Overview of Developmental Stages

Development is commonly described in terms of periods or stages. People at different points in life clearly behave differently, partly because each is in a different stage of the life-span (for instance, a Class 11 student is currently in adolescence and will move into adulthood within a few years). Developmental stages are treated as temporary, and each is usually characterised by a dominant or leading feature that gives it its particular identity; within a stage, an individual is assumed to be moving toward a particular goal — some ability or state they are expected to achieve, broadly in the same order as everyone else, before moving to the next stage. Individuals do vary in the pace at which they move from one stage to the next, but certain behaviours and skills tend to be learned most easily and successfully during particular stages, and the resulting accomplishments become the social expectations attached …