I met with Mr. Donaldson who is 65 years old. We had a lovely moment together as he informed me about his life and the way he maneuvered through his development stages. Mr. Donaldson is a humble and extremely intelligent person who understands the essence of life. This is because he experienced a lot during his development from childhood to middle stage. Mr. Donaldson is a resident of New York where he has stayed for more than 20 years. He used to live in North Carolina with his parents, but when he had employment by Wal-Mart Company, he had to move with his wife and children. His development was compelling especially when we examine things like his characters in his adolescent stage.
Mr. Donaldson went through numerous stages, or take certain steps, on their way to becoming grownups. An excellent example is Mr. Donaldson who went through five main development stages. These main stages are early babyhood (ages 6 to 11 years), adolescence, young adults (20s-30s), and middle age adults (40s-60s).
At 18 years, Mr. Donaldson was regarded as adults in the community. Mr. Donaldson stated that parents gain knowledge of how to bring up their children through advice from experienced parents. The doctors in the hospital also help parents gain knowledge of how to bring up their babies. It is especially in terms of feeding and detection of any problem related to sickness or disorder. Mr. Donaldson added that when the baby reaches early childhood stage, the school staff might strike a chord on the significance of taking care of the kid. The parent can also learn through observation by seeing how friends and relatives treat their children. This is a different case when the child grows to a teenager.
Physical Development
Childhood Stage (6-11 years)
In children, physical development involves the development of motor skills. They make use of their bodies to achieve this. Mr. Donaldson also had smooth and powerful motor skills because the coordination of his eyes and hands was extremely proficient. He had an outstanding balance, endurance, and physical abilities because he could run from one place to another especially when going to school, and play with fellow kids and so on. Mr. Donaldson used to write in a tidy manner. He performed some chores such as making his bed, washing dishes with the nanny, and arranging his books in his school bag. His weight had increased from 80 pounds to 100 pounds, and his height from 3 feet and 7 inches to 4 feet 8 tall.
Adolescent Stage (12 – 18 years)
There is a tremendous physical growth in adolescents. In this stage, most of the growth involves changes in weight and height. Mr. Donaldson is at his adolescent stage and attains an adult height from 4 feet to 5 feet and 8 inches. His legs and arms lengthen and become proportional to the changes in height. Mr. Donaldson faces changes in body composition such as the muscle mass. His weight changes from 100 pounds to 136 pounds. Mr. Donaldson at this stage tends to have bulkier arms and legs.
Mr. Donaldson motor skills became more evident because he can use his hands to undertake appropriate duties like washing clothes, ironing, writing, and eating among others. He displayed physical development through growing in height (5 feet and 8 inches), weight, and (136 pounds).
Young Adulthood (20s -30s)
At this stage, Mr. Donaldson adds a little height and weight. His body goes through some significant hormonal changes. His voice may become richer and deeper while beards may grow much thicker. Mr. Davidson displayed physical development especially the motor skills. He could use his hand and fingers to do numerous things especially in developing his career. His weight also increased to 160 pounds with a new height of 6 feet.
As a young adult Mr. Donaldson possess the character of intimacy and solidarity where his primary strengths are relationship and love. This is evident in Donaldson’s life where he was extremely active in terms of love and relationship. He could do anything to get some cash so that he could treat his girlfriend. In this stage of adulthood, Mr. Donaldson had a tendency of finding mutually contenting associations, chiefly through marriage and friends. This is the point where Mr. Donaldson began to think of initiating a family. According to Erikson, numerous couples who do not begin their families until their late thirties have altered this age. This was not the case with Mr. Donaldson because he married at the age of 29 and got his first child at the age of 32.
Middle Adult Stage (40s– 60s)
At this stage, Mr. Donaldson has noticeable changes in his body. His skin losses elasticity, which is evident on the face. It results in wrinkles and lines that represent the first ageing signs. Mr. Donaldson may most likely gain weight around the abdominal region. His hair starts turning gray. Mr. Donaldson displayed his physical development through achieving many things using the energy he had. At this point, he had a weight of 200 pounds with a height of 6 feet, which was an increase of 2 inches.
Mr. Donaldson’s middle adult stage is where he practiced generatively. The stage is in Mr. Donaldson’s career and work because work was extremely essential at this stage. This is where Donaldson was occupied with imaginative and consequential work with concepts of family surrounding him. It is the stage where Mr. Donaldson had expectations to ‘be in charge,’ whether he liked it or not because family responsibilities had to be met. Erik Erikson emphasizes that most crucial work in this stage is to be responsible for culture and convey cultural values through the family and working to develop a steady environment. That is what Mr. Donaldson did and right now, he is enjoying the fruits of his tussle. His most significant associations were within the family, the workplace, and the community.
