There is a period in the middle of adult’s lives when they start to experience changes in a how they look at life. This period often referred to as the mid-life crisis, is a period of self doubt often accompanied by depression when one starts to realize that their life is half over (Weaver, 2009). It is the period of life starting around age of 37 and continuing through one’s 50’s (Doheny, 2008). During this period a person may evaluate their past, consider their accomplishments, goals they haven’t met and then rethink their future. They may decide to set new goals. Today this period is acquiring a new name, mid-life transition; because it does not have to be a bad stage of life but a new beginning (Doheny, 2008). For better or worse it is a normal part of adult life.
Mid-life transition period is an emotional stage of life when one begins to put a value on their life. We know it as the mid-life crisis because it is an emotional state and can be a time filled with bouts of severe depression that may require professional help to get through (Doheny, 2008). Sigmund Freud thought that this crisis period of one’s life was a reflection of flaw in the development of a person’s ego during their childhood (Weaver, 2009). Many other believe it is a normal part of adult life when one reflects on their past and may experience anxiety about their future (Weaver, 2009). Many people will place a value on their life, the material things they have acquired, their job, successes and failures, and if they feel they have not done well, this can be a terrible time for a person; this is what has given this period of life the bad name of crisis (Doheny, 2008).
Although this period in an adult’s life has often been referred to as a crisis it does not...
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...rry on the way they always s have (Vickers – Willis, 2002). Some may not even think they are going through a mid-life crisis or transition unless they do a research paper that explains it as being the exact actions they have taken in their life.
Although mid-life is an unavoidable stage in adult development it does not have to be a time to dread. Reflecting on one’s past and re-evaluating one’s future does not have to be a negative experience (Weaver, 2009). Mid-life happens to both men and women and depending on how one chooses to face it will determine whether it is viewed as a crisis or a transition. There will be ups and downs, depression and variety of losses but if one realizes that these are a normal part of aging, keeps an open mind, and positive attitude, the journey through mid-life will be a good one. As with everything in life it is what you make it!
Emerging Adulthood represents the period of development from late teens through their twenties, mainly focusing on the ages 18-25. This is the period which people start exploring and realizing the capabilities of their lives, which then helps them characterize as adults and no longer teenagers. This topic of psychology is compelling to me because it’s a stage that every adult has lived through, it’s interesting that we have all experienced it differently based on our life circumstances and demographics. It’s interesting to see the changes throughout the years and eventually it will be easier for young people to explore these years as more young adults are going to school nowadays. It teaches me to further understand why emerging adults go through
Life Transitions and Life Completion. (n.d.). : Joan Erikson's 9th Stage of Psychosocial Development. Web. 3 December 2014.
The main tenant of the psychosocial development theory throughout the life cycle is that an individual’s personality is held to unfold over the course of their life, with healthy development based on the ability of the individual to master tasks and skills at each level or stage of life (Coady & Lehman, 2008; Hutchison, 2008). Erikson’s original model sectioned the life span into eight levels with each containing its own unique psychosocial challenge or conflict which, depending on the outcome, would help the individual experience positive growth (Coady & Lehman, 2008; (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2005/2011; Hutchison, 2008). The eighth stage encompasses late adulthood, where the conflict experienced is that of integrity versus despair. If an individual has experienced successful o...
...through 8 different psychosocial stages of life. Each step has to be completed in order to have gained knowledge and to be able to be successful in the next stage of development. Researching this topic has taught me that we can’t skip over skills and expect to have success or live happily ever after. I now realize how important learning from my mistakes can be. Childhood becomes the remembered past and adulthood the anticipated future (McAdams, 2001).
Jeffrey Arnott’s theory of “emerging adulthood” provides a context in which I can evaluate my life in terms of my remerging development into adulthood. I am in my early twenties. Physically, I am a fully developed female that understands my own biological functions with great awareness. Cognitively, I am in the process of developing critical thinking skills by attending college, which has allowed me to develop my own ways of processing thoughts and ideas outside of my family and high school. This cognitive development is a very difficult process, which continually engages me to open my mind and learn new ways of thinking about life, society, and mental development. Socially, I am also developing a broader sense of cultural, racial, and think
Williams, R. H., & Wirth, C. G. (1965). Lives through the years: Styles of life and successful aging.
