Robert Havighursts Developmental Tasks Theory

People go through developmental stages throughout their lifetimes, and various psychologists
and other thinkers have offered theories about what these stages are and what people do
during each stage.
Havighurst Developmental Tasks are the array of skills and abilities that human beings develop
across their lifetimes. His theory mediates between natural, seemingly innate development and
development supported or required by other people in a person's life. Although many theorists
are responsible for contributing to the Developmental Tasks Theory, it was Robert J. Havighurst
who elaborated on this theory in the most systematic and extensive manner.
Like Erik Erikson, Havighurst covered the entire lifespan in his theory. However Erikson's theory
is based on essential conflicts at various stages, and Havighurst's theory focuses on the
accomplishments a person usually makes during a given period of time. For example,
adolescents experience significant changes in their bodies during puberty. Therefore one task
each adolescent faces is to accommodate these changes. The reason this task falls in
adolescence and not somewhere else in the lifespan is that prior to adolescence, the human
body is fairly consistent from birth to puberty. During puberty, both the mind and the body
change because of new hormones pumping through the bloodstream and new cognitive
capabilities. Young adolescents find themselves thinking new thoughts, having new desires and
having an essentially new body to get used to. They have, essentially, adult bodies but the
minds of pre-teens at the beginning of puberty. Over time though, they begin to know what to
expect from their bodies, and they begin to get used to their new ways of thinking. This is how
an adolescent accomplishes Havighurst's developmental task of adjusting to bodily changes.
Havighursts main assertion is that development is continuous throughout the entire lifespan,
occurring in stages, where the individual moves from one stage to the next by means of
successful resolution of problems or performance of developmental tasks. These tasks are
those that are typically encountered by most people in the culture where the individual belongs.
If the person successfully accomplishes and masters the developmental task, he feels pride and
satisfaction, and consequently earns his community or societys approval. This success
provides a sound foundation which allows the individual to accomplish tasks to be encountered
at later stages. Conversely, if the individual is not successful at accomplishing a task, he is
unhappy and is not accorded the desired approval by society, resulting in the subsequent
experience of difficulty when faced with succeeding developmental tasks. This theory presents
the individual as an active learner who continually interacts with a similarly active social
environment.
Havighurst proposed a bio psychosocial model of development, wherein the developmental
tasks at each stage are influenced by the individuals
biology (physiological maturation and genetic makeup);
psychology (personal values and goals; and
sociology (specific culture to which the individual belongs).
Some developmental tasks evolve out of the biological character of humans and are therefore
faced similarly by all individuals from any culture. An example of this is learning how to walk for
infants. Being a skill that depends on maturation and genetically determined factors, the
mechanics involved in learning how to walk are virtually the same and occur at generally the
same time for children from all cultures.

Other tasks that stem from biological mechanisms include learning to talk, exercising control
over bodily functions, learning skills typically utilized in childrens games, and coping with
physiological changes related to aging, to name a few. Havighurst stressed the importance of
sensitive periods which he considered to be the ideal teachable moments during which an
individual demonstrates maturation at a level that is most conducive to learning and successfully
performing the developmental tasks.
Psychological factors that emerge from the individuals maturing personality and psyche are
embodied in personal values and goals. These values and goals are another source of some
developmental tasks such as establishing ones self-concept, developing relationships with
peers of both sexes and adjusting to retirement or to the loss of a spouse.
There are other tasks, however, that arise from the unique cultural standards of a given society
and as such, may be observed in different forms in varying societies or, alternatively, may be
observed in some cultures but not in others. One such task would be preparing oneself for an
occupation. An individual who belongs to an agricultural community, for instance, might make
the preparations for an occupation such as becoming a farmer at an early age, possibly in
middle childhood or in adolescence. A member of an industrialized society, on the other hand,
requires longer and more specialized preparation for an occupation, thus, embarking on this
developmental task sometime during early adulthood. Other culturally-based tasks include
achieving gender-appropriate roles and becoming a responsible citizen.
An enumeration of developmental tasks, therefore, will differ across cultures. Nevertheless,
Havighurst proposed a list of common critical developmental tasks, categorized into six stages
of development which offers a rough picture of what these specific developmental tasks are.
Below is a partial list of Havighursts developmental tasks.
Infancy and Early Childhood (birth to 5 years old)
Learning to walk
Learning to control bodily wastes
Learning to talk
Learning to form relationships with family members
Middle Childhood (6 12 years old)
Learning physical skills for playing games
Developing school-related skills such as reading, writing, and counting
Developing conscience and values
Attaining independence
Adolescence (13 17 years old)
Establishing emotional independence from parents
Equipping self with skills needed for productive occupation
Achieving gender-based social role
Establishing mature relationships with peers of both sexes

Early Adulthood (18 35 years old)

Choosing a partner
Establishing a family
Managing a home
Establishing a career
Middle Age (36 60 years old)
Maintaining economic standard of living
Performing civic and social responsibilities
Relating to spouse as a person
Adjusting to physiological changes
Later Maturity (over 60 years old)
Adjusting to deteriorating health and physical strength
Adjusting to retirement
Meeting social and civil obligations
Adjusting to death or loss of spouse
The assertions and principles presented by Havighurst are quite easily understandable and
clear. The applications of the theory extend to the field of education and have asserted influence
over educators and psychologists worldwide. Although the theory has its roots in the 1930s, it
continues to stimulate the insights of contemporary psychologists, prompting the publication of
new manuscripts and books based on the concepts of the developmental task theory.
Over the years, the reception and interpretation of Havighursts theory of developmental tasks
have evolved with the upsurge of new findings. Nevertheless, this theory has remained robust in
its testimony that development is continuous throughout the entire lifespan.