I should face allows me breathe a small sigh of relief that I will not have to experience anything like that ever again. I can only go up. My senses may eventually deteriorate, but my brain will still be going a mile a minute. I cannot wait to see what the rest of my life has in store for me, both good and bad. Every little detail is so important, and they will shape and mold me into who I will become.