Perspectives on Changes in Adulthood

From conception and birth until the time we die, we undergo changes. I do not think people will remember their own prenatal development or are likely to remember their own birth, but we do remember the changes that occur during our early, middle, and late adulthood years. I have a philosophy on our changing lives, a perception of changes in activities, relationships, health, and mental outlook, and base my views on both observation and experience.

Inherently, I believe most of us want to live a good life. Finding deep meaning in life as we journey during our times seems to be important to many people. How we think, speak, and act and what we decide to do with our time depends greatly on where we are in our knowledge and wisdom, where we are in regard to what we have inherited in our biology, where we are in regard to our cognitive development, where we are in our emotional development, and where we are in our social development. Each phase of adulthood, early, middle, and late, all have their own set of changes in the areas of biology and cognitive, emotional, and social development.

In early adulthood, by observation and experience, I noticed that those with bad temperaments often develop bad behaviors such as fighting with others, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, and develop a pessimistic view of their futures. I believe biology and environment affect how those with bad temperaments develop.

On the other hand, those in early adulthood with good temperaments seem to be healthier physically and mentally. Activities are more likely to be productive and relationships healthier. Those with more optimism will set goals and follow dreams so they can have happy futures. Good and bad temperaments can result from genetics and from environment. I think that even though people can seem victims of their genetics or circumstances, some do overcome the odds and turn out the opposite of what might be predicted.

In early adulthood, our physical development has much to do with our biology. We may be small for our age, average, or the giant in class depending on what we have been dealt genetically. Our health during this time can depend on environmental factors, biological factors, and economical factors. For example, children who live in a home where there are smokers are more likely to develop asthma. If parents do not have health insurance and cannot afford dental care, children's teeth may decay.

In early adulthood, cognitive development can also be linked to genetics. Often times, when children have smart family members, they are more likely to be intelligent as well. Opportunity can be a major factor in whether we learn or not. Those with quality education have the opportunity to advance intellectually as they go through their early adulthood. Language development can hinge on educational opportunity and whether or not parents and family take the time to speak and read to their young people.

During our early years, our emotional development can be determined by biology. For example, if we inherit a mental illness from our genetics we may have a rocky road ahead emotionally. Emotional development can be determined by our environment. If our environments are loving and kind, we will likely be more emotionally stable.

Our social development depends a great deal on our emotional development. If we grow up around dysfunctional, emotionally unhealthy people we may gravitate toward peer relationships that mimic what we know instead of looking for healthier friendships. The self-esteem we develop during these years is important in how we develop socially. If we have low self-esteem, we may be timid and get picked on. If we have a high level of self-esteem, we value ourselves and allow people who treat us well into our lives and are more likely to disregard bullies as sad.

As we transition out of early adulthood and into middle adulthood, hopefully we have been encouraged, nurtured, and supported. We also hopefully learn from our failures and use those disappointments to grow in understanding. Middle adulthood can be an exciting time in our lives.

As in early adulthood, the middle years can be determined somewhat by biology. Even more than biological factors, I believe we usually are creators of our own situations at this point. We begin to re-evaluate where we have been and where we still want to go. This can be a time for re-birth for many people.

In middle adulthood, many people are working hard to support family and care for children. People often want to choose activities that they enjoy with their family and/or friends. Relationships are often assessed. Some in their middle years decide the partnership they are involved in is no longer productive and decide to make a drastic life change and get a divorce if they are married or end the partnership. I think much of how we see life in our middle years has to do with popular societal views. Media gives society ideas of what life should be like and we often try to achieve those ideas.

In the middle years, our cognitive and language development can depend on opportunity of education, training, and financial status. Usually, more intelligent people achieve better careers that enhance income. If we choose to read a lot we will be smarter people.

Emotional and social changes during this time depend on the activities and habits we choose. If we put emphasis on caring for our families, we will be productive in that way emotionally and socially. Those in their middle years usually have the desire to be generative, helping to make their world a better place, thereby making the world a better place for those around them.

In middle adulthood, people often become more aware of their health. Making healthier food choices and exercising regularly may become a priority. Mentally, those raising a family may feel overwhelmed at times, but overall, there are great rewards to be felt when bringing up children. Those without children can be overwhelmed too. Workloads may become great and because our society puts so much emphasis on marriage and family, those who decide to not get married or those couples who decide not to have children may feel pressure to do so by other family and/or friends.

Those who have families may find their single friends put on a back burner so-to-speak since they may seem to not have as much in common anymore. I think in the middle years, many people want to have meaningful relationships that are not in any way harmful to them. Only those who have developed a learned helplessness may end up in unhealthy unions with others based on dependence.

I had always heard the later years described as the golden years while I was growing up. At 38, the pessimist in me wonders how the noticeable wrinkles, sagging, and growing aches and pains can hardly be "golden". The optimist, though, can look ahead a ways and see that remaining active is an important part of the later years. Biology may deal us a bad hand when it comes to developing disease beyond our control. Our habits also contribute to how we develop physically during this time.

Cognitive development can be strengthened during this time by taking on intellectually challenging tasks such as continuing reading, taking an art class, and remaining active within the community. These tasks also help in maintaining a sense of generativity and help us to stay healthy emotionally. These tasks give us the social connectedness we should strive for so we do not become isolated, lonely, and depressed. In our later years, striving to be healthy, active, and maintain healthy relationships with others is important to our happiness.

We do not know how long our lives will be. Inherently, I believe we all desire a good and meaningful life. Through the years, our cognitive development, emotional development, and social development can be determined by biology and environmental factors. What we decide to do with those factors is ultimately up to us.