REFLECTIVE JOURNAL 1: Part 1 - Distinctive features of Life Span Development

[Insights]

As a kid, I used to see the growth of everyone as linear or uniform: you get to play, go to school,
proceed to high school and experience romance, receive advices such as “’Wag kang kukuha ng
engineering sa college kung ayaw mong makalbo tulad ng tito mo,”, frame another graduate
photo, wear blazers and pencil skirts for work, be one of those aunties visiting homes with the
news that they’re engaged, get married, have children, and carry them around until they’re set to
be on their own.

Everything seemed predestined, until I reached some stages in my 19 years. I became aware that
education makes it possible to map out what’s ahead, but only just recently did it dawn to me
how independence and entering the working field wouldn’t always be how see myself in it.
Would my passion in psychology remain as strong as it was when I was still learning it? Could I
still maintain friendships and bond as before, now that everyone is busy? Career, marriage and
retirement...is reaching your peak fulfillment and motivation to do more, or is it content?

Change is plastic, but I do hope the change that I’m about to overcome is promising. I don’t want
to be stagnant, when I used to be progressive and driven to try new things. I also want to keep
learning many fields that would help me reach tight corners, as I aim for my development to be
multi-disciplinary.
Lastly, I’d like to prioritize my health and well-being so that I have the capacity to keep finding
meaning in my old age, still remember how it was like to be reprimanded as a kid (I firmly
believe in positive parenting), and be an epitome of someone who lived an unpredictable, but
good life.

What was the most significant or meaningful part of the lecture AV for you? Why?
( Minimum of 5 sentences, Maximum of 10-12 sentences)

The part of the lecture that struck me is Ed Sheeran’s journey, which was talked about in Nature
vs. Nurture. It was inspiring to be reminded of how anyone’s fate doesn’t simply depend on their
nature. Ed Sheeran was naturally a stutterer, which made people bully him, but this did not stop
him from creating music. From practicing on Eminem songs to improve his speech to having an
actual single with the rapper himself, proves how far he has come. All of us need encouragement
and support from time to time, even if we claim that we already believe in ourselves. The people
that provide us opportunities, or the audience that makes us feel that we are heard, is significant
to artists. Jamie Foxx is just one of the people who wish to amplify talent so that it could touch
more lives. His support and constant reminder of validation to Ed Sheeran nurtured him to soar
towards the charts, our playlists, our wedding songs, our most memorable prom dances, and
substantially, our lives.
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL 3: PART 3 - THEORIES OF DEVELOPMENT

- Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt: when parents respect the defiance of their children
- Be like the mother of the child who said, “Mama!” (Initiative vs Guilt)
- Allow them to learn; allow them to explore. “When kids laugh more, they learn more”
- Young & Beautiful by Lana del Ray (Intimacy vs Isolation)
- “Act your age”; Crisis (Generativity vs Stagnation); what’s knowledge if you can’t pass it
around?
- Integrity vs Despair (I want to be a rocking chair grandma, storytelling to her
grandchildren looking up from the floor)
- Wrap up: rose
- Vygotsky’s assisted learning; zone of proximal development; upper & lower limit. You
can’t always avoid help; but you can’t always depend on it.
- Behavioral and Social Cognitive (B.F Skinner) -> associate with Industry vs Inferiority;
rewards! Validation

- I loved this lecture. Through Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages, the experiences and
storytelling that came hand on hand with each crisis made me feel like a lived numerous
lives of different ages.

There was so much that I learned within an hour and thirty minutes. It felt like a midnight
radio where people would call the DJ to share their personal experiences, and receive advices
afterwards.

In Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Stages, I can’t help but wonder how he figured these
out. They make so much sense, even if it could come off as a taboo for some audience. It hit me
how I used to do thumb sucking (until my parents were able to stop the habit by taping both of
my thumbs). I remember being so frustrated as a child, while not being able to fathom as to why
I would choose to do it as I sleep. Guess I should thank my parents for avoiding over
gratification, since there are consequences!

The part of the lecture that I found very engrossing was Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial
Stages. The real life stories told per stage really entertained me, to the extent that it was
enjoyable to learn.
The mother who swallowed her pride and explained her body parts to her child in a very
straightforward manner is my kind of energy! It’s true that children (ages 3-5) don’t view things
maliciously with a double meaning, and that we shouldn’t let our now corrupted thoughts hinder
their exploration. Allow them to have the initiative to acquire and learn; allow them to discover
and find joy in it! As they say, “When kids laugh more, they learn more.”
This pandemic made me overthink a lot of things, especially at days when the silence
gives space to question one’s identity (Identity vs Identity Confusion). I had more time (when
there were still no classes) for my usual interests, but it kept bugging me as to “what for” were
my efforts. I then began having a lot of unfinished passion projects, and only recently was it
clear to me that yes, I had a freer schedule for myself, but my lack of commitment in finishing
what I started contributed to dissatisfaction. When I got back up and aimed to finally wrap up
some of my projects on the remaining days before school, it reminded me that I’m still capable.
When you said that once “fidelity is done, there is identity,” I couldn’t wait to keep reminding
that to myself. I have to keep going if I don’t want to be a stranger to myself.

When it comes to Intimacy vs Isolation, I loved the message where conversation and
staying connected are the essence of intimacy. It’s nothing romanticized, superficial and simply
momentous – it could be verified as to how relationships are kept healthy by a strong bond.
There’s this lyrics from a song titled Young and Beautiful by Lana del Rey that echoes the
thought, although in question:

“I've seen the world, done it all...

When you and I were forever wild
The crazy days, city lights
The way you'd play with me like a child
Will you still love me when I’m no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me when I’ve got nothing but my aching soul?”

Couples that sit silently in their front porch while reading the newspaper and sipping
coffee at 6:30 am have a special place in my heart. It makes me believe in marriage, despite the
horror stories I often hear as the honeymoon phase dies out. Maybe if you really find a soulmate,
or someone who gets you, even surprisingly more than you do at some aspects, then you can be
happily married for decades and counting.
I want to overcome each stage’s positive features, too. Like the rose analogy, it should be
encountered with no rush, but rather surely. This way, as I step in the last stage of Integrity vs
Despair, I would have the wisdom to talk about during family gatherings. Perhaps be a storyteller
as well to my grandchildren, as I preach about the importance of acting your age, and not
growing up too fast.

The last theory that also fascinated me is Vygotsky’s assisted learning. Nothing beats
learning when it’s not done alone. It’s like struggling but being motivated to do so, since there is
guidance as you eventually see the light of it. In the Zone of Proximal Development, specifically
the upper limit and the lower limit, both are applicable in the real world: you can’t always avoid
help; but you can’t always depend on it.

P.S. I’m looking forward to more lectures like this, and I’m still holding on to the possibility of it
being face to face (for the animated experience).
Good day, Ma’am! :)