Theories of Human Development - Essay Example

? Human Development Inserts His/Her Inserts Grade Inserts Introduction This paper contains interviews of two people to know about how satisfied they are from their lives and the roles they play in their lives. In this study after interviewing both the participants I have evaluated their life satisfaction with the application of some theories on human development and satisfaction. These theories include the self-determination theory, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory and Erikson’s stages of psychological development theory. The participants were separately interviewed and asked a few questions about their life after which the data collected was evaluated by comparing it with these three theories. Discussion of roles and life satisfaction 20 year old Emma: 20 year old Emma is a charismatic young lady currently doing her undergraduate degree from a renowned university in her town. Emma is coming from a middle class family and is fairly satisfied with her health and relationships with friends, siblings, colleagues. In spite of being young and energetic and in good health Emma feels life is not fair at times and nothing close to her ideal. Therefore if she was given a chance to re live there would be a lot of things about her life that she would want to change. Emma is satisfied with her life at times and not satisfied when there is either too much stress or pressure building up Our second participant was 40 year old Jane who is a housewife and has a family comprising of her 3 children and her husband. Jane’s satisfaction from her life was fund to be very low as all that which she expected from her life she felt she could never get. Being a housewife she feels there is very less that she does for herself and more that she does for her family. Jane is rarely satisfied with her life and thinks all the responsibilities that come with the role of being a mother and a wife are too stressful. Jane is not even satisfied with her health and suffers from back problems very often. She feels she has not been able to get a lot of important things in life as yet and if she would get a chance to relive she would want to change everything about her life. Theories of human development Self determination theory: self determination theory talks about the extent to which people feel motivated to do what they are doing in life from within. Applying this theory to the two people interviewed, 20 year old Emma has a higher internal perceived locus of casualty than 40 year old Jane which means Emma is more self-determined and her behavior is a result of her own choices and interests. On the other hand Jane has a higher external perceived locus of casualty which means that most of her behavior is the result of her husband and children’s influence. (Ziegler, 2005) That is one reason why Emma feels more in control of her own life. She is independent and very much responsible for her actions. While on the other hand Jane feels she is always forced to do what pleases her husband and children and also at times feel that life is very unfair on her. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory states that satisfaction comes from the fulfillment of the five human needs. From the most important to the least important these needs are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self actualization needs. Emma is very much satisfied in the environments she is. All her needs except for herself actualization needs are being fulfilled. She feels there is still a lot that she has to do in life and needs to achieve a lot more important things in her life. Whereas Jane’s social needs, esteem needs and self actualization needs are not being fulfilled and that is the reason why she is much more dissatisfied wither life than Emma is. Jane, being a housewife stays more at home and doesn’t socialize or interact a lot; she has not pursued a career for herself and does not feel her position changing. (Kelly Dye, 2009) Erikson’s stages of development theory: this theory emphasizes on opposite personality traits of human beings. Erikson believed culture and other external stimulus has a great deal of influence on a person’s behavior. He divided human life into eight stages from the time of birth until death. His basic philosophy rests on the ideas that an individual who has to face some difficult circumstances during childhood faces difficulty in connecting with others when they grow up. Emma, according to his stages for human development, is in the stage of young adulthood. In this initial sage a person seeks one or more companions. Emma seems to be successful negotiating this stage because she has some really good close friends and experiences intimacy deeply. (Gomes, 2010) Talking about Jane, she is middle adulthood stage of development. She is mostly occupied with issues surrounding her family as she finds herself ‘in charge’. The significant role of a mother that she plays enforces her to take up the task of transferring values of culture through her family. Her strength is the care that comes from her husband and she tries to contribute towards the betterment of society which is called as ‘generativity’ by Erikson. Jane feels her life is self-absorbed and stagnated. Conclusion This research study helped me in concluding that life satisfaction is usually higher in young people who in their 20’s or 30’s. People in this age bracket feel there are things to look forward and are better at interacting and socializing hence, generally more satisfied with their lives. Whereas when people cross their 40’s their life satisfaction in the midst of heir responsibilities towards their immediate family, decreases and just like Jane hey have less to look forward in life for them. Also health problems faced by Jane made her feel less energetic and dissatisfied. At her stage she just wanted her first three basic needs on Maslow’s hierarchy to be fulfilled and did not care about the rest. Emma although at times feels that times and studies demand a lot from her but manages to deal with he pressure and can sustain the positive outlook of life. references Gomes, M. C. (2010). Quality of life: a reappraisal. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy , 30. Kelly Dye, A. J. (2009). Maslow: man interrupted: reading management theory in context. Management Decision , 50. Ziegler, S. M. (2005). Theory-directed nursing practice? - Page 267. London: Springer Publishing Company. Read More