Psychological Adjustments during Early and Middle Adulthood - Essay Example

Psychological Adjustments during Early and Middle Adulthood Introduction Throughout their entire life humans develop through a series of stages each distinct from the others. Through each stage, from infancy to adulthood, the human undergoes a series of changes and adjustments best suited for the particular phase. Early adulthood represents the period in life between adolescence and a fully matured adult. These are the individuals without children and who are still exploring life[Cli15]. On the other hand, middle adulthood is the period of adulthood before old age usually ranging between the late thirties to early fifties. In this case, there is reduced human output[Bri15]. Various psychological developments accompany these stages of life. Psychological developments in these stages of human development include cognitive, intellectual, and emotional changes. There is also an increase in the social capability and over the span of the stage and an increase in the functioning[Bri15]. Various psychological adjustments exist for each developmental stage. The aim of this paper is to explore the psychological development during early and middle adulthood. Evolution of Social and Intimate Relationships during Early and Middle Adulthood Though timing of various events during early and middle adulthood vary, they nevertheless tend to follow a predetermined sequence known as a social clock usually a culture-preferred sequence of central life events[Cha15]. During early adulthood, individuals are more concerned with the development of social and intimate relationships. Usually amplified compared to the physical changes are the emotional and psychological changes associated with this stage [Rou15]. Typically, they seek to form relationships in the form of social interactions through friendships, and they seek intimacy through love. Marriage decisions are in most cases made during this stage. It is also now that building of relationships that last a lifetime happens. This chapter in the human development marks life’s career choices. These career choices in turn affect other spheres of the individuals’ social life. Friends, political views, place of residence are the some of the factors that are most affected socially[Cli15]. Middle adulthood manifests itself through different changes social and intimate relationships. For example, women with adult children, develop the empty nest syndrome where they feel unwanted. Also, there has been witnessing of an emotional rebellion referred to as a midlife crisis. Here the individual realizes that there is less time left to make past wrongs right[Bri15]. Another primary facet during middle adulthood is the identity development. Here the individual continually revises or confirms his or her life perceptions based on the ideas of others. Social roles and the expectations of the society are likely to have an effect on the individual. The importance placed on intimate relationships in this stage declines. Marriages become unhappier and are even more probable to end up in divorce (Papalia et al. 2004). Role changes during Early and Middle Adulthood Passage into adulthood has become marked with more differences in the timing and changes in the social function (Maggs et al. 2012). Development through the early and middle adulthood is marked by various changes in the roles mainly the increase in the responsibilities that face each. For example, the early adulthood is manifest by becoming more independent. This development at the beginning of adulthood presents new financial responsibilities and a change in the role of an adolescent to an independent adult. Getting married, raising children, and having a family also present a shift in the roles to those of a father and a mother[San03]. In addition to having a role to play in normal children development there is also a shift in taking responsibility for actions and a change in roles in the relationship. The role such as the provision of emotional support to both the children and the spouse also comes up. The responsibility of offering a moral example to the children in the society and being a role model also comes up. During middle adulthood, the role shift too. For example, the individual is now tasked with providing parental care to the aging parents. This role may even stretch up to offering retirement advice to the aging parents[San03]. Middle adulthood is also concerned with guiding of the future generations. They become more concerned with offering advice to the young. Largely, the children’s role shifts from the dependent children to the responsible caregiver[Wha15]. Impact of Healthy and Unhealthy Habits Practiced during Early and Middle Adulthood When performed early, they form the basis Healthy habits formed in the throughout the human development particularly in the early and middle adulthood reduce risk factors in the intermediate and old age. Healthy life choices would include eating a healthy diet free of cholesterol, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking, and avoiding bad habits. For example, according to research done, it has been found that adopting these practices results in a reduced risk of heart disease. Sixty percent of people who adopted these behaviors, for example, led better lives with the low-risk incidence of heart disease compared to the 5 % who did not[Kel12]. Promoting these health habits in children is especially valuable in developing quality relationships and developing a solid foundation for the child[Ask14]. Physical and Cognitive Development During growth, development, and transition through the various stages of development certain physical and cognitive adjustments occur. For example in physical changes in middle adulthood involve increases in sensory and motor functioning. For example, there is reduced functioning in terms of hearing high pitched sounds in the transition[Rob00].Ability to focus declines there is also sexual and reproductive function that remains a vital part. In females, this stage marks the female climacteric discernible by psychological changes that bring on menopause. Cognitive development is noticeable by both changes in intelligence and post-formal thought. Cognitive development is mostly a double-edged sword clear by gains and losses in different areas. Intelligence is at peak during early adulthood and declines during the middle adulthood. In terms of post-formal thought, the adult becomes a relativist. They rely on subjective feelings, intuition, as well as logic[Rob00]. Conclusion Throughout the development of the individual early and middle development stages, various psychological changes occur that affect the individual. From the above study changes in terms of changes in social and intimate relationships occur. Typically, there is a need for social interaction and intimacy. Another adjustment is in the role of the individual as he becomes more responsible opposed to being dependent. It is also at this stage that effects of habits developed during childhood such as exercising are felt. Finally, the cognitive and physical adjustments such as changes in sensory monitoring are also evident in human development. Hence, the variations between the young and middle-aged adults. These psychological changes give way to human development. References Cli15: , (CliffsNotes, 2015), Bri15: , (Brittanica, 2015), Cha15: , (Stangor, 2015), Rou15: , (Roundy, 2015), San03: , (Srivastava, 2003), Wha15: , (What-when-how, 2015), Kel12: , (Bryan, 2012), Ask14: , (Askew, 2014), Rob00: , (Feldman, 2000), Read More