Many people believe that when a child is at a young age, their behaviours and skills, carry on from childhood, till adulthood. However, some people may disagree because they believe that at such a young age, it doesn’t prove that you are a man due to the fact that seven year olds are not fully developed, only when they are fully developed, is when they become a man. In my first paragraph I will be discussing why I agree with the statement as I think that at the age of seven and before, children pick up many different skills from their surroundings and it stays with them throughout their lives. The example I will be discussing is a child’s language development. The child has been introduced to a main language from a young age, if a child is introduced to a certain language from birth, then it is likely this will be their mother tongue as they grow up.
To add to this, I also believe that this statement is true because when a child has a disability, they will have the same disability when they get older as these disorders do not disappear as a child grows and develops. When a child is seven with a disability, it is clear that as they grow, they will not get rid of the disability. My last point on why I agree with the statement is because, when a child does well and achieves in certain subjects at a young age, their talent and ability in that subject remains until adulthood. On the other hand, many people will disagree with the statement because they believe that at the age of seven, a child is not fully developed so they cannot possibly be a man at such a young age if there are physical and mental changes that still need to occur as the child grows, there is no way they are fully developed yet. Another reason why people may disagree is because at seven years old, children will still go through stages of growth and development, which means many changes will influence and impact the way a child will be when they are older. During adolescence, this is the stage were the majority of physical and mental changes occur, after this stage the child may be different to how they were at seven, to how they are after adolescence. These are the points I will be discussing in more detail in relation to the statement above.
I agree with the above statement because I believe that at the age of seven, there are certain skills that a child learns, that will remain throughout the rest of their lives. If a child is brought up to speak a certain language for example English, then when the child is older, the English language will be their mother tongue as it is the first language that they were introduced to at a young age. In an article by Caroline N.
Harada, Marissa C. Natelson Love and Kristen Triebeld, they state that ‘ The language ability, remains as a person gets older. Vocabulary also remains and can improve’. This shows that when children are young, they imitate and pick up the fluent language skills from their parents or others around them. If a child becomes fluent in speaking a language, they are going to live and speak that language for the rest of their lives, even in their adulthood. This is one example of how you can show the man in a seven year-old because they carry the language they learnt from a young age, up un-till adulthood.
This just shows that at the age of seven, you can determine what language the child will speak when they become an adult. In addition, this also shows that the semantic memory is stable as the child remembers the fluent language through to adult hood that they previously learnt. The child overhears the language being used and continues to remember it as they grow and develop. Language development is a skill that every child needs. In addition, another reason why I also agree with the above statement, is because there are many behavioural and natural issues that a child has from birth, that they will continue to have throughout the rest of their lives. If a child has a disability, they will have the same disability when they become an adult. Becky Ready wrote an article based on learning difficulties and she stated that’ Children who are born with learning difficulties, grow up and become adults with the same learning difficulties that they were born with’.
(Learning Disabilities in Adulthood 2012). This shows that when a child has a learning difficulty or a disability, it is a life-long problem that can be controlled, but not taken away, this will stay with the child through adolescence into adulthood. From a child having a disability at the age of seven, proves that the disability and the person that they are then, is what they will have and who they will be in the future when they become an adult. Which proves to us that at a young age, you can determine what the child will be like when they are a man. As the child lives their life with this disability, they will be able to understand and gain more control over themselves, which will be helpful in the adult world. Lastly, I believe that when a child performs well in maths when they are young, this ability will stay with them until they become an adult. If the child continues to show an interest in math’s, their brain will develop more and their math’s skills will stay until adulthood.
A study from R. Gillett and D. Baer states that “Mastery of early math skills predicts not only future math achievement, it also predicts future reading achievement.
“(Independent 2016). This shows that certain abilities remains throughout a child’s life if they master the skill and show interest. At the age of seven, it is evident that what a child enjoys doing now, is something that they will enjoy when they are older. Children are able to understand and manipulate numbers by the age of seven.
The third stage of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is the Concrete Operational stage where ‘children gain a better understanding of mental operations'(Concrete Operational Stage of Cognitive development, K. Cherry 2018). To me, this proves that children at the age of seven are able to work with numbers and once they get to this stage of cognitive development, this ability will subconsciously remain in their brain through to adulthood. From a child’s ability and interest, it is possible to take a decision on how the child will be when they are older. Many others will disagree with the above statement because they believe that at the age of seven a child is not fully developed and therefore they cannot be a man at this age. “Developmentalists have learned that the first 12 years are an extremely important part of the life span that sets the stage for adolescence and adulthood”. Introduction to Developmental Psychology and its Research Strategies, Shaffer, D.R.
and Kipp, K(2007). This shows that in the first 12 years of life children are being prepared for adolescence and adulthood and they are not an adult yet as changes are still occurring in the body for example physical changes and brain development, which shows that at the age of seven children have not fully developed. It is evident that a male becomes a man after puberty and going through adolescence as the next stage is becoming a young adult.
The quote shows to us that the first twelve years of childhood is really important as it gets the child ready for adolescence and at this stage of development, they are constantly growing to become a grown man or woman. The child still needs time to develop and grow so it is clear that at the age of seven they are not yet a man. Piaget believes that each child goes through the same set of stages of development, so this shows that no child will become more of man earlier than another. Another reason why people will disagree, is due to the fact that after seven years old, children go through adolescence and changes occur in the brain and physically which means people cannot predict what the child will be like when they become an adult. Changes continue to happen during life. In the book ‘An introduction to developmental psychology’, Alan Slater makes a statement that ‘ When life experiences change, the child’s behaviour and attitudes also change; due to these changes, it can affect the way the individual behaves and responds’. This quote shows that when children go through certain changes in life, it has an impact on how they will be when they become older.
As an adolescent, there are many developmental changes that continue to occur as the child grows which means, when the child becomes and adult, they won’t be the same as they were as a seven-year old or even as an adolescent. Many social, environmental and natural changes can influence a child’s behaviour and this means that a child’s thoughts will change as they become an adult. Overall, I strongly agree that up until the age of seven, during those first seven years, a man can be shown through such a young child due to the child having many skills and learning new skills as they continue to grow, that will continue to remain as the child becomes older. Being around others that speak a certain language, will ensure that the child will develop this language skill and speak fluently.
Also, natural issues that occur in a child’s life, such as disabilities will remain throughout the child’s life as they cannot grow out of any disabilities. If a child has a special ability or skill that they enjoy, it is very likely that they will expand on this ability and show a continuous interest when they begin adulthood.These factors prove to us that even though the child is seven years old, it is possible to predict how they will behave and what they will become in the future due to their abilities and development. But there is always a controversial side to every argument and in this case, others believe that you cannot show a man at the age of seven due to reasons such as the child not being fully developed. At such a young age, there is still developmental changes that happen and during the early years of life, children are being prepared for adulthood so this means they are not an adult yet. Also, at a young age such as seven, children are still relying on their parents for support, they cannot be fully independent. Lastly, due to the constant changes that a child experiences throughout life, does not prove that they will have the same mindset they did at seven, when they become an adult. Certain environmental factors change a child’s thoughts and behaviours.
After researching, I still strongly believe that a man can be shown at the age of seven due to the reasons I have stated above.
