Sarah Mickelberry 1

Interview: Examining Stages of Development

Sarah Mickelberry
Bridgewater College

Education 200
Professor Spilman
April 25, 2012

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Abstract
This essay explores the developmental stages of a fifteen year old girl. For her privacy,
the subject in this essay is referred to as Jane. Through an interview that was conducted,
information was gathered to determine which cognitive, psychosocial, moral, and motivational
stages Jane is in. The theories of Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Abraham
Maslow were all used to identify Janes level of development in the four aspects as stated above.
Outside resources were gathered in order to support the claims made on which stages Jane is
presently in in her life.

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One can learn a lot about someones development just by sitting down with them and
having a conversation. Asking questions, looking at behavior, and listening to what a person has
to say about their life can really give some insight into where that person is developmentally. I
sat down with a young lady, Jane for the purpose of this research, around the age of fifteen years
old, and was able to apply many of the theories about learning and development. Four theorists
in particular, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Abraham Maslow, were used to
identify which developmental stages Jane exhibited.
In order to begin looking at a persons development, one first has to understand the
persons background. Jane explained that she had a good family life. There were no
dysfunctional family members and for the most part she always felt loved and supported. Since
she is the youngest in her family, she is the third of three children, she sometimes felt annoyed
when she was babied. Jane explained that her school life was important. She got average grades,
an A and B average, and felt that she fit in with her classmates. She also explained that she had
respect for teachers and always displayed good manners while at school. All these factors make
up who Jane is, and they all play a part in the developmental stages that Jane is moving through.
Jean Piaget established four stages of cognitive development in which he believed
children move through on their way to adulthood. He based these four developmental stages on
the ideas that children construct knowledge through their experiences, and children cannot take
on certain tasks until they are psychologically mature enough (Omrod, 2011, pp. 27-29). After
listening to Jane and asking her a few questions, I believe that she has reached the fourth stage,
formal operations stage, in Piagets developmental theory. I found evidence that Jane is in the
formal operations stage because she had a sense of the future and could logically think about
hypothetical situations that go beyond reality (Atherton, 2011). For example, when asked the

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question if humans had a third eye where would you put it, Jane answered she would put it on the
back of her head. She explained this decision to me by saying that she would put it there so she
could see people coming from behind. A child in Piagets preoperational or concrete operational
stages might have replied to this question with an answer such as humans dont have three
eyes, or on the forehead because that is where eyes go. Jane was able to think hypothetically,
removing herself from actual reality, and think logically about where a third eye might be most
useful. In addition to being able to envision a different reality, Jane also has advanced math
skills, which supports the claim that she is in the formal operational stage of development
(Omrod, 2011, p. 32). In the interview we discussed the types of classes she takes in school, and
she stated that she is currently in geometry. Jane is well able to grasp concepts like infinity and
negative numbers, which leads me to believe she has reached the formal operations stage.
While Piagets theory helped in identifying Janes cognitive developmental stage, Erik
Eriksons theory helped to identify Janes psychosocial level of development. Given certain
evidence in the interview, Jane is in the fifth stage, identity vs. role confusion, of Eriksons eight
stages of psychosocial development. Jane made it apparent that she had a strong sense of who
she was. When asked if she felt she had an established identity, Jane clearly explained her likes
and dislikes, along with her personality. She described herself as being free willed, funny, and
able to work hard when needed. She also was able to tell me what was important to her, such as
her morals, and what some of her long term goals were. One of Janes goals is to continue in her
academic success and go to college to continue her education. The fact that Jane has moved
beyond superficial identifications, such as popularity, supports the notion that she has moved
more into the late adolescence level of identity vs. role confusion (Omrod, 2011, p. 71). She felt

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her role at present time was to be a student, because Jane believes that education is the first step
toward making a future for herself.
Jane has not reached the intimacy vs. isolation, the sixth stage of Eriksons theory,
because although she had a strong sense of her identity, Jane was not able to tell me how she will
fit into society in the future (Knowledgebase, 2012). She knew her identity as an adolescent, but
it was obvious that that was all she had established. When asked what role Jane will play in the
future Jane was only certain she wanted a stable job and a family. She is still in the process of
discovering how she will fit in to society on a larger scale or long term rather than just being a
student. Jane, however, is not in the industry vs. inferiority stage, the fourth stage of Eriksons
theory, because she has moved beyond looking for praise in order to boost her self-esteem and is
able to follow through with tasks she needs to accomplish until they are complete (Omrod, 2011,
p. 72). Jane has developed self-confidence with her peer and family, and explained that she is
comfortable with who she is and is strong willed in the thought that if someone tries to tell her to
be different or who to be she will not cave in.
Although Piaget did some work in moral development, Lawrence Kohlbergs theory of
moral development was much more helpful in determining Janes moral maturity. Kohlbergs six
steps of moral development each have a specific characteristic that focuses on a separate moral
reasoning (Kurtines, 1974, p. 454). Jane displayed signs of being on the fifth stage, social
contracts and individual rights, of Kohlbergs theory. In the interview, I read to Jane Kohlbergs
famous Heinz dilemma, in which the husband is torn between stealing drugs that will cure his
dying wife or not. I then asked Jane a few questions about how she felt about the story, and what
she would do in that situation. She answered that she would have stolen the drugs if she was in
Heinzs position. Her reasoning was that although she understood society calls for a thief to go to

