Introduction

During life there are quantitative changes (height, weight, vocabulary) and qualitative
changes (structural or organizational character: intelligence, memory) that occur in the
human being from conception to death and remain for a reasonable time, which is
known as Human development. This is characterized by being: gradual, relatively
orderly and involves individual differences. Aspects such as: physical, intellectual,
personal and social are taken into account; and biological (heredity, maturation),
environmental (learning, physical/natural, socio-cultural) and personal factors influence
development.

Adulthood is the stage between approximately 18 and 60 years of age. At this stage of
life the individual normally reaches the fullness of their biological and psychological
development. The development of personality and character is consolidated, which
appear relatively firm and secure, with all the individual differences that may occur in
reality.
 Goals

General objective

Know the theory of adult development from a behavioral point of view, in an

understandable way, to identify the change that the individual experiences after
adolescence.

Specific objectives

 Identify and discuss the evolutionary stages of adulthood

 will identify important aspects of physical development in adulthood.

 will analyze the physical, intellectual and psychosocial characteristics of each of the
stages of adult development.
Adulthood Development
 During life there are quantitative changes (height,
weight, vocabulary) and qualitative changes
(structural or organizational character:
intelligence, memory) that occur in the human
being from conception to death and remain for a
reasonable time, which is known as Human
development. This is characterized by being:
gradual, relatively orderly and involves individual
differences. Aspects such as: physical,
intellectual, personal and social are taken into
account; and biological (heredity, maturation),
environmental (learning, physical/natural, socio-
cultural) and personal factors influence
development.

Adulthood is the stage between approximately 18 and 60 years of age. At this stage of life the
individual normally reaches the fullness of their biological and psychological development. The
development of personality and character is consolidated, which appear relatively firm and secure,
with all the individual differences that may occur in reality. In this way, adulthood constitutes a
very extensive period within the life cycle, generally divided into two stages: Early Adulthood and
Middle Adulthood.

Early Adulthood or Young Adult: From 18 to 30/40 years old approx.

It is the beginning of coming of age. Many characterize early adulthood as the period from age 18
(when one is legally an adult) to the moment in which the individual finds employment and
assumes family roles: founds a family, has children, among others.

Characteristics:
• Biologically, the functions are at their
maximum functioning, they are stable, which
translates into security, power and dominance,
there is strength, energy and physical resistance.
A consolidated intellectual functioning.
• On a psychological level, the feeling of mastery
manifests itself in a feeling of autonomy, which
allows one to use energy more efficiently. Control
emotions and find intimacy.
• For society, these years are the most important of all life. There is consolidation of identity and
the beginning of the realization of the life project. Adaptation to social life.

Social Development and Personality:

Humans change and grow in many different ways during the period from 18 to 40 years old.
During these 2 decades, many of the decisions that will affect the rest of life are made, regarding
the health, happiness and success of the individual. This is a phase of important social changes in
the areas of professional and family life, changes that would be summarized in the appropriation of
those roles required for the execution of a series of tasks such as choosing a partner, starting a
occupation, learning in marital coexistence, parenthood and care of children, taking care of the
home, acquisition of civic responsibilities, locating a group to belong to, among the main ones.

Job:
Work is strongly linked to all aspects of intellectual, physical, social and emotional development. In
general, age differences in performance appear to depend greatly on how performance is
measured and the demands of a specific class of jobs. A job that requires quick reflexes, for
example, is more likely to be performed better by a younger person; one that depends on maturity
of judgment may be better performed by an older person.

In the long run, young workers (under 35), who are in the process of building their careers, are
less satisfied with their jobs, in general, than they will be later. They are less committed to their
jobs, less committed to their employers, and are more likely to change jobs than they will be later
in life.

Marriage:
Mainly the task of intimacy is given. The vast majority, both men and women, get married in this
period (25-34 years). It also implies the possibility of being parents, complementing and
completing each other, different tasks and psychological needs, interdependence, the need for
love. What is built between the two is a common psychological space (with couple projects).