Cognitive Development
Childhood Stage (6-11 years)
Cognitive development in this stage involves a better understanding of the logical operations. Throughout the childhood stage, Mr. Donaldson exhibited learning skills, created things and accomplished different tasks both at home and in school. Mr. Donaldson remembers taking quite a long time to learn pronunciation of some words, but with time, he became proficient in sentence construction because he could communicate well. Mr. Donaldson had the ability to take three instructions at a time and perform all of them. For example, his mother could tell him to go clean dishes, and at the same time, his dad asks Donaldson to get him a newspaper from the shop after he is through with doing the dishes. While he begins to wash the dishes, the nanny informs him to remember making his bed and could do all those things without any difficulties. This shows that Donaldson displayed all the development areas under the school age stage.
Mr. Donaldson displayed cognitive development through good communication. During the school age stage, Donaldson was able to learn, develop things and achieve much fresh skills and knowledge. This is a sense of industry and was evidence in the Mr. Donaldson’s life when he was at this stage.
Adolescent Stage (12 – 18 years)
In this stage, a child can understand the principles of formal logic. Mr. Donaldson shows his ability to generate multiple hypothesis and abstract propositions. His brain matures while the social network expands. His ability to make a sense of judgment and moral to enables him chooses between what is right and wrong develops.
Mr. Donaldson confirms that his relationship with teachers was extremely beneficial. It is because he coordinated well with them and could always ask questions whenever stuck. Mr. Donaldson’s teachers also found hard times with him because he could not do everything they asked from students. The greatest challenge he had was to meet his personal and career needs because Mr. Donaldson could not offer a sense of personal control. Sometimes his acquaintances prejudiced him to participate in wrong deeds like sneaking to watch movies. According to observations, it is evident that Mr. Donaldson displayed cognitive development through proper decoding and execution of information. Mr. Donaldson had no problem with work especially his schoolwork and home chores. He used to perform well in class because he was extremely hard working and determined.
According to Mr. Donaldson, adolescence is also the stage where teenagers begin to make their own decisions like how to spend their money, how to study efficiently and how to wear, and look lovely among other decisions. The young age adults somehow understand, and a large percentage comprehends what they do. Just like Mr. Donaldson during his adolescent stage, this is the stage where young people begin to shape their lives and determine their future. It is the stage where young people move out of their parents’ houses and stay alone or with friends for the purpose of studying or hustling for money.
Young Adulthood (20s -30s)
Cognitive development in this stage becomes more creative, complex, and efficient. Mr. Donaldson also developed multiple plans that could see his life progress. He developed flexibility in career planning, had the ability to manage the altering relationships, possessed self-advocacy and marketing, and learned how to cope with stress. Mr. Donaldson showed social development from the way he interacted with friends, teachers, family and more so, his girlfriend.
Mr. Donaldson confirms Erik Erikson’s observation that young adults are people who are firm with the decision making process. According to Erikson, young people only allow individuals to advise them, but make their own decisions. By this time, they are aware of good and unhealthy choices.
Middle Adult Stage (40s– 60s)
In the middle adult stage, cognitive development is complex. Mr. Donaldson development decreases, as he grows older. However, his intelligence tends to make use of accumulated information in making decisions and solving problems increase at this age. His short-term memory reduces with age though his long-term memory is less susceptible to changes. At this stage, Mr. Donaldson is a family man and decides on the size of family to have. Mr. Donaldson confirms that he was in a family of five, and he was the third born. Just like his parents, Mr. Donaldson concentrated on how to bring up his children. It is a stage where career and work are the most essential components.
Mr. Donaldson strategized to invest for his family and planned on how his child was going to study until he completes college education. Mr. Donaldson invested a lot in terms of market shares in the Wal-Mart Company where he was working. He made sure that he opened a supplementary business for his wife and ensured it progressed well. The business did marvelously beyond his expectations, and it provided the fees of Mr. Donaldson’s second kid until she finished her high school education. This means that the middle adult stage is all about working and strategizing for the future.
The shares of Mr. Donaldson in the Wal-Mart Organization are also paying him happy returns meaning that there is fulfillment. This information shows that Mr. Donaldson possessed cognitive development whereby he was able to plan effectively and accomplish numerous things. His education helped him obtain a career and a job that made him achieve all that he has. His motor skills also increased because he had achieved a lot of experience in terms of career and work.
