Human development
Chapter 1 - Worldview
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Welcome to the Human development page
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Human development in the broadest sense is about humans’ relationships and interactions with each other and the environment in order to survive and thrive.
| In the present context of a highly uneven world, a better life for most people means, essentially, meeting basic needs: sufficient food to maintain good health, a safe healthy place in which to live; affordable services available to everyone; and being treated with dignity and respect. Beyond meeting those needs, basic to human survival, the course taken by development is subject to the materials and cultural visions of different societies. The methods and purposes of development are subject to popular, democratic decision making. (1) |
| Content source | |
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| (1) | Theories of development : contentions, arguments, alternatives - G. Peet & E. Hartwick - Guilford Press, New York - 2015 |
I would like to argue for a division between human development and the development of humanity. The former is about you and me as a person. The later is about us and humanity as a species.
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Core ideas about human development
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Developmental psychology
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People change throughout their lives, how and when does this development happen?
| Stage | Factors | Description |
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| Infancy | Trust vs. Mistrust | In the first stage of human development, infants learn to trust based on how well their caregivers meet their basic needs and respond when they cry. If an infant cries out to be fed, the parent can either meet this need by feeding and comforting the infant or not by ignoring the infant. When their needs are met, infants learn that relying on others is safe; when their needs go unmet, they grow up less trusting. |
| Toddlerhood | Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt | In addition to autonomy versus shame and doubt, another way to think of the second stage is independence versus dependence. Like in the first stage, toddlers go through this stage responding to their caregivers. If caregivers encourage them to be independent and explore the world, toddlers will grow up with a sense of self-efficacy. If the caregivers hover excessively or encourage dependence, these toddlers become less confident in their abilities.
For example, if a toddler wants to walk without assistance in a safe area, the caregiver should encourage this autonomy by allowing independent behaviour. If the caregiver insists on holding the toddler’s hand even when it’s not necessary, this attention can lead to doubt later in life. |
| Preschool Years | Initiative vs. Guilt | During the preschool years, children learn to assert themselves and speak up when they need something. Some children may say they’re sad because a friend stole their toy. If this assertiveness is greeted with a positive reaction, they learn that taking the initiative is helpful behaviour. However, if they’re made to feel guilty or ashamed of their assertiveness, they may grow up timid and less likely to take the lead. |
| Early School Years | Activity vs. Inferiority | When children begin school, they start to compare themselves with peers. If children feel their peers accomplish them, they develop strong self-esteem. If they notice that other children have met milestones that they haven’t, they may struggle with self-esteem. For example, a first grader may notice a consistently worse performance on spelling tests when compared with peers. If this becomes a pattern, it can lead to feelings of inferiority. |
| Adolescence | Identity vs. Role Confusion | The term “identity crisis” originated in the adolescent stage, and for good reason. Adolescence is all about developing a sense of self. Adolescents who identify who they are growing up with stronger goals and self-knowledge than teenagers who struggle to break free of their parents’ or friends’ influences. Adolescents who still intensely depend on their parents for social interaction and guidance may experience more role confusion than teenagers who pursue their own interests. |
| Young Adulthood | Intimacy vs. Isolation | In young adulthood, roughly at age 20, people begin to solidify their lifelong bonds; many enter committed relationships or marriages, while others form lifelong friendships. People who create and maintain these relationships reap the emotional benefits, while those who struggle to maintain relationships may suffer from isolation. A young adult who develops strong friendships in college may feel more intimacy than one who struggles to form and maintain close friendships. |
| Middle Adulthood | Generativity vs. Stagnation | In middle adulthood, people tend to struggle with their contributions to society. They may be busy raising children or pursuing careers. Those who feel they’re contributing experience generativity, the sense of leaving a legacy. On the other hand, those who don’t feel that their work or lives matter may experience feelings of stagnation. For example, a middle-aged adult raising a family and working in a career that presumably helps people may feel more fulfilled than an adult working at a day job that feels meaningless. |
| Late Adulthood | Integrity vs. Despair | As adults reach the end of life, they reflect on their lives. Adults who feel fulfilled by their lives through a successful family or a meaningful career reach ego integrity, where they can face ageing and die with peace. If older adults don’t feel they’ve lived a good life, they risk falling into despair. |
| Content source |
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| The eight stages of human development - Erik Homburger Erikson (1902-1994) |
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Capabilities
| Central to the human development approach is the concept of capabilities. Capabilities—what people can do and what they can become-are the equipment one has to pursue a life of value. Basic capabilities valued by virtually everyone include: good health, access to knowledge, and a decent material standard of living. Other capabilities central to a fulfilling life could include the ability to participate in the decisions that affect one’s life, to have control over one’s living environment, to enjoy freedom from violence, to have societal respect, and to relax and have fun.
