Ocampo, Justin Philip N.

11537132
Submitted to: Ms. Pantaleon
Paper type: Essay/Research

The Lifespan Approach

Paul Baltes’ perspective and theoretical propositions in regards to the lifespan approach consists
of “ (1) development occurs across one’s entire life, (2) multidirectionality and multidimensionality, (3)
development as growth and decline, (4) the role plasticity plays in development, (5) the influence of socio-
cultural condition on development, (6) the interactions of age-graded, history-graded, and nonnormative
historical influences on development, and (7) the multidisciplinary nature of human development”
(Baltes, 1987).

His first theory says that development does not end at a certain time or age, rather it encompasses
a lifetime. He believes that there wouldn’t be a time in a person’s life that would predominantly affect a
person’s life psychologically. No stage would affect more than every other, in saying that each stage has
a likely chance of affecting a person as any other stage would. Naturally, a person would be faced with
challenges and such in life and will be constantly changing and developing.

Secondly, he proposes that people face events and changes as not from a single sourced event,
but covers and stems from many factors and triggers in one’s life. Everything will and should be influencing
each other, thus having a multidirectional facet in its nature. Puberty is stated as an example to be one of
these, considering hormonal imbalances and other types of changes are happening simultaneously and
other social and biological factors are affecting the steps the body are undergoing. Development is thus
to be said as multidimensional and multidirectional.

Third, he proposes that development is a dain and a decline wherein people experience from a
loss and a growth. Considering the concept of the last paragraph, this holds true, this argues for a parallel
process of development that take both loss and growths into its hold.

Fourth, people have plasticity. Baltes means that people are prone to changes and
unsustainability in life’s morals and schemas. Changes like the point of view of bullying can occur, naturally
and artificially. This now allows people to be altered by other people, usually in the early evelopmental
stages such as teachers and parents (and other societal factors) which will then affect their lives. We can
also change this/these beliefs anytime and thus promotes the idea of plasticity.

Fifth, he explains the influence of socio-cultural condition on development. The social aspects,
which have been mentioned in the past paragraphs have a big influence on developing charateristics and
personalities of a person. Only recently has the psychological association considered socio-cultural
approaches (Theories of personality, 2013).
 Sixth, the interactions of age-graded, history-graded, and non-normative historical influences on
development. He refers to the time period the person is in, the education one receives that will have a
significant influence on his or her development. These things are just another factor to consider. Most
early theories have been focused on a specific gender and ethnicity such as western males. Considering
biological bias of the researchers, we know recognize Baltes’ contribution to this thinking (Theories of
Personality, 2013)

And lastly, the multidisciplinary nature of human development. We cannot view development
from a single point of view. We are most likely to refer to other fields that may have undoubtedly have
more experience and insight into one’s development. We have to look at development as a whole rather
than as an isolated view or perspective. Thus are many things in life and in developmental psychology.

Overall, I think Baltes have grasped a good number of elements to consider and theories to base from
when looking at a development of a human being. He considers all aspect of life and death to bring a life
spanned approach to developmental psychology. As was said in class, when a good theory is founded, we
are able to reproduce and create results that will ultimately help the theory to be upheld, and if not, hold
revisions against it.

Baltes, P. (1987). Theoretical propositions of life-span developmental psychology: On the dynamics

between growth and decline. Developmental Psychology, 23(5), 611-626.

Feist, J. & Feist, G. (2013). Theories of personality (8th ed.). NY: McGraw Hill.

https://www.andrews.edu/~rbailey/Chapter%20one/1776893.pdf