Love and Divorce in Lifespan Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Love and Divorce in Lifespan Development - Essay Example By virtue of critically analyzing various stages of development, it can be noted that some of these situations which may take place can end up affecting someone’s future love life. According to Erikson’s theory of socio-emotional development, an individual has to go through four different stages before reaching adolescence. These four stages include Trust versus Mistrust, Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt, Initiative versus Guilt, and Accomplishment/Industry versus Inferiority (Rosenthal, Gurney, & Moore, 1981). If these stages yield no changes when the individual goes through them, it can prove to be a negative development to that person as he or she gets older. If a child does not understand the difference between trust and mistrust, he or she will find that it is difficult to implement them in a future relationship. This is an important stage to see positive development in children. John Piaget also concurs with Erikson’s theory of socio-emotional development. He believes that by the time a child reaches adolescence, he should have already developed the ability to think in terms of reality, to make decisions based on his or her own perceptions, and to observe the environment (Piaget, 1997). These are some of the skills that play important roles as the individual begins to form relationships with others. The decisions that they make in terms of their relationships can affect the way they grow. If they are unable to assess reality and their environment, this will have a bearing on the type of relationship they will have. This also determines the situation that would suit them best which may be risky in that it can strain their future relationships.