HAVIGHURST’S DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS DURING THE LIFE SPAN

Robert J. Havighurst elaborated on the Developmental Tasks Theory in

the most systematic and extensive manner. His main assertion is that
development is continuous throughout the entire lifespan, occurring in stages,
where the individual moves from one stage to the next by means of successful
resolution of problems or performance of developmental tasks. These tasks are
those that are typically encountered by most people in the culture where the
individual belongs. If the person successfully accomplishes and masters the
developmental task, he feels pride and satisfaction, and consequently earns his
community or society’s approval. This success provides a sound foundation
which allows the individual to accomplish tasks to be encountered at later
stages. Conversely, if the individual is not successful at accomplishing a task,
he is unhappy and is not accorded the desired approval by society, resulting in
the subsequent experience of difficulty when faced with succeeding
developmental tasks. This theory presents the individual as an active learner
who continually interacts with a similarly active social environment.
 THE BIO-PSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT

From examining the changes in your own life span you can see that critical
tasks arise at certain times in our lives. Mastery of these tasks is satisfying
and encourages us to go on to new challenges. Difficulty with them slows
progress toward future accomplishments and goals. As a mechanism for
understanding the changes that occur during the life span.
Robert Havighurst(1952, 1972, 1982) has identified critical developmental
tasks that occur throughout the life span. Although our interpretations of
these tasks naturally change over the years and with new research
findings. Havighurst's developmental tasks offer lasting testimony to the
belief that we continue to develop throughout our lives.
Havinghurst (1972) defines a developmental task as one that arises at a
certain period in our lives, the successful achievement of which leads to
happiness and success with later tasks; while leads to unhappiness, social
disapproval, and difficulty with later tasks. Havighurst uses lightly different
age groupings, but the basic divisions are quite similar to those used in
this book. He identifies three sources of developmental tasks (Havighurst,
1972
According to our biopsychosocial model, the first source corresponds to
the "bio" part of the model, the second to the "psycho," and the third to the
"social" aspect. Havighurst has identified six major age period:
 ∙ infancy and early childhood (0-5 years),
∙ middle childhood (6-12 years)
∙ adolescence (13-18 years),
∙ early adulthood (19-29 years),
∙ middle adulthood (30-60 years), and
∙ later maturity (61+).

According to Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks Theory, the

developmental tasks at each stage are influenced by a person’s biology
(physiological maturation and genetic makeup), his/her psychology
(personal values and goals), as well as his/her sociology (specific culture
to which the individual belongs).
Biological Influences

Some Havighurst developmental tasks are evolved out of the biological

characteristics of humans and are faced similarly by people of any culture.

An example of this happens in child development – learning how to walk for

infants. Being a skill that depends on maturation and genetically determined
factors, the mechanics involved in learning how to walk are virtually the same
and occur at generally the same time for children from all cultures.

Other developmental tasks in child development that stem from biological

mechanisms include learning to talk, exercising control over bodily functions, as
well as learning skills typically utilized in children’s games, to name a few.
Havighurst pointed out the importance of sensitive stages which he considered to
be the ideal teachable moments during child development. At these stages,
children demonstrate maturation at a level that is most conducive to learning and
successfully performing the developmental tasks at these stages.
Psychological Influences

Psychological factors that emerge from a person’s maturing personality and

psyche are embodied in his/her personal values and goals. These values and
goals are another source of some developmental tasks such as establishing
one’s self-concept, developing relationships with peers of both sexes and
adjusting to retirement or to the loss of a spouse.

Social Influences

There are other developmental tasks that arise from the unique cultural
standards of a given society. These tasks may be observed in different forms in
varying societies or, alternatively, may be observed is some cultures but not in
others.

For example, someone who belongs to an agricultural community might make

the preparations for an occupation such as becoming a farmer at an early age.
Members of an industrialized society, on the other hand, require longer and more
specialized preparation for an occupation. Therefore, they tend to embark on this
developmental task later in life.

Other culturally-based developmental tasks include achieving gender-appropriate

roles and becoming a responsible citizen.

THE HAVIGHURST DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

Robert Havighurst proposed a list of common critical developmental tasks,

categorized into six stages of development. The table below shows a partial list
of Havighurst developmental tasks.

Developmental Tasks of Infancy and Early Childhood:

1. Learning to walk.
2. Learning to take solid foods
3. Learning to talk
4. Learning to control the elimination of body wastes
5. Learning sex differences and sexual modesty
6. Forming concepts and learning language to describe social and physical
reality.
7. Getting ready to read

Middle Childhood:
1. Learning physical skills necessary for ordinary games.
2. Building wholesome attitudes toward oneself as a growing organism
3. Learning to get along with age-mates
4. Learning an appropriate masculine or feminine social role
5. Developing fundamental skills in reading, writing, and calculating
6. Developing concepts necessary for everyday living.
7. Developing conscience, morality, and a scale of values
8. Achieving personal independence
9. Developing attitudes toward social groups and institutions

Developmental Tasks of Adolescence:

1. Achieving new and more mature relations with age-mates of both sexes
2. Achieving a masculine or feminine social role
3. Accepting one's physique and using the body effectively
4. Achieving emotional independence of parents and other adults
5. Preparing for marriage and family life Preparing for an economic career
6. Acquiring a set of values and an ethical system as a guide to behavior;
developing an ideology
7. Desiring and achieving socially responsible behavior.
Developmental Tasks of Early Adulthood
1. Selecting a mate
2. Achieving a masculine or feminine social role
3. Learning to live with a marriage partner
4. Starting a family
5. Rearing children
6. Managing a home
7. Getting started in an occupation
8. Taking on civic responsibility
9. Finding a congenial social group

Developmental Tasks of Middle Adulthood

1. Achieving adult civic and social responsibility
2. Establishing and maintaining an economic standard of living
3. Assisting teenage children to become responsible and happy adults
4. Developing adult leisure-time activities
5. Relating oneself to one’s spouse as a person
6. Accepting and adjusting to the physiologic changes or middle age
7. Adjusting to aging parents.
Developmental Tasks of Later Maturity
1. Adjusting to decreasing physical strength and health
2. Adjusting to retirement and reduced income
3. Adjusting to death of a spouse
4. Establishing an explicit affiliation with one’s age group
5. Meeting social and civil obligations
6. Establishing satisfactory physical living arrangement