Apply Lifespan Development Theories - Licensed Master Social Worker LMSW

1. What is Erikson's primary task in school-age (about 6 to 12 years)?

   Industry vs. inferiority. Mastery of skills through effort promotes competence, while repeated failure engenders feelings of inadequacy.

2. What is the core idea of Piaget's cognitive developmental theory?

   Children construct knowledge through stage-based cognitive structures. Piaget theorizes that cognitive growth occurs as children actively build schemas through interaction with the environment in fixed stages.

3. What is the core idea of Erikson's psychosocial theory (what drives development across stages)?

   Resolution of psychosocial crises across the lifespan. Erikson posits that personality develops through navigating eight stage-specific conflicts between social needs and personal growth.

4. Which Piaget stage best fits a child who can conserve volume but struggles with abstract algebra?

   Concrete operational. Children at this stage handle real-world logic like quantity invariance but lack capacity for purely conceptual manipulation.

5. What is the core idea of Bandura's social learning theory?

   Behavior is learned via observation, modeling, and reinforcement. Bandura highlights that vicarious learning from models, combined with consequences, shapes behavioral acquisition.

6. What is Erikson's primary task in infancy (birth to 1 year)?

   Trust vs. mistrust. Consistent caregiving fosters a sense of security, while inconsistency leads to wariness in forming early relationships.

7. What is Piaget's concrete operational stage age range and key ability?

   7–11; conservation and logical operations on concrete objects. Logical thinking applies to tangible problems, enabling understanding that physical changes do not alter essential properties.

8. What does Bandura mean by self-efficacy?

   Belief in one's capacity to perform behaviors to achieve goals. This cognitive appraisal affects choices, persistence, and recovery from setbacks in goal-directed activities.

9. What is Erikson's primary task in adolescence (about 12 to 18 years)?

   Identity vs. role confusion. Successful integration of self-concept yields a stable identity, whereas unresolved exploration results in uncertainty about one's place.

10. Identify the correct Erikson stage for an adolescent exploring values, beliefs, and future roles.

    Identity vs. role confusion. Adolescence involves forging a cohesive self amid peer and societal influences to prevent identity diffusion.

11. Which attachment style best fits a child who is clingy, highly distressed, and hard to soothe on reunion?

    Ambivalent/resistant (insecure-resistant) attachment. Unpredictable caregiving heightens anxiety, resulting in preoccupied attachment and difficulty achieving calm.

12. What is Erikson's primary task in young adulthood (about 18 to 40 years)?

    Intimacy vs. isolation. Forming committed relationships provides emotional closeness, while failure leads to social withdrawal and loneliness.

13. What is Erikson's primary task in middle adulthood (about 40 to 65 years)?

    Generativity vs. stagnation. Contributing to society through work or family yields productivity, whereas lack of involvement causes self-absorption.

14. What is Piaget's formal operational stage age range and key ability?

    12+; abstract and hypothetical reasoning. Advanced cognition allows deductive logic for theoretical problems beyond immediate experience.

15. What is Erikson's primary task in early childhood/preschool (about 3 to 6 years)?

    Initiative vs. guilt. Allowing purposeful play develops assertiveness, but punishment for initiative creates excessive guilt over actions.

16. What is Piaget's preoperational stage age range and key limitation?

    2–7; egocentrism and lack of conservation. Symbolic thinking emerges, but children cannot yet grasp others' viewpoints or that quantities remain constant despite changes in appearance.

17. What attachment style is most associated with distress on separation but ease with reunion?

    Secure attachment. Responsive caregiving builds a safe base, allowing exploration and quick comfort after brief separations.

18. What is Erikson's primary task in late adulthood (about 65+ years)?

    Integrity vs. despair. Reflecting on a meaningful life brings wisdom and acceptance, while regrets produce bitterness and fear of death.

19. What is the key concept of Bowlby's attachment theory most relevant to later relationships?

    Internal working models based on early caregiver responsiveness. Bowlby emphasizes that sensitive early interactions create secure relational templates influencing trust and intimacy in adulthood.

20. Which attachment style best fits a child who avoids caregiver on reunion and minimizes distress?

    Avoidant (insecure-avoidant) attachment. Dismissive caregiving teaches emotional suppression, leading to independence but relational detachment.

21. What is Erikson's primary task in toddlerhood (about 1 to 3 years)?

    Autonomy vs. shame and doubt. Encouraging self-control builds confidence, whereas overcontrol instills self-doubt during exploration of independence.

22. What is Piaget's sensorimotor stage age range and key feature?

    Birth–2; object permanence and learning via senses/motor actions. This stage involves developing mental representations through physical exploration, culminating in awareness of hidden objects.

23. What is the core idea of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory for social work assessment?

    Development is shaped by nested systems from micro to macro over time. Bronfenbrenner views development as influenced by interconnected environmental contexts, from immediate interactions to cultural norms, evolving chronologically.

24. Identify the correct Erikson stage for a client focused on legacy, mentoring, and contribution.

    Generativity vs. stagnation. Middle adulthood emphasizes creating lasting impacts through guidance and productivity to avoid personal stagnation.

Study these flashcards