Human Development

The cultural context is perhaps the most defining influence in human interaction. Human development is the result of ongoing dynamic systems that are never static but are always affected by, and affecting, many systems of development. There are many specific patterns or norms at each stage of development. Matching these certain ages with these patterns give developmental scientists a backbone in which to measure human development. Culture provides the overall framework where humans learn to organize their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in relation to their environment. Although people are born into a culture, it is not simply installed in their makeup. Culture is learned. Culture is “the system of shared beliefs, conventions, norms, behaviors, expectations and symbolic representations that persist over time and prescribe social rules of conduct.” Culture teaches one how to think, conditions one how to feel, and instructs one how to act, especially how to interact with others, in other words, how to communicate. As we go through our daily lives, most of us are unaware of our culture; however culture influences our every thought, feeling, and action. The cultural context applies more towards the nurture side of the “nature-nurture debate.” The text defines nurture as all the environmental influences that affect the individual after conception. Therefore, the impact of the “cultural context” on human development is present and active from beginning to end. As I mentioned earlier, developmental scientists use a “social clock” to measure the human developmental process. The social clock gives one a sense of whether or not they are where they should be in their lives. A persons socioeconomic status (SES) can heavily influence their social clock. SES affects every aspect of development, even life itself. Development can be measured through observation of facts and norms in ones culture measured against the social clock. Norms reflect facts that