Theoretical foundations you learned in your Butte College Lifespan Psychology
Imagine yourself years in the future at age 98, with all the skills and theoretical foundations you learned in your Butte College Lifespan Psychology class back in 2023. What advise would you give yourself? What would you look out for and what would you have gone easier or more strict on yourself about? Here’s your chance to show off several Lifespan Psychology Theories and concepts you have learned and (hopefully) integrated! Some of your letter will be like “looking back” to give your younger self advise on what is to come and some of it will be “pretend” because you are not any older than you are at this moment. So…just act as if you are 98 years old now, looking back on your life, and give yourself advise and recognition for all the ways you have grown.
Why are we doing this assignment? Benefits of Letter Writing:
• Expands your views on your own development.
• Allows you to connect and grow your relationship with your authentic self.
• Reminds you of how far you have come.
• Outlines goals and dreams you want to achieve.
• Provides confirmation to trust your own judgment.
• Helps you to be confident in the life lessons you learn.
• Helps illuminate what is important to you.
• Provides motivation to keep going.
• Outlines where you already are and where you could use more support and guidance.
Remember, you are pretending you are 98 and giving your younger self some life advice
Need ideas of theories/concepts to include in your paper? These are just ideas you could use:
• Nature and Nurture
• The Cohort Effect
• Socioeconomic Status
• Psychosocial Theory (Erikson)
• Social Learning Theory (Bandura)
• Cognitive Theory of Development (Piaget)
• Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky)
• Attachment Theory (Bowlby and Ainsworth)
• Theory of Moral Development (Kohlberg)
• Ecological Systems Model (Bronfenbrenner)
• Longitudinal research designs
• Cross-sectional designs
• Sequential research designs
• Parenting/Caregiver Styles (Baumrind)
• Self-Efficacy
• Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
• Ageism
• Cognitive Aging
• Advanced Directives
• Curative, Palliative, and Hospice Care
• Subjective Well-Being
Need some topic ideas to get you thinking? These are just ideas, not requirements:
o What were some of the personal, societal and global factors that promoted your identity development?
o What would you like to tell yourself about how your own development has shaped you?
o What would you guess your Attachment Style to be? How can you work with your Attachment Style to be the healthiest version of yourself?
o How about the ways in which it made you stronger, as an individual?
o In which areas did you grow emotionally, that you are proud of?
o Where would you have made changes if you could, that would help make you a more integrated and well- adapted individual?
o Was adolescence a stressful period for you? Which Developmental theories seem to fit where you were at adolescence?
o Does your identity status vary across the domains of sexuality, close relationships, vocation, spiritual beliefs, and political values?
o Describe factors that may have influenced your identity development in important domains across your life.
o What do you hope for yourself?
o What do you love about yourself?
o Where do you identify “Cohort effects” in your life?
o Which Developmental “stages” were you apprehensive about and why?
o What fears would you encourage yourself to overcome?
o What goals would you have accomplished if fear wasn’t in the way?
o Explain the close link between your adolescent, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood identity developments and cognitive processes and how they shaped you (Remember, you are pretending you are 98 and giving your younger self some life advice).
o Were you fearful of aging or were you looking forward to it? What factors contributed to your feelings about ageing?
o Did you age in the way you had hoped?
o What final words of encouragement would you like to tell your future self?
Have fun with this and just remember to clearly label, define and give personal examples of the 5 theories you are outlining.
