Model of Psychosocial Development - Personal Statement Example

? Personal autobiography Introduction According to Erik Erickson’s model of psychosocial development, a person’s personality develops through a chain of phases. The theory holds that social experiences influence a person’s personality, all through their lives (Allen & Marotz, 2003). One key aspect of the model is the development of the ego, which is continually changing in response to the information acquired and new experiences with others (Allen & Marotz, 2003). This paper will discuss my personal development, noting important stages of development and the effects of the experiences that took place during the different stages of life. Stages of development, the struggles experienced and areas requiring further development During my infancy stage (birth to 18 months of age) During my infancy stage, the most important event for a child is eating and experiencing the care, the affection and the reliability offered by others (Allen & Marotz, 2003). During that stage, considering that I lived at the countryside of Poland, I got used to living with my mother and not my father. During that stage, my father was working at a neighboring urban center, as a company machine operator. Due to the continuous exposure to my mother’s affection and care, I developed a major sense of trust for women, particularly mothers (Berk, 2012). On the other hand, due to the limited interactions with my father as well as other adult men, mainly because our home is distant from other rural homes, I developed a sense of mistrust for adult men. This stage was one of the difficult stages of my life, because I only had my mother play an important role in my socialization (McLead, 2009). The difficulty can be supported by Piaget’s views on child development, which states that at this stage, the egocentric nature of the child seeks attention, affection and care, which I did not get from my father (Mayer, 2005). During my childhood developmental stage (2 to 3 years) During my childhood developmental stage I had a better knowledge of the world and the people around me. The main lessons during this stage include toilet training, and this stage was greatly facilitated by my mother, who was soft-spoken but very clear on the behaviors she expected me to develop (Allen & Marotz, 2003). For example, before I learnt to use my in-house toilette, she would require me to use it even at times when I did not need to relieve myself (Berk, 2012). During the different cases when I showed that I understood the importance of doing things right – including using the toilette – she would applaud me and show her appreciation. The positive encouragement and rewards facilitated my learning of right and wrong behaviors, and in many cases, I could avoid the bad, totally. Different from the case of my mother, I had a different experience with my father – noting that I had earlier developed a sense of mistrust due to his absence and his inability to show me care and affection. In the case of my father, he often scolded me whenever he saw me doing something wrong, therefore, increased the sense of mistrust, and widened the gap between us. For example, during one time, he saw me touching a neighbor’s dog, and unlike my mother, he scolded me harshly and compelled me to wash my hands. Following that experience and other similar ones, I felt that my father triggered feelings of shame, doubt and insecurity in me, unlike my mother who seemed to nurture my independence and autonomy (Berk, 2012). This stage of development was also marked by difficulties, noting that at this stage, a child regards their perspective as the only one which is right. For example, after my father scolded me without showing regard for my point of view, I felt shame and that triggered a sense of insecurity at home, especially when he was at home (Mayer, 2005). The Preschool stage (3 to 5 years) During The Preschool stage (6 to 11 years) which is attributed to the development of feelings of guilt and initiative through exploration, I found my mother and many of my teachers acting like positive contributors; my father was more of a negative contributor. After joining preschool, the teacher was very good at teaching us how to socialize with other children, and how to respond to elders, including teachers (Allen & Marotz, 2003). Through the experiences of school, I developed a sense of responsibility, mainly due to the accountability required from the students, by our teacher. For example, whenever one child took the play items of others, the teacher would compel us to return the items and to apologize to the other child (McLead, 2009). At home, my mother directed me on the areas where I would exercise assertiveness, and the areas where I would not. For example, she made it clear to me that touching electric items and switches was dangerous, but playing with my toys was acceptable at all times. Through the experience, I learnt that control was acceptable in areas where I was allowed authority, but restricted me in areas where I was not accepted to do (Allen & Marotz, 2003). The approach of my father was different, because he never acknowledged the areas where I would assert my control, but was very vigorous in pointing out the areas where my control was not acceptable. For that reason, I associated the correction of my father to a sense of guilt, but that of my mother to increase autonomy (Berk, 2012). Like the previous two stages of development, my difficulties came from the lack of support from my father, who is a primary socialization