When he reached the middle adult stage, he had to struggle hard to invest for his family and his future. Since he had shares with the Wall Mart, he could always be swayed by the external world especially the field of marketing where he wished Wal Mart to earn a lot of profit so that he could get handsome returns. The influence of the external world is still evident because he has businesses and has to be swayed from side to side by the market operations.
Emotional Development
Childhood Stage (6-11 years)
In this stage, a child learns to have emotional approaches to life. Mr. Donaldson has mastered his social skills and creates some approaches to attaining self-discipline. He becomes autonomous, full of initiatives and learns to be industrious and play with his peers according to the rules.
Mr. Donaldson informed me that he could not remember much about his early childhood. Mr. Donaldson was curious to know numerous things in this stage. He used to bother his parents with numerous questions such as “why the stars are on the sky at night, and why the sun shines during the day and moonlight during the night.” Most children are curious to know much about how things happen and why they happen. Mr. Donaldson also displayed social development through interacting with friends and family.
According to him, the school age stage is also an extremely social level of development. When Donaldson underwent unsettled reactions of insufficiency and inferiority among the peers, he always had serious difficulties in terms of competence and self-esteem. The most essential relationship of school age children is with the school and neighborhood. When Donaldson was not in school, he was at home playing in the neighborhood with friends. This emphasizes Erikson’s findings that parents are not the absolute authorities they once were when children were still at the play stage. Donaldson was seen in the house during meal times at night and during the day, he was always out playing in the neighborhood.
Adolescent Stage (12 – 18 years)
In this stage, an adolescent develops a sense of identity. Mr. Donaldson makes his decisions on which family values he would integrate into his live. He develops his own sets of values and beliefs to fit into the world. Mr. Donaldson learns the art of decisions making and stand by the consequences of his decisions, which may lead to an increase in conflicts with their families.
According to Mr. Donaldson, his teenage life was full of unexpected reactions. First, he was extremely stubborn at both school and home. The most valuable things he remembers facing is work and relationship. A quick temper he developed hindered his association with parents and friends.
Sometimes Mr. Donaldson could ignore his friends and even disobey his parents. His parents tried to limit his activities especially stopping him from going to movies and stadium, but Mr. Donaldson could not listen. He used to seek self-independence especially in doing different things. The emotional development was extreme because he showed self-esteem, strong personality, and self-identity through his intelligent actions. Mr. Donaldson knew what was best for him, and that made him do the right thing at the right time.
The adolescent stage requires the parent to be totally understanding to enable them lead their kids in the right direction. Mr. Donaldson had the understanding that he was extremely stubborn during his time. This made him reluctant when his children reached the adolescent stage. This is a sensitive stage where several parents find it difficult to maintain good relationships with their kids. Mr. Donaldson’s teenage hood was almost similar because his parents always complained of the unprincipled company he associated with, meaning Donaldson was swayed by the external world.
Young Adulthood (20s -30s)
At this stage, young adults start searching for romantic love. The success or failure in this phase plays a crucial role in their lives. The one sin satisfying relationships develop a strong sense of self-esteem and wellbeing. They also make the decision to leave home at this stage. Therefore, it creates a level of self-reliance and independence. Leaving home usually results in strong emotional growth. They also make cardinal steps in career growth hence becoming financially independent.
As an adult, Mr. Donaldson’s mind was occupied with relationships and love issues. He used to focus on other significant things like education, and career, but the concept of love could not escape his mind. Mr. Donaldson is happy about that because he used to have a girlfriend and her demands made him work even harder. Mr. Donaldson finished his university degree at the age of 23 and began looking for a job as he bought time before proceeding with his masters. By then, Mr. Donaldson was already in love. The excitement of love and desire to make his lover happy all the time made him work harder. This is because he had to meet her financial and material needs. During his young adult stage, Donaldson could always focus on what he wanted. If Donaldson planned to take his girlfriend out, he could employ all tricks to get some money in order to satisfy his need. This simply shows that there is an aspect that is unchanging in all stages. This aspect is the influence of the external world. At this young adult stage, the external world through the concept of love influenced Donaldson greatly.
Middle Adult Stage (40s– 60s)
Emotional development in this stage is characterized by many events. Mr. Donaldson may involve himself in negative life changes. He experiences increased financial strain, greater dependency, poor health issues and loss of spouses and friends. Mr. Donaldson needs to get social support from family and friends to ensure that he has better health and well-being.
