Lifespan development is the study of how humans grow and change from the moment they are born until they die. There are different ways to understand this journey, and each offers special ideas about how we behave and develop. Here are some of the main perspectives:

1. Psychodynamic Perspective

   • Sigmund Freud created this approach. He believed that our thoughts and feelings, especially those we are not aware of, and our childhood experiences play important roles in how we grow.
   • Freud talked about five stages of development related to our feelings and behaviors: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages.
   • Erik Erikson took Freud's ideas further by proposing eight stages that we face throughout our lives, like learning to trust others when we are infants or finding meaning in our lives when we are old.

2. Behavioral Perspective

   • This viewpoint looks at what we can actually see and how we act. It says our development comes from our experiences with the world around us.
   • Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner were important figures in this area, showing that we learn through rewards and consequences.
   • Albert Bandura's social learning theory explains how we learn by watching and imitating others.

3. Cognitive Perspective

   • Jean Piaget studied how our thinking develops in four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. He found that children develop their thinking skills step by step from birth to their teenage years.
   • Lev Vygotsky added that social interactions are also critical for learning, suggesting that we learn better when we work together with others.

4. Humanistic Perspective

   • This approach, linked mainly to Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, focuses on personal growth and reaching our full potential.
   • Maslow created a pyramid called the hierarchy of needs, showing that we must first meet our basic needs before we can work on becoming our best selves. Research suggests only about 2% of people reach this top level.

5. Evolutionary Perspective

   • Based on Charles Darwin's work, this viewpoint looks at how humans have developed over time. It focuses on how certain behaviors may help people survive and have families, including the need to form close relationships with others.

These different perspectives help us understand the process of growing up and aging. They give us tools to look at how people change and develop from being babies to older adults.