Forming a couple requires the establishment of a commitment with the other (other couple
alternatives are renounced, and other relationships that compete with the couple relationship are
also renounced); To carry out the project you have to negotiate; There is a construction of the
couple's identity that goes through the common project, its realization; there is a fusion of
identities (not only to satisfy the other, but to achieve a common identity). For this, loving feelings
must predominate over aggressive ones. The couple takes charge of their own conflicts and does
not air them with others.

There is the ability to establish lasting relationships, where there is an appreciation of the partner
and there is no exploitative tendency (dominated-dominator), but rather cooperation.

Be parents:
New parents have a series of expectations about how they will be as parents, which are modified
with experience, to make these expectations more realistic. Being a parent offers the chance to
see, more intimately, how someone of the opposite sex develops. It enables a better understanding
of the couple by living the experience of fatherhood and motherhood together. However,
pregnancy in women can generate anxiety, but achieving it gives security. Conceiving a child gives
insecurity about its care and upbringing, but it also provides a lot of security, since it is a stimulus
for the integration and elaboration of sexuality.

Being a father expands social relationships, depending on the children. It offers the possibility of
identifying with one's own parents, preparing for the stages to come. Fatherhood is a very great
source of gratification. Children go through stages that require special attitudes from parents. What
worked in one stage may not work in another.

Singleness:
There are alternatives to marriage, such as being single. Singles form a heterogeneous group, as
they may have chosen this option for different reasons:

• Professionals: they sublimate the frustration of not finding a partner by immersing themselves
in work, searching for stability, social position, among others.

• Social: they prefer to remain single to enjoy freedom and individuality. Establish relationships in
different social spheres, in search of recognition, status, identification with groups.

• Individualistic: focused on self-development, self-identity, among others, so their free time is

dedicated to that and learning.

• Activists: very active people, they spend all their time on a specific cause and not on their
personal life.

• Passive: they spend most of their time alone, they have no initiative to share.

• Welfare: religious, option for the poor, among others; where the purpose of life is to serve and
help others.

The Experiential Crisis or Mid-Life Crisis:

It is the one that occurs between young adulthood and middle adulthood, which once overcome
gives way to middle adulthood, in which values are contrasted with work life, reality and
practicality. It is a period of restructuring, with new possibilities for maturity and development. It is
not an inevitable event, since the existence of good resources to face the demands of the
environment and those of personal growth would allow a good adaptation to mature age.
Middle Adulthood: From 30/40 to 45/60 years approx.

At this stage people participate fully in social activities. You enter professional life. The main
concerns are finding a permanent job and finding a spouse to start a home. Social and professional
roles are consolidated.

Characteristics:
• Decrease in sensory abilities and physical
capacity.

• Fruitful period of professional and creative

work.
• Work stresses affect physical and emotional
well-being.
• They are caught between caring for teenagers
and being elderly parents.

• There is relative stability at a material level and

in the field of social relations.
• With experience, greater integration of knowledge is achieved. Efficiency is related to experience.

• Personality integration: you are less vulnerable to external pressures, you know how to handle
them better.

After 30, a slight decline in physical functions begins. Social and professional roles are maintained
at this stage. It is an especially prone period to look back and see what has happened to previous
dreams, hopes and projects. It is also a stage of great productivity, especially in the intellectual and
artistic sphere, and is ultimately the period in which full self-realization is achieved.

Physical changes:

• Gray hair, baldness, dry skin (wrinkles) appear.

• Decrease in muscle strength and reaction speed.

• Accumulation of adipose tissue in certain sectors of the body.

• These changes do not imply a loss of functions, but rather these decreases imply the generation
of changes in lifestyle habits.
In Women:

• Physically, women experience menopause (45-

50).

• Fluctuating decline.

