Adulthood
Adulthood
Adulthood begins around 20 years old and has three distinct stages: early, middle, and late.
Each stage brings its own set of rewards and challenges which we will explore in terms of physical, cognitive and psychosocial development.
Physical developmentEarly adulthood
By the time we reach early adulthood (20 to early 40s), our physical maturation is complete, although our height and weight may increase slightly. In young adulthood, our physical abilities are at their peak, including muscle strength, reaction time, sensory abilities, and cardiac functioning.
Most professional athletes are at the top of their game during this stage. Many women have children in the young adulthood years, so they may see additional weight gain and breast changes.
Middle adulthood
Middle adulthood extends from the 40s to the 60s. Physical decline is gradual. The skin loses some elasticity, and wrinkles are among the first signs of ageing. Visual acuity decreases during this time. Women experience a gradual decline in fertility as they approach the onset of menopause, the end of the menstrual cycle, around 50 years old.
Both men and women tend to gain weight: in the abdominal area for men and in the hips and thighs for women. Hair begins to thin and turn gray.
Late adulthood
Late adulthood is considered to extend from the 60s on. This is the last stage of physical change. The skin continues to lose elasticity, reaction time slows further, and muscle strength diminishes. Smell, taste, hearing, and vision, so sharp in our twenties, decline significantly.
The brain may also no longer function at optimal levels, leading to problems like memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease in later years.
Consider watching on YouTube, where Neil Unger talks about why he rides a skateboard.Cognitive development
Because we spend so many years in adulthood (more than any other stage), cognitive changes are numerous. In fact, research suggests that adult cognitive development is a complex, ever changing process that may be even more active than cognitive development in infancy and early childhood.
Unlike our physical abilities, which peak in our mid-20s and then begin a slow decline, our cognitive abilities remain steady throughout early and middle adulthood.
Our crystallised intelligence (information, skills, and strategies we have gathered through a lifetime of experience) tends to hold steady as we age—it may even improve. For example, adults show relatively stable to increasing scores on intelligence tests until their mid-30s to mid-50s.
However, in late adulthood we begin to experience a decline in another area of our cognitive abilities—fluid intelligence (information processing capabilities, reasoning, and memory). These processes become slower. How can we delay the onset of cognitive decline?
Mental and physical activity seems to play a part. Research has found adults who engage in mentally and physically stimulating activities experience less cognitive decline and have a reduced incidence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
For an example, consider watching on YouTube, where a television report discusses research on intelligence, and what happens to us as we age.Psychosocial development
There are many theories about the social and emotional aspects of ageing. Some aspects of healthy ageing include activities, social connectedness, and the role of a person's culture.
According to many theorists, including George Vaillant, who studied and analysed over 50 years of data, we need to have and continue to find meaning throughout our lives. For those in early and middle adulthood, meaning is found through work and family life.
These areas relate to the tasks that Erikson referred to as generativity and intimacy. Adults tend to define themselves by what they do—their careers. Earnings peak during this time, yet job satisfaction is more closely tied to work that involves contact with other people, is interesting, provides opportunities for advancement, and allows some independence than it is to salary.
Consider revisiting, for a refresher on each developmental task that makes up Erikson's eight stages of development.
Positive relationships with significant others in our adult years have been found to contribute to a state of well-being. Most adults identify themselves through their relationships with family—particularly with spouses, children, and parents.
Consider watching , or on YouTube for a range of perspectives on ageing, and what it means for society, and more.
While raising children can be stressful, especially when they are young, research suggests that parents reap the rewards down the road, as adult children tend to have a positive effect on parental well-being. Having a stable marriage has also been found to contribute to well-being throughout adulthood.
Another aspect of positive ageing is believed to be social connectedness and social support. As we get older, socioemotional selectivity theory suggests that our social support and friendships dwindle in number, but remain as close, if not more close than in our earlier years.
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