Psychological Development

2. Psychological Development a. Factors Governing Development Psychological development refers to reaching psychological, emotional, social and cognitive milestones as part of an individual's personal growth. Although adults have their own psychological challenges as they move through life stages, psychological development in childhood is a series of particularly intense and rapidly encountered milestones. These processes are also closely related to physical growth and the appearance of physical skills that are necessary for children to reach higher developmental levels. For instance, an infant learning to manipulate toys and other objects helps that baby develop a sense of self as opposed to other. In addition to physical growth, additional factors that influence psychological development in childhood include prenatal care and nutrition, childhood nutrition, maternal bonding, and parenting skill and style. Prenatal care and its subsequent influence on prenatal development can have an enormous influence on psychological development in childhood. Adequate maternal nutrition — as provided by food and supplemental maternal vitamins — supplies the necessary building blocks for an infant's growth and progress. In addition to a minimal amount of nutrition, there are also foods and substances the mother should avoid or limit as the child's growth continues. Certain prescription and over-the-counter drugs and alcohol should be avoided completely and other foods that may allow toxins to accumulate in the body — including tuna and other types of fish — should be limited. Medical monitoring of the mother's pregnancy can also help prevent complications, such as gestational diabetes, from harming the health of the mother and the child.

Positive psychological development in childhood continues to be strongly related to optimal nutrition after the infant is born. A human infant's brain and nervous system grows exponentially in the first few years of life and adequate