In today’s culture, the number of issues that the average person has to face on a daily basis, are astronomical. Millennials, in particular, have been greatly affected by this, so much so that a new phase in the human lifespan has been created just for them! Dubbed “emerging adulthood” by psychologist Jeffrey Arnett, plopped smack dab in the middle of adolescence, and adulthood, this phase captures any, and all doubts that 20-29 year olds are plagued with. From their economic standing, to racial, ethnic, and identity issues, and to disabilities ranging from both mental, and physical, this phase captures every single uncertainty, fear, and qualm that one person can possibly have in a neat little package.
J. J. Arnett argues his theory about a developmental stage individuals go through of 18-25 year olds as a new concept, (Arnett, 2000, pp. 469). He describes emerging adulthood as being a sustained period of time where this age group, as mentioned previously, explores their roles preceding being an adult. These movements can include events similarly by taking longer than previous years to get married and have children, moving back in with their parents at a point during this age span, exploring self-identities, not feeling like an adult and feelings of self-failure. James E. Cote, who is a previous colleague of Arnett argues the opposite about this concept being an unexperienced developmental stage Arnett calls, “Emerging Adulthood”. Cote states
Late adulthood should be a time in a person's life where they feel fulfilled. They can look back on their memories and be happy with the way they have lived their life. Now, too many elderly people are not satisfied and look at this stage as depressing. Most fear death of either a loved one or for themselves. This topic is interesting to me because elderly people should make the best of their last stage of life. This topic discusses about getting older, the life changes that they go through physically, emotionally, and mentally. We should know more about it so that we can help our family and friends get through one of the best, yet toughest part of our mortal life.
The last stage of Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, which I have no personal experience with, is the crisis between integrity and despair. Swartwood (2014, p. 86) states that at this stage individuals “struggle [with] the acceptance of impending death and the fact that our lives are primarily historical, rather than in the future.” When the elderly look back on their lives and realize that they lived their life with purpose, they are filled with a sense of integrity. On the other hand, individuals who fail to view their life in this positive light tend to fall into despair.
When elderly people move into the last of life’s eight stages of psychosocial development, they enter the ego-integrity-versus-despair stage. This process is defined by looking back over someone’s life, evaluating it, then accepting it. People who become successful in this stage feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Erikson refers to this acceptance as integrity. This differs from generativity because one is accepting the end of their life, instead of accepting where their life will start in a sense of career and self. However, if one is to look back on their life with dissatisfaction, they may feel they have been cheated or missed opportunities. Such individuals will mostly be depressed or angry about the way life turned out and
Middle adulthood is the generatively vs. stagnation stages in which an adult must care of others and realize that they need a family or a legacy. During this stage, people will nurture their own family or find ways to nurture others that need to be nurtured outside their immediate family. If an adult does not overcome the crisis during this stage, then they will not grow which will result in them being selfish and
“A transition is a discrete life change or event within a trajectory, whereas a trajectory is a sequence of linked states within a conceptually defined range of behavior or experience” (Mitchell, 2003). A life changing event can be categorized as getting married, having a baby, etc. A trajectory event may occur during someone’s educational life, or perhaps during their career. Another life course principle is diversity of heterogeneity in structures or methods. “Matilda Riley’s (1987) research supported a model of age stratification-the different experiences of different cohorts-and so helped to overcome the fallacy of cohort centrism, the notion that cohorts share perspectives simply because they share a common age group” (Mitchell, 2003). Really, these groups are not similar gatherings of individuals, instead they are diverse in aspects such as influential extents like sex, social class, family structure, origin, and belief. Also, the capability to adjust to life course modification can differ with the resources intrinsic in these foundations in the procedure of financial or social wealth or social
Adulthood has often been associated with independence. It serves as a turning point in life where one has to take responsibility for oneself and no longer being dependent on his or her family. Early adulthood, usually begins from late teens or early twenties and will last until the thirties (Santrock, 2013). Early adulthood revolves around changes and exploration while middle and late adulthood are more of stability. The transition from adolescence and adulthood differs among every individual. The onset of the transition is determined by many factors such as culture, family background, and the personality of the individual. Emerging adulthood (as cited in Santrock, 2014) is the term to describe the transition period from adolescence to adulthood.
We all have those days where we feel so hopeless or unable to do anything right. We have all felt that we couldn’t finish school or other life challenges. We question everything about life, that’s what happened with me. I had never had a normal life and now it takes a turn for the worse. I grew up under the circumstances that forced me to become more responsible and mature, which has enabled me to succeed later in life.