HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Can you recall events from your early childhood say the second or
third year? You might have a few vague and blurred memories about your
childhood. The experiences of that period form the basis of the type of
person you are today. How human beings grow, change and adjust
themselves to their environment is the focus of development and
behaviour as also the concepts, principles and theories of growth of
development.

The human being is never static. From conception to death, he

undergoes changes. There are progressive changes in response to
environmental conditions. His body organs and psychological functions
show the curves of capacity and achievement as well as slow erosion and
decay. Cognitive abilities develop and then degenerate; basic metabolism
reaches a peak, then declines, the endocrine function flourishes, and then
fades. There is a rise and fall of physical energy in terms of both the force
and speed of action with age. In fact, no organ or function of human
beings has yet been found which is independent of age determinants. At
the time of conception, a child has genetic potentialities that are partly
predictable and partly unpredictable.
These genetic potentialities are determined by the nature of his biological
inheritance. Still there is room for a tremendous range in the ways he uses
the genetic potentialities, depending upon the environment that may help
or hinder the development of those potentialities.

The Concept of Growth and Development

The terms growth and development are often used interchangeably.
Actually, they are conceptually different. Neither growth nor development
takes place all by itself.

Growth refers to quantitative changes in size, which include

physical changes in height, weight, size, internal organs, etc. As an
individual develops, old features like baby fat, hair and teeth, etc.,
disappear and new features like facial hair are acquired. When maturity
comes, the second set of teeth, primary and secondary sex
characteristics, etc., appear. Similar changes occur in all aspects of the
personality. During infancy and childhood, the body steadily becomes
larger, taller and heavier. To designate this change the term growth is
used. Growth involves changes in body proportions as well as in overall
stature and weight. The term growth thus indicates an increase in bodily
dimensions. However, the rate of growth differs from one part of the body
to the other.

Development, by contrast, refers to qualitative changes taking

place simultaneously with quantitative changes of growth. It may be
defined as a progressive series of orderly, coherent changes. The term
progressive signifies that changes are directional, that they lead forward
rather than backward. Orderly and coherent suggest that a definite
relationship between the changes taking place and those that precede or
will follow them. Development represents changes in an organism from its
origin to its death, but more particularly the progressive changes that take
place from origin to maturity.

Thus, development may be explained as the series of overall

changes in an individual due to the emergence of modified structures and
functions that are the outcome of the interactions and exchanges between
the organism and its environment.

The Principles of Growth and Development

Following are the fundamental principles of growth and development.

(i) Development follows a pattern or a sequence:

Development tends to proceed from the head downward. This is
called the cephalocaudal principle. According to this principle, the
child first gains control of the head, then the arms,
then the legs. Infants gain control of head and face movements within the
first two months after birth. In the next few months, they are able to lift
themselves up using their arms. By 6 to 12 months of age, infants start to
gain leg control and may be able to crawl, stand, or walk.

Development also proceeds from the center of the body outward

according to the proximodistal principle. Accordingly, the spinal cord
develops before other parts of the body. The child’s arms develop before
the hands, and the hands and feet develop before the fingers and toes.
Fingers and toes are the last to develop.

(ii) Development proceeds from general to specific responses:

It moves from a generalized to localized behaviour. The newborn
infant moves its whole body at one time instead of moving only one part
of it. It makes random kicking with its legs before it
can coordinate the leg muscles well enough to crawl or to walk.

(iii) Development is a continuous process:

Development does not occur in spurts. Growth continues from
the moments of conception until the individual reaches maturity. It takes
place at slow regular pace rather than by ‘leaps and bounds’. Although
development is a continuous process, yet the tempo of growth is not
even, during infancy and early years growth moves swiftly and later it
slacken.
(iv) Different aspects of growth develop at different rates
Neither all parts of the body grow at the same rate nor do all
aspects of mental growth proceed equally. They reach maturity at different
times. Development also depends on maturation. Maturation refers to the
sequence of biological changes in children. These orderly changes give
children new abilities. Much of the maturation depends on changes in the
brain and the nervous system. These changes assist children to improve
their thinking abilities and motor skills. A rich learning environment helps
children develop to their potential.
Children must mature to a certain point before they can gain some
skills. For instance, the brain of a four-month-old has not matured enough
to allow the child to use words. A four-month-old will babble and coo.
However, by two years of age, with the help of others, the child will be
able to say and understand many words. This is an example of how
cognitive development occurs from simple tasks to more tasks that are
complex. Likewise, physical skills develop from general to specific
movements. For example, think about the way an infant waves its arms
and legs. In a young infant, these movements are random. In several
months, the infant will likely be able to grab a block with his or her
whole hand. In a
little more time, the same infant will grasp a block with the thumb and
forefinger.

(v) Most traits are correlated in development:

Generally, it is seen that the child whose intellectual development is
above average is so in health size, sociability and special aptitudes.

(vi) Growth is complex:

All of its aspects are closely interrelated. The child’s mental
development is intimately related to his physical growth and its needs.

(vii) Growth is a product of the interaction of the organism and

environment:
Among the environmental factors one can mention nutrition, climate
the conditions in the home, the type of social organization in which individual
moves and lives.

(viii) There are wide individual differences in growth:

Individual differences in growth are caused by differences in heredity
and environment.

(ix) Growth is both quantitative and qualitative:

These two aspects are inseparable. The child not only grows in ‘size’;
he grows up or matures in structure and function too.

(x) Development is predictable:

It is possible for us to predict at an early age the range within which the
mature development of the child is likely to fall. However, mental
development cannot be predicted with the same degree of accuracy.