1.1 Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives
Who are we? How did we become the people we are today? Throughout history, there have been numerous ways to explain and understand the human experience. Human development is a discipline of study that aims to answer these questions by examining how people grow and change across the lifespan. In this textbook, we will focus on children’s growth from conception through adolescence by identifying the intersecting factors that influence us in our early lives.
To begin our exploration, we must understand what human development is and explore its evolution as a discipline. We will discuss the different stages people progress through in their childhood and focus on eight domains of development: adaptive, cognitive, identity, language, moral, physical, sexual, social, and emotional. Additionally, we will provide a brief timeline of human development frameworks and approaches to understand how history has shaped our views and understanding of children and the context surrounding their growth.
Perhaps you have wondered why some children progress easily through the ages and stages of development while others struggle? We believe that all humans inherently strive for healthy and happy lives. We also believe that parents and caregivers want the best for their children. Yet, we recognize that social and environmental contexts, or social determinants, are clearly connected to disparities that impact children over the course of their development.
Lastly, we will present information on the systemic inequalities, such as classism, racism, and ableism, that either provide growth opportunities or create barriers that add stress to caregivers and their children. It is by acknowledging history and its impact on children, their families, and their communities that we can begin to understand what children need to thrive throughout their development.
1.1.1 Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you will be able to do the following:
- Summarize the rise of human development as a discipline and how historical context has impacted views on human development.
- Describe the developmental lifespan through the foundational principles of equity and inclusion.
1.1.2 Key Terms
Throughout this chapter, you will be introduced to important key terms that will help deepen your understanding of human development.
- Adaptive development: a process by which children learn skills and behaviors that allow them to engage in developmentally appropriate self-care and life tasks.
- Cognitive development: a process by which children acquire and process information and then learn how to use it in their environment.
- Developmental domain: a broad area of development that encompasses a range of skills and abilities.
- Developmental milestones: skills and behaviors used to evaluate age-related progress within a given domain.
- Developmental justice: the belief that children are deserving of respect, equal rights, and access to optimal conditions needed to thrive in their lives.
- Equity: an ideal aimed to achieve fairness and justice by providing the conditions needed for people to thrive in their environments.
- Gender identity development: the construction of one’s understanding of their gender.
- Human development: the study of how humans change and grow over their lifespan.
- Intersectionality: the interconnected relationship between systemic privilege and oppression, social identities, and the impact on one’s experiences in society.
- Language development: a process by which children acquire and process language and learn how to use it to communicate with others.
- Moral development: a process by which children process their understanding of right and wrong as related to their social and environmental contexts.
- Physical development: a process in which children’s brains and bodies grow to help them engage with and thrive in their environment.
- Privilege: advantage and opportunity based on social identity which can be earned or unearned.
- Oppression: a form of systemic injustice based on social identity resulting in social disadvantages and barriers to individuals and groups.
- Sexual development: a biological and physiological process by which children develop awareness of their bodies leading to sexual maturation, sexual identity, and awareness of oneself as a sexual being.
- Social construction: is a concept or idea that is assigned a specific meaning or value in a society.
- Social determinants: the physical and social circumstances, shaped by larger societal forces, which can substantially influence individual and group outcomes.
- Social determinants of health: are the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes.
- Social and emotional development: a process by which children gain understanding of themselves, their emotions, and the connections between themselves and others.
- Social justice: the belief that all people are deserving of equal rights, protections, and opportunities in society.
- Systemic inequalities: biases and practices embedded within systems of society that lead to advantages for some groups in society and disadvantages for others.
1.1.3 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives
“Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives” by Terese Jones, Christina Belli, and Esmeralda Janeth Julyan is licensed under CC BY 4.0.