The material discussed in my development psychology class is something that I think

everyone should familiarize themselves with. Given that it is a course on human development
and considering that we are developing humans; it would seem its validity is a no brainer. I
think this course would be extremely vital to those who are soon be parents or already are
parents, because it would give them an idea about how their childs mind work while also
showing methods for raising a child that is emotionally and cognitively secure. The main idea
that I took out of this course was that of connection, and how having secure relationships with
others is a key for a healthy and balanced life.

The foundation of having a secure relationship with your external reality is trust. The
developmental psychologist Erik Erickson established this idea through his initial stage of socioemotional development, which is Trust vs. Mistrust. For a child to have the initial support in
order to move forward with their developmenta nurturing supportive environment must be
established. Santrock (2013, p. 118) indicates that if this trust is not established and the infant is
not taken care of on a consistent basis then a sense of mistrust is likely to develop. This idea
evokes empathy within me because it shows how people can inadvertently develop a mistrust
with the world based on occurrences that happened in their childhood. It has reinforced my idea
that for a society to function properly we should create a structure that seeks to remove mistrust
while encouraging people to explore and develop.

Through establishing this secure relationship with others, you are more in more inclined
to engage in actives and relationships that reinforce your security. To me this security is also
not just based on a selfish notion that the world has your back but also that you have the
worlds back. When the former is all that is experienced, selfish and negatives tendencies are
likely to develop. Santrock (2013, p 265) shows how adolescent egocentrism can cause
developing adolescents cause isolation and identity confusion. This to me shows how although
the adolescent may have a secure relationship with their parents, if they are not reciprocating
that security then the ability to develop successfully is hindered.

This idea of trust and relationships being vital towards proper cognitive and emotional
development was crystallized in my mind by the idea of Post-formal Thought. This is an
expansion of theory developed by Jean Piagetchild psychologist that was created by his
students. Post formal thought is built upon an innate sense of context, emotion, and logic.
These factors allow for a being to reflect upon themselves and their world through their
emotions and cognition, as indicated by Santrock (2013, p. 308). This heightened sense of
perception leads to an individual focusing on higher virtues within a context, which allows for
progress and practical application. I believe that through having this widened sense of insight
and context, an individual is more likely to focus on issues outside of themselves which affect
their culture/community. This idea consecrates my initial thoughts about how relationships and
connection are vital for proper development. Because when one is able to think outside
themselvesthrough having security with their environmentthen they can began to engage in
more heightened endeavors.

I enjoyed this course thoroughly because throughout every discussion and topicI felt
as though the information was helpful either to myself or someone I know. While I am more

focused on the philosophy and english spectrum of the humanities, I see the immense
importance of social sciences because they attempt link science and the humanities. I am
thankful for the information provided in this course and how it made apparent to me that
relationships and connection with one another is vital for our physical and mental well-beings.

References:

Santrock, J. W. (2013). Essentials of life-span development(Chapter 4). (3rd

ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Santrock, J. W. (2013). Essentials of life-span development(Chapter 9) (3rd
ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Santrock, J. W. (2013). Essentials of life-span development(Chapter 11). (3rd
ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.