Impact of the Five Principles of Life Course Framework

Written Analysis of Life Course Theory
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Written Analysis of Life Course Theory
Human life occurs in a systematic and orderly manner as influenced by diverse, dynamic, and interlinked factors. This understanding led to the formulation of the life course perspective or theory that illustrates the reasonable patterns associated with social structures, age, and historical elements in the lives of every person. According to Shanahan et al. (2016), five principles dominate the life course theory – human agency, lifespan development, linked lives, timing, and historical time and geographical place. Each of these components is fundamental in understanding the life outcomes of individuals, the influences their experiences had on their current aspects, and other identifying aspects in their lives. As a result, this paper will reflect on the case of Anna Latina, a 58-year-old refugee from El Salvador, to identify the impact of the five principles of life course framework on various aspects of her life.
The concept of lifespan development advances the view that human beings follow traceable biological, social, and psychological growth from childhood to old age. Shanahan et al. (2016) reveal that one can explain the mechanism of how the earlier experiences and associated meanings shape the situations that individuals encounter in their adulthood. For instance, the authors emphasize that aspects such as early educational exposure and related accomplishments play a fundamental role in determining a person’s income achievements and occupation. In this context, the case study demonstrates that Anna’s challenging early life interfered with her capacity to gain meaningful education, leading to her job cleaning houses. The delays indicate her persistent desire to advance her education and become a health technician. This ambition arises from her inadequate income, a life-long consequence of her earlier experiences (Shanahan et al., 2016). Recognizing that Anna is grappling with career change at age 58 confirms the complications in a person’s development and achievement of respective milestones through the life stages. The inability to access appropriate occupation and sufficient income may also have influenced Anna’s capacity to secure health insurance for decades until 2010. Thus, these aspects of her life illustrate the importance of the lifespan development principle in shaping one’s experiences throughout the life cycle.
Human choices are influential in the outcomes of a person’s life. According to Shanahan et al. (2016), the human agency principle underlines the influence of a person in their life through the choices they make to avail dicers opportunities and options they prioritize to tackle the challenges they face as they advance in age. The authors add that diverse elements like social circumstances, historical issues, and personalities determine the choices taken by specific individuals. Such aspects demonstrate why people in similar locations may opt for divergent decisions, as depicted by the wife to Anna’s brother and Ann in this case. One decided to escape the co...