Human Growth and Development

Psychology – 1100

This class has granted me a renewed awakening and personal insight of human

development, as I rapidly approach retirement age. The teaching of this semester has afforded

me an intense reflection on my own past, as well as the memories of parenthood of my own

children's rearing years. Specifically, I was excited to see my favorite teacher mentioned in my

text book within the adolescent stage of development. This teacher is Dr. Marsha Linehan. Her

work was first developed, more than twenty years ago; to treat patients with high risk multiple

cognitive behavioral disorders; namely borderline personality disorder, and severe suicide

ideation conditions,. Dr. Linehan’s treatment is titled, Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It includes a

step-by-step guide which teaches everyday-life coping skills. For instance, during adolescence,

life can feel unmanageable and overwhelming. Some adolescence requires a much higher level

of support. For others, during adulthood, maintaining the high demands of day-to-day life

management may lead to feelings of cognitive paralysis. Dr. Lenihan is my favorite because to

this day I practice the skills her treatment taught me 10 years ago. Some of which are distress

tolerance, emotion regulation, and mindfulness.

The one thing that excites me most about this class is that I have a three-year-old

granddaughter now, and with my new breath of knowledge, I can practice a dynamic, positive

entity for her; as I witness her developmental stages of maturation.