Human Development & Lifespan Flashcards

According to Erikson's psychosocial stages, a client who is in middle adulthood and struggling to find purpose in contributing to the next generation is experiencing which conflict?

Answer: Generativity vs. Stagnation

Erikson's Stage 7 (middle adulthood) involves Generativity vs. Stagnation, where the central challenge is finding meaning through productivity, caregiving, and contributing to society and future generations.

Piaget's 'formal operational' stage, typically beginning around age 12, is characterized by:

Answer: Abstract reasoning and hypothetical-deductive thinking

The formal operational stage is marked by the ability to think abstractly, reason hypothetically, and use deductive logic — capabilities that are important for academic performance and moral reasoning in adolescence.

Which attachment style, identified in Ainsworth's Strange Situation, is associated with inconsistent caregiver responsiveness and leads children to show both proximity-seeking and angry resistance?

Answer: Anxious-ambivalent (insecure-resistant) attachment

Anxious-ambivalent attachment develops when caregivers are inconsistently responsive, leading children to be uncertain whether their needs will be met and to exhibit both clinging and angry rejection of the caregiver.

A Texas elementary school counselor notices a second grader struggling with reading and social interaction. In terms of Vygotsky's theory, the most helpful counseling approach would be to:

Answer: Provide support just above the child's current level, within their 'Zone of Proximal Development'

Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) describes tasks a child cannot yet do alone but can accomplish with guidance; counselors and educators can scaffold learning and social skills by working within this zone.

According to Kohlberg's theory of moral development, a person who follows rules only to avoid punishment is operating at which level?

Answer: Pre-conventional — Obedience and punishment orientation

The pre-conventional level, Stage 1 of Kohlberg's model, is characterized by obedience driven by the desire to avoid punishment rather than by internalized values or concern for others.

In developmental counseling contexts, which term describes the process by which adolescents explore and commit to an identity according to James Marcia's theory?

Answer: Identity achievement and moratorium

Marcia's identity statuses include Identity Achievement (exploration + commitment) and Moratorium (active exploration without commitment), both of which are healthy parts of identity development in adolescence.