CHAPTER 3

“DEVELOPMENTAL

STAGES OF LIFE”
“DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF LIFE”
1. Prenatal (Conception to birth)
2. Infancy (Birth to 2 years)
3. Early Childhood (2 to 6 years)
4. Late Childhood (6 to 12 years)
5. Adolescence (puberty to 18 years)
6. Early Adulthood (18 to 40 years)
7. Middle Age (40 years to retirement)
8. Old Age (Retirement to death)
9. Death and Dying
Developmental Stage Characteristics
1. Prenatal (Conception to birth) - Age when hereditary
endowments and sex are fixed
and all body features, both
external and internal are developed.
2. Infancy - Foundation age when
(Birth to 2 years) basic behavior are organized and
many ontogenetic (conceptualized as the portion of
physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development that
can be attributed to experiences with the
environment and the individuals within the
environment) maturation skills are developed.
The first year and a half to two years of life are ones of
dramatic growth and change. A newborn, with a keen
sense of hearing but very poor vision is transformed into a walking,
talking toddler within a relatively short period of time.
3. Early Childhood (2 to 6 years) - Pre-gang age, exploratory,
and questioning. Early
childhood is also referred to as the preschool years
consisting of the years which
follow toddlerhood and precede formal schooling.  
4. Late Childhood (6 to 12 years) - is a time when children
develop foundational skills
for building healthy social relationships and
learn roles that will prepare them
for adolescence and adulthood.
5. Adolescence - “Teenage years” and
(puberty to 18 years) Transition age from
childhood to adulthood.
Children who are entering adolescence
are going through many changes
(physical, intellectual,
personality and social
developmental). 
6. Early Adulthood - Age of adjustment to
(18 to 40 years) new patterns of life and
roles such as spouse, parent and bread
winner.

7. Middle Age - Transition age when

(40 years to retirement) adjustments to initial physical
and mental decline are
experienced.
8. Old Age Retirement age when (Retirement to
death) increasingly rapid physical
and mental decline are experienced. (60
or 65 years of age or older)
9. Death and Dying - This topic is seldom given
the amount of coverage it deserves. Of course,
there is a certain discomfort in thinking about
death but there is also a certain confidence and
acceptance that can come from studying
death and dying. 
“DEVELOPMENTAL
TASKS”
 Robert James Havighurst, a
professor, physicist, educator, and
aging expert, defined developmental
task as that “which is learned at a
specific point and which makes
achievement of succeeding tasks
possible. When the timing is right,
the ability to learn a particular task
will be possible.”
 A developmental task is a task that
arises at or about a certain period in
life, unsuccessful achievement of which
leads to inability to perform tasks
associated with the next period or stage
in life.
 “DEVELOPMENTAL
STAGES IN MIDDLE LATE
ADOLESCENCE”
 Robert James Havighurst
identified eight (8)
developmental tasks that
adolescents need to accomplish
in order to be happy and well-
adjusted. They are the following:
 “THE EIGHT DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS”
TASK 1: TO ACHIEVE AND MORE MATURE RELATIONS WITH
PEERS OF BOTH SEXES.
It is necessary for an adolescent to learn to have a smooth
inter-personal relationship with others regardless of their
sex/gender. The behavioral maturity entails that you need to
be able to socialize well and to cooperate with your fellow
adolescents, to work with them for a common goal, to learn
to be a leader without dictating, and to delay self-
gratification and control fancies.
TASK 2: TO ADOPT SOCIALLY APPROVED MASCULINE OR FEMININE
ADULT ROLES.
Taking on acceptable gender roles is essential. As an adolescent, you
must decide for yourselves the roles you wish to exhibit and carry out.
TASK 3: TO ACCEPT YOUR PHYSICAL SELF AND TO USE YOUR BODY
EFFECTIVELY.
The onset of adolescence is marked by physical and physiological
changes. These may cause changes in your attitudes, emotions, and
outlook. Hence it is essential that you recognize these transformations
in your bodies and strive to take good care of yourselves.
TASK 4: TO ACHIEVE EMOTIONAL INDEPENDENCE
Prior to adolescence, an individual is dependent on
their guardians or parents. However, part of the
developmental task of an adolescent is to achieve
emotional independence. It entails carefully analyzing
options and consequences before exhibiting an emotion
or coming up with a decision. Remember though that
being emotionally independent from parents does not
mean that your dependence on them has to be fully lost.
TASK 5: TO DEVELOP YOUR PERSONAL ATTITUDE
TOWARD MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIVING.
In the future, you, shall establish your own
family and raise children. Hence, you have to
acquire knowledge about entering married life,
building a family, and child rearing. Being married
is not an easy thing, that is why it is essential as
early as adolescence, you have to be aware of such
matters.
TASK 6: TO SELECT AND PREPARE FOR AN
OCCUPATION.
Ideally, one of the milestones in being an
adolescent is finishing studies. You, therefore, have
to make sure that you are getting the correct
training in relation to the kind of occupation or
career you are longing for. You also have to decide
whether to work immediately after high school or
pursue further studies in College.
TASK 7: TO ACQUIRE A SET OF STANDARDS AS A GUIDE
TO BEHAVIOR.
This developmental task involves identifying
principles in life to live by or selecting models.
(Example: Parents and Teachers) to imitate. It also
entails the setting of priorities in your life. You thus
have to clarify your hierarchy of personal priorities. It’s
like placing in order the things that are important to
you, from the most important to the least important.
TASK 8: TO ACCEPT AND ADOPT SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
BEHAVIOR.
In civilized society, there are socially acceptable and
unacceptable behaviors. The unacceptable ones are the so-
called taboos (Example: Abortion and addiction)
You have to be aware of these things and be responsible and
accountable for the consequences of your actions.
Socially responsible behaviors are commonly those which are
in accordance with the socially accepted set of values, morals,
or religious beliefs.
 “BECOMING
RESPONSIBLE
AND PREPARED
FOR ADULT LIFE”
 Being able to make good choices and becoming
responsible are essential traits no matter what
developmental stage you are in.
There may be lots of things going on in various facets of
your lives as adolescents. The demands and expectations
of your parents and other people around you can also be
stressful. But the good news is, you can treat those
‘difficulties’ as ‘challenges’ which can make your life
exciting. Having that mindset is also an indication of
becoming a responsible and mentally mature adolescent.
“WAYS TO BECOME A RESPONSIBLE ADOLESCENT”
1.Focus on your studies and do well in all your
endeavors.
2.Take care of your health and hygiene.
3.Establish good communication and relation
with your parents or guardians.
4.Think a lot before doing something.
5. Choose to do the right thing. (There are plenty of
situations in which it is better to use your mind rather
than your heart.)
6. Do your best to resist temptations, bad acts, and
earthly pressures, and to commit to being a responsible
adolescent.
7. Respect yourself.
8. Be prepared to be answerable or accountable for
your actions and behavior.