• Here there is a loss of a function: the

reproductive capacity. Bad temper, lability, lack
of energy. Misalignment in relation to the
previous balance.
Physical (changes) and psychological symptoms:
“I'm getting old, I can't have any more children.”

Women will experience old age much more acceptably, as long as they have not focused their self-
esteem on physical attractiveness.

In the man:

• Andropause in men: decrease in the male

hormone (testosterone).
• Decrease in the amount of sperm and its speed.
• Decreases the frequency of sexual relations.
• With the loss of testosterone there is a certain
sexual instability, requiring more stimulation and
support from the partner.

All of these changes generate a lot of anguish and grief for the young body. They reinforce the
awareness of old age and approaching death; for this, a process of acceptance of the new physical
image must be generated, and the changes must be integrated into the personality.

Emotional and Personal Changes:

The change on the sexual side leads to more affiliative and affective manifestations in men,
incorporating feminine characteristics into their personality, while women appear more aggressive
and assertive. Erikson talks about how in this stage the person goes through the conflict between
generativity and stagnation, where generativity implies giving what is most authentic, what is one's
own, what has gone through one's own experience and is manifested in children, values, work and
relationship with others.
Crisis of the Middle Ages:

The pre-crisis phase is a very stable period, there is high self-control, impulses do not push to exit.
You must deal with society and the world. At this stage, personal balance and a readjustment of
expectations and dreams appear, taking into account the possibilities of the context. Pain arises for
the unrealized, a concern for the need to feel young, which can lead in some cases to the "mid-life
crisis." Face the possibility of being surpassed by your children. One also suffers from knowing that
one is no longer a source of identification for one's children; They recognize flaws and criticize
openly. The healthiest thing would be to be able to accept and feel gratified by the process of self-
determination of children. Furthermore, being subject to evaluation must be tolerated.

Psychosocial factors:

The achievement of stability, plus the physical changes typical of this stage, generate a phase of
introversion that is related to the individuation process (described by Jung ). Having mastered
external pressures, you can dedicate your energy to self-knowledge. Because of this, the average
adult is expected to know themselves more, to become more authentic, in the sense that they have
a more realistic view of life. Grief processes are experienced (how I was before, how I am now,
what I have left to live). Relations with the external world become more selective.

Adults are more aware of their limitations, they are afraid of failure. Previous experience, successes
and failures play a very important role in this. There is a greater tolerance for frustration . Highest
rating for patience. The functions of the Ego become more efficient, since emotional states can be
experienced without overflowing or harming others. Changes test the maturity of the personality.

Learning and Motivation:

Learning capacity depends on people's motivation and interests more than their intelligence.
Adults, in general, are less curious to learn new things. They learn because they want to, freely
and voluntarily, to the extent that they are motivated to do so.

Extrinsic Motivations:

• Solve specific problems or needs.

• Professional adaptation (need for a degree).
• Promote yourself at work and what it means as
social promotion. Due to this, technological
development has complicated professional life
and requires continuous recycling.
• Help children with their studies.
 Intrinsic Motivations:

• Personal satisfaction and increase the sense of

self-esteem.

• Open new paths in your daily routine, to

develop a fuller life.

• Greater security in the personal, family and

professional environment.

• Adapt to social changes.

The job:

Limitations of personal projects are perceived backwards and towards the future (“there is little
time left”). There is fear of competition from new generations. It is a career consolidation phase (3
stages):

1. When doing the review, the average adult becomes aware of what the goals are.

2. Which ones were carried out and which ones were not.

3. What projects I would like to carry out.

Carry out plans and projects. It's about creatively redirecting energy. The feeling of continuity of
the project itself is developed. The role of tutor is assumed, more leadership regarding the new
generations. It makes it possible to develop different aspects of oneself, both for the tutor and the
tutored. This allows the tutor to feel valued professionally. It enables the sublimation of aggressive
aspects in front of the youngest. The role of tutor involves the ability to identify with the
achievements of younger people, strengthens their skills, supports, guides and advises them,
facilitating general development. Serves as a model in different areas.

