Various factors influence one’s lifespan development, such as health and well-being, parenting, education, socio-cultural contexts and diversity, and social policy. These factors vary significantly in their importance throughout one’s life. For instance, for a newborn baby, health and well-being are vital, as this is when a human organism is very vulnerable (Jacob et al., 2017). Later, through early childhood, the importance of parenting is at its peak – this is the only period when there is no alternative educational institution. From middle childhood until adolescence, the next period is characterized by the dominance of education as a critical factor in one’s lifespan. Most of a person’s social contacts are built within their educational institutions during this period.
Finally, regarding the socio-cultural context and social policies, it isn’t easy to highlight one period that these factors affect the most during a person’s life. This is due to the high variability of social contexts across the Earth, as norms, conditions, and expectations may change significantly from culture to culture. Therefore, it is necessary to look at the most basic level of the development pyramid – health and well-being. This level is a foundation for others, and any issues can lead to adverse outcomes in all of the following factors. From my point of view, a healthy person has more chances for good overall development within most social contexts, as this person has a valuable asset regardless of the external conditions.
Reference
Jacob, C.M., Baird, J., Barker, M., Cooper, C., & Hanson, M. (2017). The importance of a life course approach to health: Chronic disease risk from preconception through adolescence and adulthood. The World Health Organization. Web.