Developmental Psychology has grown into a comprehensive approach to how human beings mentally and emotionally grow over time. The developmental model used by the Abstraction Cards barely scratch the surface and combines:
This chart demonstrates how each pair of Abstraction Cards is relegated to one of the developmental stages, the needs of that stage and the ramifications of those needs not being met.
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ABSTRACTION CARD |
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE |
AGE RANGE |
BRIEF OVERVIEW |
|
The Soldier
The Jester |
Prenatal |
<5 mos- birth>* |
During this stage, you experience being in a physical body - sensation, motion and growth - in a safe and protected location. If your experience is positive and your needs are met, you grow up as a separate being, comfortable in your environment and connected to that which is greater than you. If your mother polluted her body during pregnancy or experienced other complications, you may experience the world as unsafe and disorientating. |
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The Leader of the Pack
|
Perinatal |
Birth |
During this stage, you experience your individual self for the first time by taking your first breath. Your first task is to disconnect physically while connecting emotionally. If your birth goes relatively smoothly, you will recognize you are now in a new world that is safe and loving. If your birth is difficult, you may develop distrust for that which is greater than you, and who imposed discomfort and fear upon you entrance into an unfamiliar world. |
|
The Chef
The Hamstergirl |
Being |
0-6 mos |
In this stage, you explore the worlds of sensation, nourishment and nurturing. You begin to experience yourself as being important to specific people. This stage is key to your feelings of satisfaction and sense of belonging. If your needs were met at this age, you have a secure sense of belonging and can experience satisfaction at a job well done. If your needs were not met at this stage, you may find yourself vacillating through states of flight, fight or freeze. You may feel dissatisfaction that you don't have enough - whether it be love, income, material assets or whatever else. |
|
The Mountaingirl
The Thinker |
Doing |
6-18 mos |
During this stage, you use your senses to explore the world and find balance on your own two feet. You begin separating from your parents and learn to make your own decisions and choices. You also learn that those with whom you are bonded will return once they go away. If your needs were met, you will be spontaneous, curious and willing to explore your creative urges. If your needs were not met during this stage, you may grow up conflicted about taking action or afflicted with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD). You may experience self-doubt and carry a burden of shame. |
|
The Rabbi
The Rat King |
Thinking |
18 mos -3 yrs |
During the Thinking Stage, you discover some of reasons why things are the way they are and try to make sense of the world. Thinking promotes your feelings of personal power and the desire to build upon that personal power. This is an age when you push limits and learn how to use the word "no." If your needs were met at this volatile stage, you grow up feeling comfortable with differences and conflicts. If your needs were not met, you may continue testing boundaries and the consequences of usurping those boundaries. Ultimately you may end up being rebellious and defiant. |
|
The Pirate
The CEO |
Identity |
3-6 yrs |
One of the wonders of this stage is your discovery of gender and all of the complications and challenges that come with the differences, whether they be physical, mental or emotional. Your peer groups reinforce the power of having close personal relationships. You experienced the separation, organization and conflicts within your internal reality as opposed to your external reality. If your needs were met during this stage, you better accept your sexual identity and the consequences of your behavior, taking a more realistic and pragmatic approach to life. If your needs were not met during this stage, you may experience nightmares, develop a superstitious nature and the desire to live in a fantasy world. |
|
The Knight
The Princess |
Skills |
7-12 yrs |
This stage is about finding how you can be useful to your family and community. Your parents, school and your experimentation with other people, shape your values and morals. Sometimes you learn through imitation, trying on a way of behaving or acting. If your needs were met during this stage, you develop an ability to organize, a willingness to explore new communities and the ability to debate the big questions and think in the abstract. If your needs were not met, your priorities could be ill conceived as you obsess over authorities and display behavior that is competitive and unnecessarily argumentative. |
|
The Champ
The Model |
Recycling |
12-18 yrs |
This stage is about re-experiencing the previous stages and picking up the lost threads. In some ways, it was a very fragile time because you had a lot going on physically, mentally and emotionally. However this was also a stage for discovering what you do best. If your needs were met during this stage, you more successfully integrate sexuality into the needs of younger stages and determinate the people with whom you wish to nurture ongoing relationships. If your needs were not met, sex can become a weapon and your needs not met in earlier stages manifest negatively, sometimes in the forms of one-upsmanship, alienation or egocentricity. |
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The Painter
The Mountaingirl |
Individuation |
18-22 yrs |
In this stage you separate from parents and decide upon your personal moral values. You may experience more sexualized relationships that makes them more complex, paving the way for future experiences in intimacy. This is a time when the role you take in groups becomes more defined as you are asked by society to become a responsible adult. If your needs of this stage are met, you have a much better chance of establishing healthy relationships with people who share your values. If you needs of this stage are not met, you may experience immature symbiotic relationships or become promiscuous because you are guided by the unfulfilled needs of childhood rather than your adult needs. |
|
The Crone
The Dominatrix |
Intimacy |
23-30 yrs |
You've explored your sexuality and now you may be contemplating starting a family. Whether nor not you have found a partner, you seek a community to whom you can commit yourself and with whom you identify. You establish a lifestyle, structure your time and you may start focusing on you career. If your needs of this stage are met, you establish your own lifestyle, build a career foundation and perhaps marry. If your needs are not met, you may turn into a know-it-all and live on the edge with no focus or commitments, dictated by short-term plans and needs. |
|
The Unbreakable
The Aquatic |
Generativity |
31-40 yrs |
During this stage, you establish clear boundaries and learn to balance family, work and community. You learn that you can't do it all by yourself and may have to ask for help. You discover how personal values affect the lives of you and others. If your needs are met during this stage, you'll be productive, advance in your career or in having a family and feel personally empowered by the choices you make. If your needs are not met during this stage, you may become self-absorbed, scattered and find you lack a foundation from which you see the world. |
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The Teacher
The Stud |
Transformative |
41-50 yrs |
This stage can cause you psychological reorientation or upheaval, especially when it comes to your life purpose. You may have to deal with challenges demanding both personal control and acceptance where there is no control. In this way, you become even more of who you are. If your needs of this stage are met and you allow transformation, you may find yourself re-evaluating your life and taking more responsibility. If your needs are not met, you may feel victimized by present circumstances or past events, display risky behavior as a way of reverting to a younger age or madness may shape your reality. |
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The Sheriff
The Vocalist |
Wisdom |
51-65 yrs |
During this stage you synthesize all of your experiences and knowledge into wisdom. Therefore, you are often seen as an authority or mentor. You may find you seek fulfillment rather than success. And of course, there are all those body changes. If your needs are met during this stage, you will be more accepting, find more meaning and enjoy your new role as a wise person. If your needs are not met, you may have bitter regrets, a spiritual hunger or your body may break down completely. |
|
The Nurse
The Enigmatic |
Integrity |
66+ yrs |
During this stage, you reflect of the meaning of your life and contemplate the nature of your death - not that there's any hurry. With retirement or even semi-retirement comes a major life change, often leading to a new way of living. If your needs are met during this stage, you maintain your ego strength through new projects or volunteering in your community. If your needs are not met, you may feel uncomfortable with your leisure time, bemoan your life, fear anything new and feel nothing but grief. |