Our capabilities are expanded (or constrained) by our own efforts and by the institutions and conditions of our society. People with extensive, well-developed capabilities have the tools they need to make their vision of “a good life” a reality. Those poor in capabilities are less able to chart their own course and to seize opportunities. Without basic capabilities, human potential remains unfulfilled. The capability approach is a normative framework used for analyzing well-being, often employed to understand development problems. Although certain aspects of the approach can be linked to Aristotle and Adam Smith, it is philosopher-economist Amartya Sen and more recently, University of Chicago professor of law and ethics Martha Nussbaum, who are responsible for its development and proliferation. The core premise of the capability approach is that well-being should be defined by people’s real and actual opportunities to undertake the pursuits that they desire (often referred to as ‘capabilities to function’) – and through these freedoms, be whom they would like to be. One illustration of the difference between capabilities to function and formal freedoms is found in the area of educational opportunity. All US citizens have the formal freedom to earn a college degree. However when comparing students from low-income neighborhoods with more affluent students, low-income students’ real freedoms to attend college can be constrained by, among other things, low quality local high schools and financial considerations. Formal freedoms, in this and many cases, are necessary but not sufficient to provide true capabilities to function.The capability approach to well-being, which prioritizes the ability to actualize opportunity into ‘beings and doings’, contrasts with other theories of well-being which focus on subjective measures, such as happiness, or on material means, such as income. (1) |
| Content source | |
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| (1) | https://measureofamerica.org/human-development/ |
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Core ideas about the development of humanity
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Short overview of drivers of the development of humanity
| Description | |
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| Discovery and Harnessing of Fire | Researchers have speculated that controlled fires and cooked meats, first occuring 700,000 to 1 million years ago, influenced the evolution of the human brain. |
| Language | It is believed that there was a single original language called monogenesis. Today we speak more than 5,000 languages across the globe. |
| Development of Tools and Metallurgy | The earliest stone tools have been found, and are believed to have been created, in East Africa 2.6 million years ago. Copper was developed between 3,000 and 4,000 B.C.E. Bronze was developed between 3,000 and 1,000 B.C.E. Iron was developed around 1,000 B.C.E. |
| Transition from Hunter/Gatherer to Agricultural Communities | Ancient farming began 15,000 to 20,000 years ago. Crops and animals of the neolithic period include barley, wheat, flax, goats, sheep, pigs, and cattle. |
| Development of Mathematics | The first evidence of counting occured around 50,000 B.C.E. among Neanderthals. Between 25,000 and 518 B.C.E. humans created geometric designs, hieroglyphic numerals, arithmetic, geometry, and Pythagorean arithmetic and geometry. |
| Development of Astronomy and the Calendar | The sun, moon, and planets were used as the basis for clocks, calendars, and navigation in early civilizations. The first solar-lunar calendar was put into use in Egypt in 2,000 B.C.E. |
| Scientific Revolution | Occured in Europe between 1500 and 1700 C.E. This revolution was kicked off by Nicolaus Copernicus and his assertion of the sun-centered cosmos. This revolution ended with Isaac Newton, who proposed universal laws and a mechanical universe. |
Causes of Scientific Revolution
Effects of Scientific Revolution
Steam Engine and the Industrial Revolution The key developments of this revolution came between the 17th and 18th century C.E. They included the development of coal furnaces, the power loom, the Bessemer converter, the water wheel, power machinery, and the steam engine. Digital Revolution This revolution involved the change from analog mechanical and electric technology to digital technology. Innovations during this period, from 1980 - present, include digital electronics, computers, communication networks, the internet, and digitization. This revolution can be broken down into three distinct categories:
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| Content source |
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| Norwich University |
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