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jail, life is too valuable to not save if one can. This supports that Jane is on stage five of
Kohlbergs moral development, because in stage five people begin to look at not just laws or
personal benefits like in previous stages, but they consider social contracts such as marriages and
take into account that personal values can carry a lot of weight in a democratic system (Crain,
1985). Jane discussed the idea that a society should value life more than property, but she also
realized that some punishment had to come because a law was broken. When Jane envisioned
what a society should be like based on her life values she showed the characteristics of a person
in the fifth stage of moral development in Kohlbergs theory (Crain, 1985).
After looking at Janes cognitive, psychosocial, and moral stages of development by
using Piagets, Eriksons, and Kohlbergs theories, I examined where Jane is from a perspective
observing motivation with the help of Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs. In relation to
Maslows hierarchy of needs, Jane is in the middle of trying to fulfill her esteem needs and
moving towards self-actualization. Janes physiological needs are satisfied through her family
having food and water, as well as her maintaining health. Her safety and security needs are met
through her having a roof over her head. She explained that she feels her home, school, and
neighborhood are relatively safe and free of crime. Jane expressed that her life is stable, with no
factors that could cause excessive amounts of anxiety or overwhelmed feelings. When
questioned whether she feels love, Jane answered yes. She finds love from her parents, siblings,
and friends, and she feels that she has a belonging in her role as a daughter, sister, friend, student,
and any other part she encompasses in her life. Throughout the interview Jane was adamant that
she had self-confidence. She continually expressed that she knows who she is as a person and
showed confidence in all her actions. Jane, however, also said that she didnt want people to
think she was stuck up. This leads me to believe that she might still be searching for others

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respect, although she mentioned that as long as she was comfortable with herself as a person,
other peoples feelings towards her were not that important. This may be what is considered an
exception in hierarchy needs order from Maslows perspective, because other peoples respect
dont seem as important to Jane as some of the other motivational needs (Maslow, 1943, p. 386).
Jane had more of a desire to grow as a person and reach her full potential, which is working
towards self-actualization, than to earn respect from others.
In conclusion, Jane fits in developmentally where I would assume a fifteen year old girl
might. Cognitively, she has reached the formal operations stage of Piagets theory by being able
to think logically in situations outside of reality. In Eriksons psychosocial theory, Jane was in the
fifth stage, identity vs. role confusion, because although she had a sense of who she is in the
present, she has not discovered how she will fit into society in the future. Jane has reached the
fifth stage in Kohlbergs theory of moral development. Evidence for this lays in the fact that Jane
was able to bring her personal values into the Heinz dilemma and realize that they are just as
important to society and the democratic system as laws. Finally, in relation to Maslows
hierarchy of needs, Jane is in the midst of finding others respect and self-actualization. She is
seeking others respect, but at the same time reaching her full potential seems more important to
Jane than receiving that respect. For Janes age, I think the developmental stages she is currently
in are normal and healthy, which was easily discovered through basic knowledge in
developmental and learning theorists and an interview.

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References
Atherton, J.S. (2011). Learning and Teaching; Piaget's developmental theory. [On-line: UK].
Retrieved from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm
Crain, W. C. (1985). Kohlberg's stages of moral development. In Theories of Development (pp.
118-136). Retrieved from http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm
Kurtines, W., & Greif, E. B. (1974). The development of moral thought: Review and evaluation
of Kohlbergs approach. Psychological Bulletin, 81(8), 453-470.
Learning Theories Knowledgebase. (2012, April). Eriksons Stages of Development at LearningTheories.com. Retrieved from http://www.learning-theories.com/eriksons-stages-ofdevelopment.html
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396.
doi: 10.1037/h0054346
Ormrod, J. E. (2011). Educational psychology, developing learners. (7 ed.). Boston: Pearson
College Div.