555 Life Span Development



555 Life Span DevelopmentPortfoliocenter850008549640January 1, 2015Concordia University1000000January 1, 2015Concordia UniversityMoral DevelopmentDebra YeagerConcordia UniversityMy family was very strong on morals and values, at least till they got caught up in their own turmoil. We were the type of family that were taught good work ethic, hardworking, showing up on time (which was actually early) , doing what we were asked to do without questions and following directions. We were taught right from wrong and that our behaviors created a reputation for not only ourselves, but our families and even our future children. My father was very strong on morals, and teaching us how we should behave. Even though our readings suggest that “family processes are essentially unimportant in children’s moral development” (Santrock, 2012) is completely different from what I have learned in my life. Granted both my parents have done something that I consider morally wrong, they are human and I have seen the damage that is caused by these poor choices, so my family’s morals are very important to my moral development, and mine to my children. I went to a small school in a small town that was very strict and morally bound. We didn’t come from the generation where our parents allowed us to disobey or disrespect our teachers, or from the generation that allowed us to feel entitled. We had to work hard for good grades and we were re-enforced positively. Even though I was a fairly good kid, I had plenty of examples of poor morals around me, and my father was part of the city council and worked directly with law enforcement, so we always heard stories of the “bad” behaviors people were showing. While we were in school we had rocks on the playground and toys that are now deemed unsafe. We were told the safety rules and were expected to follow them. We were raised far different then children these days, and were not impacted by so many technological aspects that today’s children have. We were still raised on making good choices, respecting our elders and being safe, by taking care of ourselves and following rules. I’m not sure that everyone born in the 80’s felt this way, but looking back we were safer and smarter children that learned a lot from being outside and being exposed to things, now our current children are sheltered from real life experiences that clouds their moral development. Sigmund Freud said that “guilt and the desire to avoid feeling guilty are the foundation of moral behavior.”(Santrock,2012) this is so true, especially for me. The psychoanalytical theory in which there is a superego and conscience. I wasn’t rewarded by anyone for my good behaviors, but it was a feeling I had, and the same with negative behaviors, my feelings were what showed me that it was a morally wrong choice. I have always been that way, and still to this day if I do something that perhaps I shouldn’t have done, I will have the feeling of guilt and will feel sick until I apologize and do what I can to make it right. A Religious LifeDebra YeagerConcordia UniversityLeading a religious life is important to many people. To them it is a re-assurance that life is worth living, that there is something better on the other side. Today I will share the information that is out there on leading a religious life and the benefits it gives to people’s growth and development. I will share my opinions as well and why I agree or do not agree with the research presented. For many people religion it is how they get through life. When things are hard they can speak to God or read their bible. It is a feeling of doing something when they have no control over what happens. “Religious and spiritual beliefs are an important part of how many people deal with life’s joys and hardships.” (Kids Health, 2011). This is true to many, and even though this doesn’t prove that these people live religious lifestyles, 40% of Americans are attending church, that is about 118 million people in church every Sunday. (Hartford Seminary, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 2006, para.3)Many people think that church goers and religious individuals have stronger morals and make better choices, “but religious people aren’t always more moral or righteous than nonbelievers…” (Wood, 2012). This shares that just because a woman attends church or lives a religious lifestyle does not mean that she has stronger morals then someone who doesn’t attend church or have a religious way of living, but it doesn’t hurt to attend church if that is what people feel the need to do. Wood does share that “…actively religious people are much more likely to say they are “very happy” with their lives than their secular counterparts,” (Wood, 2012). This information is sharing that happiness is a key component that may not be necessarily living a religious lifestyle, but definitely a happier one. When it comes to living longer, do people that are religious live longer? Psychology today shares that “With economic development, health improves, but religion declines” which shares that religion is important, but more so in countries that are struggling and do not have the fast pace economic growth like America. Psychology Today also shares that “countries with very low life expectancy are mostly very religious.” (Barber, 2013)Another interesting point made by Barber is that people who attend church are healthier. “They lead longer lives; have more robust immune systems, lower blood pressure, and better recovery times from operations…” (Barber, 2012). With that said, most people would mention that religious people have a more optimistic view of life, and that is why they heal faster , have less problems medically and live longer. The facts that show that religion is the case for all this are not agreed on by all. The truth is, even non-religious people are healthy, and it really depends on the lifestyle of the individual. What does religion do for people? “Religion has the benefit of empowering the individual through connecting him/her to a community, and to a superior force, that might in turn give psychological stability.”