Reflection On Lifespan Development

For our Life-Span Development class we had the opportunity to interview an adult and learn about their life. I’ve spoken to a lot of adults about the way their life turned out, so I had several options. I ended up deciding to interview my twenty-three year old sister, Paula Vasquez. The interview was done over the phone, since was in Dallas. During the Interview, I was able to learn a lot about my sister. With the knowledge I have gained from psychology class and the interview, I am now able to explain why Paula is the way she is.
Paula was a little hesitant about doing this interview because I already know her very well, but I actually learned a lot about her. Paula is currently twenty-three years old, single, and has no children. When I asked …show more content…
After going to community college for two years, Paula enrolled to the University of Texas at Dallas. She didn’t really experience the “college life” till this year in which she moved in to campus. Surprisingly she has not gained weight in college. Actually, Paula has lost about fifteen pounds since high school. Paula is also a lot more active and has a membership at a local gym. Alongside with the fitness, Paula changed her diet. These changes in her life would indicate that Paula is at the peak of her physical performance. In fact, most people reach that peak “between the ages nineteen through twenty-six” (Santrock, 299). Paula joined the Delta Sigma Alpha sorority this year and her social life has increased significantly. According to Santrock, this is normal for students transitioning from high school/community College to a university because most interact with more people (Santrock, 298). Although she said it as a joke, she said, “I’m not dating, but I am going on dates”. Due to Sternberg teachings, Paula did not have any relationships with consummate love. She explained that her “sisters” and she hit it off pretty well. In high school, Paula had only a couple friends and had a boyfriend at the time. She agreed with me when I said that her spiritual life has declined. Part of this is because our parents do not force us to attend church anymore. Paula is at a time …show more content…
Her most difficult thing for her when she left home for the first time was making her own food. She explained that “there’s nothing like your Dad’s cooking.” She hardly cooks and eats out a lot. You would think that she had to gain some weight after eating out so much, but she hardly ate as well. Therefore, Paula would practically starve herself. Our parents were obviously sad about my sister leaving, but I think they were both worried more about being left by themselves. Paula’s relationship with our parents improved tremendously now that we left. This is a testament of not valuing something until it’s