Developmental Task
Developmental Task
Developmental Task
Developmental tasks refer to a physical or cognitive skill that a person must accomplish
during a particular age period to continue development. A developmental task for infants
is walking, which is followed by the development of a sense of autonomy in the toddler
period. In the adolescence period, some of the developmental tasks that the child faces are
accepting one’s physical body, learning to get along with friends of both sexes, becoming
self sufficient, preparing for job & career etc.
Developmental Task
Nature of Task
To learn to look upon girls as women and boys as men; to become an adult among adults; to
learn to work with others for a common purpose, disregarding personal feelings; to lead without
dominating.
To accept one's body; to keep it healthy through good nutrition, exercise, disease prevention,
and other health practices.
To develop affection for parents without dependence upon them; to develop respect for older
adults without dependence upon them.
To explore attitudes toward family life and having children; to acquire the knowledge necessary
for home management and, if desired, child rearing.
To develop career/vocational goals and ways to reach these goals; to be able to make a living.
EXTRA POINTS
Havighurst's theory of development stated that change and growth are continuous
throughout the entire life, from birth through death. He distinguishes them into three stages,
and people can move from one stage to the next by solving problems or passing developmental
tasks. However, what is a developmental task? A developmental task definition includes a task
that happens around a certain period in life in which success leads to happiness and failure
results in unhappiness. Developmental tasks vary by the stage and could include:
Learning to walk
Achieving personal independence
Preparing for marriage and family life
Managing a home
Developing adult leisure-time activities
Adjusting to retirement and reduced income
According to R.J Havighurst (1953)" A development task is a task which arises at or about a
certain period in the life of the individual, successful achievement of which leads to his
happiness and to success with later task, " Development task are based in the aspiration and
need of the society. B.L Neugarten ( Development tasks are based in the aspiration and need of
the society. B.L Neugarten (1969) says that " Every society is age -graded and every society
has a system of social experiences regarding age -appropriate behaviour. The individual passes
through a socially regulated cycle from birth to death as inexorably as he passes through the
biological cycle, and there exist a socially prescribed time-table for the rendering of major life
events. Although the norms vary somewhat from one socio-economic, ethnic or religious group
to another, for any social group it can easily be demonstrated that norm and actual occurrences
are closely related."