Human Development And Sports Psychology Paper

This research paper will include the similarities between Human Development and Sports Psychology. I am a current college athlete and, I have been playing sports since I was five years old. While growing up and being active in sports as a child, I never understood why I could not play with older children. After going through ten chapters in this course, we touched on Erikson’s Eight Stages of Human Development and how that relates to a lot of things involving motor skills and maturity level. I got a better understanding as an athlete why there are different age groups when starting a sport and how the coaching level changes as you get older. These Eight Stages of Human Development include the ages from 0 to 65 plus (McLeod, 2013).
Trust vs. …show more content…
I know rewards are big to this age group because it is so broad. This age group does have some separation but all have one thing in common, goals. Achieving something as in winning a game or passing a spelling test is something children need to be awarded for. When a child does not receive attention or is not recognized for the accomplishments, the child could experience feelings of inferiority (McLeod, 2013). If the child cannot develop the specific skill they feel society is demanding, (e.g. being athletic) then they may develop this sense of inferiority. Some failure may be necessary so that the child can develop some modesty. Yet again, a balance between competence and modesty is necessary. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of competence (McLeod, …show more content…
This where you can relax and be proud of what you have done. I know when I hit this stage I want to be remembered for good character and my accomplishments I had in sports. At this time you develop this behavior of knowing you did your job. Erik Erikson believed if we see our lives as unproductive, feel guilty about our past, or feel that we did not accomplish our life goals, we become dissatisfied with life and develop despair, often leading to depression and hopelessness (McLeod, 2013). This also relates to failure or if you quit a sport and face regret. For example, my father and past coaches that are older and retired regret some of their actions they took in their young adulthood that could have changed the outcome of their life now. I have completed all of Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Human Development and how they can relate to