agent. For example, whenever I showed agitation against a piece of furniture that I had bumped into, he scolded me and did not show any interest in showing me what was right, but the wrong. Starting with this stage, I could distinguish different scenarios and appearances. For example, I stopped beating furniture after I bumped into it, therefore, I had fewer encounters with my father (Mayer, 2005). School Stage (6-11 years) During the school stage, my different teachers were very supportive; therefore, it was easier for me to cope with the changing academic and social demands. Additionally, for the fact that I was very brilliant in class, my teachers showed support for me, which solidified my sense of competence (Allen & Marotz, 2003). However, during a few cases, I encountered teachers who emphasized my failure, which made me to develop some sense of inferiority. These teachers were two male and one female; therefore, it seems expected that male teachers would find fault, following my mistrust about my father and adult men in general (Mayer, 2005). At home, my mother, who is trained in early-childhood development, showed continuous support by pointing out my successes, which nurtured my sense of competence. On different cases, she noted my failures, but she always found a way of working out the ways of correcting the wrong and compelled me to develop the required competencies. The experiences with my father were similar to those of previous stages, including that he often triggered feelings of inferiority, by pointing out my failures and not recognizing my successes (Allen & Marotz, 2003). During my school years, I developed better logical understanding that fathers and men in general related with children, different from mothers; therefore, I rarely crossed the path of male authorities (McLead, 2009). Adolescence stage (12 to 18 years) My adolescence stage was spent, partly at Poland and the other part in the US. At home, the input of my parents, my neighbors and other children helped in the shaping of my identity and sense of self. For example, through my experiences and interactions with other age mates, I noticed that I was often in control of the games we played and the places we visited. The experience showed that my mother had succeeded in nurturing independence and autonomy in me (Berk, 2012). From the experiences of school, in academics and other activities, my strong sense of self was solidified by my success; therefore, I often stayed true to my influential nature (Allen & Marotz, 2003). During this stage, I had learnt to deal with my father’s criticism, and often made fun of the experience – but took the lesson intended by him. During the latter years of high school, we moved to America, and that amplified my sense of independence and autonomy, because I took me a very short time to get used to the American school and social life. Further, due to my excellent grades at school, I experienced few adverse encounters with teachers, and many students came to me for academic help; therefore, I developed a circle of friends who supported me all through. During my school years, I had developed the logical understanding that criticism was part of correction, and that the styles of my mother and that of my father were only different, but none was wrong. For that reason, I had few difficulties at school and at home (Mayer, 2005). Young adulthood (19 to 40 years) For some years, I have been going through the experiences of the young adulthood stage. Mainly, due to my success at forming social and intimate relationships, I have enjoyed the relationships that I have developed during my university years in the US. Further, I have not only formed positive relationships with students alone, but also with many teachers, because they often identify me as the role model of success in academic and other spheres. For example, during my first semester at university, one tutor noted my disciplined nature and emphasized that it was the reason that I perform well in classes. For instance, I am disciplined in completing homework, and that has made my experiences at school very enjoyable and fruitful. Unlike the case of other international students, I seem to make friends with students from all races and groups; therefore, my development in this stage has been fully commendable (Allen & Marotz, 2003). Due to my well-developed socialization skills, due to the input of my father and my preschool and primary school teachers, I have not had problems with others and authorities (McLead, 2009). Conclusion Through the review of the different personal development stages, the effects of socialization have played an important role in shaping my character. However, most importantly, the input of my mother, who is experienced in early child development and that of preschool and primary school, teachers helped in eliminating the social development gaps. For example, the role of my father was dominantly negative during my early years, but my mother’s role offsets its negative impact. For that reason, clearly socialization plays a key role in the shaping of behavior and self-identity. References Allen, E. & Marotz, L. (2003). Developmental Profiles Pre-Birth Through Twelve (4th Ed.). Albany, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. Berk, L. (2012). Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Mayer, S. (2005). The early evolution of Jean Piaget's clinical method. History of Psychology, 8 (4), 362–382. McLead, J. (2009). Jean Piaget. Simply Psychology. 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