(Basu-Zharku, 2011).Psychological stability is very important, especially when discussing health and development. They are tied together and impact each other. Without psychological stability it is much harder for individuals to make good moral choices, as well as healthy choices for their lives. The psychological stability does impact individual’s health choices. “Very religious Americans make healthier choices than their moderately religious and nonreligious counterparts …” (Newport, Agrawal, Witters, 2010) and there is only about 14% of very religious individuals that smoke, 68% eat healthy all day, 61% that have five or more servings of fruits and vegetables, and 53% that exercise at least three times a week. (Newport, Agrawal, Witters, 2010). These statistics show that even though religious individuals may not be the only healthy choice makers in America, they are definitely good at making healthy choices, which could be because of their religious beliefs. Some of these good healthy choices that the religious individuals make could be because of their religion and the rules within it. It is common knowledge that some religions do not allow certain behaviors. Many religions refrain from addictions, such as tobacco and alcohol use. Others also refrain from coffee and tea. Most Mormon individuals refrain from going out on Sundays and use the day to be with the family. On Sundays Mormon folks attempt to refrain from working, “they are also asked to not shop on Sunday because this is encouraging employers to have their employees work on Sunday. Exercise and manual labor is best reserved for the other six days of the work [week].” (Mormon Youth Beliefs, 2014).Even though many people do not agree, it is true that religion impacts an individual’s life, but to say it is superior to just having a healthy lifestyle isn’t really accurate. There are many people that are very happy and healthy but are not religious individuals. Many people can be positive within and make good healthy and moral choices for their lives with other items in their lives such as working out. I do believe that leading a religious or spiritual life is beneficial enough to ones growth and development of their lifespan, but I do not think it is significant enough to take on the commitment of living a religious life just for the healthier life. Religion is sacred, and when individuals chose this lifestyle they are making a choice to live a better way of life to be more giving and to let their wonderful and terrible things go into the hands of their creator. In order to really take the plunge, individuals most go all in to religion and dedicate their lives to it. Not only will this change the people they spend time with, it will also change the influences they have and the experiences that they get from those people. When people surround themselves with positive people better choices are made and happier individuals are created. Unhappy people tend to impact others negatively and if you want to lead a healthier lifestyle and are not ready for the commitment of a religion, then it is best to do a check on yourself, your friends, and the activities you partake in. I have shared the research on religion and the effects it has on people’s lives as well as the choices made by those people. The research definitely suggests that living a religious lifestyle is beneficial to an individual’s growth and development over a lifespan. The research does not share that it is the only reason that people are making healthier choices, but the statistics are there to state that very religious people are making good choices. I shared my thoughts on religion impacting growth and development as well as the commitment it requires. ReferencesBarber,?N. (2012, December 22). Are Religious People Healthier? | Psychology Today. Retrieved?June?5, 2014, from . (2013, February 27). Do Religious People Really Live Longer? | Psychology Today. Retrieved?June?4, 2014, from . (2011). The Influence of Religion on Health - Student Pulse. Retrieved?June?5, 2014, from Seminary, Hartford Institute for Religion Research (2006). Fast Facts about American Religion. Retrieved?June?4, 2014, from Health (2011). How Can Spirituality Affect Your Family's Health? Retrieved?June?4, 2014, from Youth Beliefs (2014). Why Does My Mormon Friend Stay Home on Sundays? – Mormon Youth Beliefs. Retrieved?June?5, 2014, from ., Agrawal,?S., & Witters,?D. (2010, December 23). Very Religious Americans Lead Healthier Lives. Retrieved?June?5, 2014, from . (2012, June 12). Does religion make us moral? Retrieved?June?4, 2014, from Life Span Development ReflectionDebra YeagerFor Life Span development we did many wonderful tasks that included the development of a human. This development included biological, cognitive, and socioemotional development. We did assignments on our personal development through the years and stages we have went though and assignments on what we may encounter as we age and how we many get through it. We learned about moral development and how having religious beliefs can encourage this development as well as improving our biological and cognitive help and keeping us socially active and improving our socioemotional development. Our final project was a culmination of what we learned throughout the course. A power point slide show personalized by my very own development biologically, cognitively, and socioemotionally. We covered many stages of life to the 80’s and beyond and incorporated certain information that pertained to that stage of life as well as theories of what people may go through during that situation or stage of life. We learned from every stage that the situations we have had are not always relatable to one another, but it is related to our developments and impacts certain reasoning we have and how it impacted our development. Womb to tomb was the life span covered and it expanded my knowledge of how much we really go through during our lives. I also learned that had one little thing been different in my life my development in a certain area may have been different. My development has been fantastic and I have learned a lot about myself during this class and have also learned a lot about how I will be as a leader and about the potential clients that I may be able to help. This course and artifacts have demonstrated my understanding of development and how it impacts individuals differently. It showed me why we may have so many people struggling because they may not have had the same development of mine or others and shares why our services may exist, perhaps because of the lack of something during certain stages of development.Understanding lifespan development can help anyone understand the differences of individuals development and what may be done to help this individual with immediate needs, but impact them in certain ways that may improve their situation and begin a chain of events to their development and their quality of life. ................
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