Life Span Interview Paper

Life Span Interview Paper
Student’s Name
Institution

Different theories explain the changes that occur from the time that a person is born to old age. Some people have three stages while others may have four stages. Development theorists break the life span of a rational human being into nine stages; prenatal development, infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood and death and dying (Santrock, 2009). The theory shows that while both a six-year-old and six-month-old are considered as children, both have dissimilar social relationships, sensory abilities, and cognitive skills. The children have different needs both physically and psychologically. This research paper is based on interviewing people in various stages of life. In our case, we will be interviewing an adolescent and late adulthood. For the adolescent, the respondent was a boy while for late adulthood the respondent was a woman.
Would you consider yourself to be a part of adolescent or late adulthood?
The boy is in the adolescent stage. This stage occurs between 10 to 19 years depending on a person. The body undergoes physical and emotional changes. Some these changes include deepening of the voice, broadening of shoulders and pubic hair. The boys begin to have some sexual attraction towards girls.
The woman, in this case, is in her late adulthood stage. This begins at the age of 65 years. The person starts feeling the importance of finding meaning and satisfaction in life rather than being bitter.

They also start engagement in various activities. This is mainly done to keep them busy and occupied.
Explain nurture vs. nature and ask them which one influences them most
The nature vs. nurture theory is concerned with the extent to which specific human behavior characteristics are inherited or acquired (Saneroff, 2010). Nature is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors. In nature, the genes of a person determine his/her behavior characteristics. It shows that the way people behave is majorly influenced by genes and other biological factors. Some of the human features that are defined by genetic inheritance include; the color of the eyes, straight and curly hair, skin color.
According to nurture, the behavior of a person is majorly influenced by exposure to external factors. A person’s behavior is seen as the product of exposure, experience, and learning. All these factors shape the expression of a human being. For example, a child’s intelligence may be as a result of child’s upbringing and the school system they went through. Also, a person’s personality trait may be profoundly influenced people or things surrounding them (Saneroff, 2010).
The two respondents admitted that nature influenced them most. This is because of the genetically inherited and biological characteristics. For adolescents, the body undergoes physical changes. Some of the physical changes such as deepening of the voice may be as a result of genes.
Did the respondents have midlife crisis, ageism or gender bias?
The respondents in the late adulthood admitted to having a midlife crisis. A midlife crisis occurs when someone loses self-confidence and has a feeling of anxiety or disappointment. This happens in the middle age, from the age of 45 years -65 years. Midlife crisis is as a result of events that highlight a person’s advancing age, inevitable death and may be a failure to accomplish one’s goals in life. This results in anxiety, feeling of remorse and the desire to live a youthful life.
Ask them the advice they would give someone entering their stage of the lifespan and explain why?
Children need advice most in their adolescence. Most of them felt confused and lost since they do not know whether to follow their peer’s advice or that of their parents. Any person entering this should learn to listen to their elders and heed their advice. It is also essential to learn to deal with peer pressure and always make independent decisions.
Any person entering the late adulthood stage should aware that is a delicate stage. It is a phase that begins at the age of 65. The person should practice healthy eating habits. This because these people have different dietary needs from those of the young adults.
What challenges do they face in their life stage?
As adolescence, there are many challenges which are as a result of body and brain changes. There is the biological challenge that occurs when the sexual hormones that trigger emotions are released. This may increase mood swings which may affect relationships with people surrounding you.
For the late adulthood stage, the person’s immune is low. Therefore, they are exposed to many diseases like high blood pressure. The body also becomes slow in its functioning with symptoms like poor memory, insomnia, disorientation and impaired judgment.
Conclusion
This research was carried out using two respondents, a boy in his adolescent years and a woman in the late adulthood stage. The respondents felt that nature influences most of their behaviors. The research shows that people in late adulthood age face the midlife crisis from the age of 45 to 65 years. The people entering the adolescent stage are advised to avoid peer pressure and try to make their independent decisions. For people in the late adulthood age, clean diet and healthy lifestyle are essential. Research indicates that most adolescents have mood swings which may destroy their relationships. For people in the late adulthood stage, their primary challenge is low immune which makes them vulnerable to many diseases.

References
Saneroff, A. (2010). A unified theory of development: A dialectic integration of nature and nurture. Child development, 81(1), 6-22.
Santrock, J. W. (2009). Life Span Development. Boston, MA: McGraw- Hill.