Assignment: Final Project Overview
Biography of an Influential Person
The purpose of this Final Project Assignment is for you to recognize human development and outcomes (e.g., developmental constructs, processes, milestones, and stages) through the lifespan of an influential person. You will describe this person’s development through cognitive, physical, and social-emotional processes at various key periods, and how his or her development is influenced by nature (genetics), nurture (environment), or both.
For this Final Project Assignment, you will read a biography about an individual of your choosing. Think about leaders, artists, composers, researchers, professors, and otherwise influential people, etc. The person you choose should be someone who has had an impact (positive or negative) on others and/or on society.
This Final Project Assignment is a 2.5- to 4-page paper composed of three parts. These parts include: the Summary during Week 2, Part 1 during Week 7, and the Final Project submission during Week 10. Note: It is recommended that you begin reviewing the biography you chose starting at Week 2 and plan your time accordingly.
For this week, you will review the Final Project Assignment Overview document and consider an influential person you would like to learn more about.
To prepare for this Final Project Assignment:
- Review the Final Project Assignment Overview document found in this week’s Learning Resources.
- Select a biography, not an autobiography, of an influential person. Your selection must be one person and not a group of individuals.
- The biography should be written for adults and not children and cover the entire life of the individual.
- You must use an actual hardcover/paperback book or ebook (Note: Using biography.com or other websites as primary sources of information is not acceptable).
- You must include at least two theories from this course in your Final Project Assignment and discuss at least two of the three developmental processes (cognitive, physical, and social-emotional).
No Assignment submission due this week.
Submit your Final Project Assignment in Week 10.
Sample Answer
Introduction
During human development, several milestones occur from childhood to adulthood. The milestones are marked by the cognitive, physical, and social, emotional growth processes, which are essential stages in an individual’s life. Various theorists such as Piaget and Erik Erickson came up with theories to describe the human developmental processes. By focusing on the biography of Barack Obama, understanding his social, emotional, and cognitive growth; this will offer an insight concerning the factors that contributed to him being influential.
A Summary of Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama’s date of birth was 4th August 1961. He was born of Barack Obama Senior and Ann Dunham who were from a mixed heritage. Obama’s popularity increased when he started contesting for the United States presidential seat, and he ended up being the first black president to rule the country. According to Maraniss (2012), Obama became the forty-fourth American president and his highly influential leadership skills enabled him to serve the nation for two terms, which was between the years 2009 to 2012. However, Obama’s political journey began in 1996 when he contested for the Illinois State Senate seat as a Democrat. He was the Senator for Illinois for three terms. During his administration, Obama influenced significant policies such as Obama Care. He also called for equal rights for women and the LGTB community in America, considering that these are two groups that have faced discriminatory challenges in society.
For quality and original answer, please order here.
Obama’s Cognitive Development
In human development, the cognitive stage describes the mental processes which are learning, thinking, problem-solving, and remembering. With that in mind, Obama cognitive development can be illustrated through his education journey. On this note, Obama began his early school education in 1966, where he attended the Noelani Elementary School. For his high school diploma, Obama joined the Punahou School in Hawaii and then transferred to Occidental College in Columbia. The education he received from these institutions enhanced his intellectual abilities such that in 1981, he made the very first public speech. The learning process in Obama’s development portrayed a high level of intelligence. Based on Piaget’s cognitive theory of development; the building blocks of intelligence or schema are influenced by aspects like assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration (Brown, & Desforges, 2013). From Obama’s academic journey, he enhanced his self-efficacy by putting into practice what he learned. He did not let issues like his cultural background to define him, considering that he was from a mixed-race of an American White mother and an African father.
Obama’s Social-Emotional Development
In this stage, social-emotional development demonstrates how humans develop skills that help them interact with people from diverse backgrounds and how they express and take charge of their emotions. During Obama’s development, he encountered several challenges, mostly during his teenage years. This was a period that he needed social and emotional support from his father. However, Obama’s father was not always present. Thomas (2008) holds that his father returned to Kenya in the year 1964, when Obama was three years old. He only returned to visit his son when he was ten years old. He later died after being involved in a car accident. The lack of a father-son relationship created a void that made Obama struggle with exploring how to be a man. Despite this challenge, during his young adulthood, Obama’s social-political involvement enhanced his socio-emotional development. During his enrollment at the Columbia University in New York, Obama began to research his African roots when he started writing a personal memoir after his father’s death, which occurred in 1982. He even traveled to Kenya to meet his relatives, and during his short stay; he learned a lot about his origin. Still, in his college life, Obama participated in several clubs such as the International Students Association. These clubs made him feel loved and appreciated since people around him encouraged him to talk about Kenya and Africa at large. Further, after completing his education at the Columbia University in New York, Obama moved to Chicago, where he enrolled for a job as a community organizer.
Analyzing How Nurture Influenced Obama’s Development
Generally, it is justified saying that nurture or the community environment influenced Obama’s cognitive and social-emotional development. In this case, his surroundings helped him understand the needs of Roseland the Altgeld Gardens communities. Through social interactions, he unveiled aspects that needed change, and this influenced to work on community development programs. He also used his intellectual abilities to develop job training programs and an organization for tenants’ rights because he understood what people wanted. Further, in his quest for knowledge, Obama joined the Harvard Law School, and it is here that he got to meet Michelle, who he married in the year 1992. This is a crucial stage in human development since according to Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, social and emotional development occurs in different phases (Huitt, 2008). Obama finding the love of his life falls under the sixth stage of intimacy and isolation. Successful young adults who engage in romantic relationships, according to Erickson’s theory, they manage to establish strong relationships with people around them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Barack Obama went against all the odds in society to rise to the scales by becoming the first African American to rule America. Through his cognitive and social-emotional development, this enabled him to promote change by eliminating issues like racial profiling and inequality among minority groups. Overall, Obama will continue to be an influential leader globally due to his admirable confidence, eloquence in speech and leadership.
Reference
Brown, G., & Desforges, C. (2013). Piaget’s theory. Routledge.
Huitt, W. (2008). Socioemotional development. Educational psychology interactive.
Maraniss, D. (2012). Barack Obama: The Story. Simon and Schuster.
Thomas, G. (2008). Yes, we can: A biography of President Barack Obama. Feiwel & Friends.