Couple:
A reordering of married life is required, due to the empty nest phenomenon. Now you can address
topics that you couldn't before due to dedication to your children. Conflicts arise that were latent
throughout the couple's life that had not been resolved for some reason. Spending more time
together produces difficulties in the daily relationship; a different system is required that allows for
real accommodation. Within the review of the crisis, it is concluded that the couple shares a
common past that allows the projection of old age together, which gives the couple peace of mind.
These signs change the perspective of time, the awareness of personal death appears.
Both in the stage of early adulthood and in middle adulthood, society establishes some criteria,
based on what is demonstrated during these stages (physical changes, relationships, work,
psychosocial factors and others), these serve as a guide. to categorize not only by age, but also by
behavior, this allows us to define whether the adult according to his or her age complies or not
with what society establishes. So, if he is accepted and adapts, he represents a mature adult and
when he does not succeed, he is an immature adult.

Mature Adult vs. Immature Adult

The Mature Adult:
• You adequately control your emotional life, which allows you to face problems with greater
serenity and security than in previous stages.
• It completely adapts to social and cultural life.
• Start your own family.
• Fully exercises their professional, civic and cultural activity. It is the stage of greatest
performance in the activity.
• Is able to recognize and value their own possibilities and limitations. This makes you feel capable
of doing some things and incapable of others. Basic condition to a effective cunduct. Normally he
has a correct perception of reality (objectivity), which enables him to behave with greater
effectiveness and a sense of responsibility.

The Immature Adult:

• He is contradictory in his behavior (incoherent) and does not control his emotional reactions.
• Does not perceive reality as it is (lack of objectivity).

• Less aware, responsible and tolerant (failure at work)

• Does not adapt adequately to social life (maladjusted).

Education for life – Lifestyle:

During the development of life, adults in their different stages, considering the variability and
individuality of each person, establish their own lifestyle, which is closely related to health, social
relationships, work, sexual life and others. , also influenced by the different factors that intervene
in its growth. This style is not chosen from a list of alternatives that life presents, nor is it subject
to random destiny. The lifestyle is shaped from the first years of life and is strengthened when one
reaches adulthood (in fact, one of the characteristics that distinguishes adults is the assignment of
a responsibility recognized by society). However, it is possible to partially or totally modify this style
when you reach middle adulthood.

Changes are possible when you have a wealth of skills and knowledge to face the next challenges
that life will present. Where are these resources obtained? Among others, education plays a very
important role in this process since, to venture into specialized studies or some job (professional or
not), basic educational preparation is required, in addition to “life” learning, the latter being the
collection and internalization of lived experiences. Although many of the lifestyle prototypes shown
by the mass media are unattainable for most people, they help the individual compare their current
state of lifestyle with the possible alternatives that the world offers. Social relationships allow us to
compare the immediate environment with what each person is, has and aspires to, to continue
forming and establishing their own lifestyle.

Conclusions

 In conclusion, despite all the physical deteriorations typical of age that people
can suffer, many face these changes with a positive and youthful attitude, they
have an active life, rich in experiences, in short, very satisfactory.

 Old age does not have to be the lowest point in the life cycle since satisfactory
aging is possible, and society must discover its components, reorganizing our
thoughts and social structures.
  The main task of older people is to understand and accept their own lives and
use their wealth of experience to cope with personal changes or losses.

 People must adapt to declining physical health and strength, to retirement, and
to adapt to their own death. As they deal with these issues, their motivations
may vary.

 An old age full of meaning is one in which a contemplative and reflective attitude
predominates, reconciling with its achievements and failures, and with its defects.

 You must achieve self-acceptance and learn to enjoy the pleasures that this stage
offers. So you have to remember that you have to actively prepare for aging, to
be able to face death without fear, as something natural, as part of the life cycle.

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