Mr. Donaldson’s middle adult stage is where he practiced generatively. The stage is in Mr. Donaldson’s career and work because work was extremely essential at this stage. This is where Donaldson was occupied with imaginative and consequential work with concepts of family surrounding him. It is the stage where Mr. Donaldson had expectations to ‘be in charge,’ whether he liked it or not because family responsibilities had to be met. Erik Erikson emphasizes that most crucial work in this stage is to be responsible for culture and convey cultural values through the family and working to develop a steady environment. That is what Mr. Donaldson did and right now, he is enjoying the fruits of his tussle. His most significant associations were within the family, the workplace, and the community.
Reactions and Feelings
According to Mr. Donaldson, life is full of remarkable things. Mr. Donaldson grew in terms of physical size, especially the height, motor skills, and weight. It is delightful to note that I also underwent the same stages meaning that I can also make it in life like Mr. Donaldson. He was extremely bright during his middle and high school education. I also experienced the same whereby, I used to be among the top students in the classroom. Mr. Donaldson was extremely stubborn during his adolescent stage. On the other hand, I was not extremely stubborn although I disobeyed my parents and teachers at times. The experiences of Mr. Donaldson have given me hope in life. I can also make it if I remain focused on what I am regarding my vision, mission, and objectives, which I have to achieve. Strategizing made Mr. Donaldson be what he is now.
Mr. Donaldson informed me that people have opposite personality characteristics. People think of themselves as hopeful or cynical, self-governing or reliant, daring or careful, poignant or impassive, principal or follower, violent or inert. Mr. Donaldson added on that numerous of these characteristics are inborn temperament characteristics, but other traits, like feeling either substandard or capable, seem to be knowledgeable, centered on the challenges and support that people receive when growing. Mr. Donaldson stated that this concept was extremely significant as far as development stages of life were involved in his life. Mr. Donaldson added on that different people grow up with different characteristics and behaviors. This was the same to his life where he displayed different characteristics in different stages of life. For example, the characteristics that Mr. Donaldson had during his school age stage are not similar to those he experienced during his adolescent stage. Several people who have studied life development, such as Erik Erikson believe that the ego is present from birth and that behavior is not entirely suspicious. According to observers, the external world also has a noteworthy role in manipulating the behaviors of a person especially during school age and adolescent stages, and this was evident in Mr. Donaldson’s life. For example, Mr. Donaldson’s parents had no complete authorities on his school age life because he used to get outside influence from other friends.
From this observation, I have learned that influence by the external world affects people of all development stages. Mr. Donaldson used to cry hard while rolling down on the floor so that his father could buy him a toy car or anything he wanted. That was when he was still at the tender age. The same case was experienced when he reached school age stage. Wherever Donaldson wanted something, he could always get it through tricking the parents that something is needed in school. This could enable him get some money and buy whatever he had wished for earlier. During his teenage years, Donaldson seek to have independence so that he could do his on things without interrupting or quarreling with his parents.
Wherever Donaldson wanted to purchase something, he could accumulate the money given as school pocked money until it becomes enough to purchase it. Nevertheless, all the other factors kept on changing in his life from the early age to the old age. Things like physical appearance, characters, and behaviors among others kept on changing until the present time. For example, at a school age, Donaldson was young and tiny but his physical size kept on altering as he moved from childhood to adulthood. Donaldson’s behaviors experienced when he was a school age child were different from those experienced when he became a teenager. This is a different case after he learnt to make his own decisions. At the middle adult stage, Donaldson was extremely keen on how he could make money and spent it because that was the time he determined the life he is leading now.
Wherever Donaldson wanted to purchase something, he could accumulate the money given as school pocked money until it becomes enough to purchase it. Nevertheless, all the other factors kept on changing in his life from the early age to the old age. Things like physical appearance, characters, and behaviors among others kept on changing until the present time. For example, at a school age, Donaldson was young and tiny but his physical size kept on altering as he moved from childhood to adulthood. Donaldson’s behaviors experienced when he was a school age child were different from those experienced when he became a teenager. This is a different case after he learnt to make his own decisions. At the middle adult stage, Donaldson was extremely keen on how he could make money and spent it because that was the time he determined the life he is leading now.
According to observers, the external world also has a noteworthy role in manipulating the behaviors of a person especially during school age and adolescent stages, and this was evident in Mr. Donaldson’s life. For example, Mr. Donaldson’s parents had no complete authorities on his school age life because he used to get outside influence from other friends.
It is a marvelous feeling to have hope especially after listening to a successful person in life and noticing that there are some common characteristics and emulation that both share. Mr. Donaldson’s life was full of experiences, and from the story: I have learned that life is what a person makes it. If a person stays focused on what he is doing, it is always easy to make it in life. Mr. Donaldson maintained his focus especially at the middle adult age of his life and he achieved his dreams. This is an excellent implication that everyone can make it in life if determined and maintains the concentration.