Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and
Adulthood
introduction
Development is a lifelong affair, which does not
stop when we reach adulthood. Try this thought
experiment. Whatever your current age, imagine
yourself ten years from now. Will your life have
progressed? Will you have attained any goals?
What state will your body be in, and how will you
feel about it? Where will you be living? Will your
cognitive and occupational skills have improved
and broadened, or started to slow down? Do you
anticipate changes in your financial status? Will
you have gained/retained/replaced a partner?
How will you adjust to new responsibilities (at
work, at home)? Will your leisure activities differ?
Will you have had children/seen existing children
grow up and leave home? Would you expect other
people to regard and treat you differently from the
ways they do now? What changes in the larger
world (technological, political, economic) might
affect you in a decade’s time?
If ten years ahead is an awesome prospect, imagine yourself 20, 30 or
more years from now and repeat the exercise.
Did you find this an easy or difficult task? Is your life course planned
and your intention to follow it unshakeable, or do you see it as open
to the decisions of others, or governed by pure
chance? Do you look forward to change (and ageing), or does the
prospect unnerve you?
It soon becomes clear when we contemplate our own futures that
change is inevitable. But to what extent is development in adulthood
due to intrinsic, fundamental changes in the organism, to
accumulating experiences in complex environments, or to social and
community pressures to adapt? Is change continuous and gradual, or
is it marked by major transitions? You will notice that these are
similar issues to those questions we
considered in chapter 9. In this chapter, we follow developments
beyond childhood, beginning with adolescence and then
moving into the phases of adulthood – early, middle and late.
Although there are many aspects to development during adolescence
and adulthood, and wide individual variation in circumstances and
achievements, the core issues, psychologically
speaking, continue to revolve around the themes covered in chapter
9. So, once again, we will follow each phase of development from
physical, cognitive and social perspectives.
Contents:
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Studying, employment and unemployment each presents its stresses. At the same time, young adults tend to
be finding their way through the world of romance, which can also lead to stress and anguish. All of this
happens alongside changes in relationships with parents, and the increasing expectation that the young
person will take responsibility for her own life – including, perhaps, a shift to a new home.
It would be an unusual person indeed who proceeded through these developmental tasks without at least
occasionally wondering who she is, or who she is becoming, and how she is faring
compared to her peers. For most people, facing these issues brings a range of emotional reactions.
Middle Adulthood
During mid-life, people experience a range of external and internal physical changes. External changes include
the appearance of grey hair and hair thinning, increases in facial wrinkles, and a tendency to put on weight
around the waist or lower body. Internal changes include reductions in the efficiency of the cardiovascular,
respiratory and nervous systems.
There are changes to the sensory capacities, too. One of the most noticeable for most middle-aged people is the
onset of presbyopia – a condition of farsightedness due to progressive changes in the shape of the lens of the eye.
This leads to difficulty in reading small print – you may notice people of this age holding printed matter further
away than a younger reader does. Hearing, particularly sensitivity to higher frequency sounds, is also prone to
weaken during middle age.
Physical Development
During mid-life, people experience a range of external and internal physical changes. External changes include the
appearance of grey hair and hair thinning, increases in facial wrinkles, and a tendency to put on weight around the
waist or lower body. Internal changes include reductions in the efficiency of the cardiovascular, respiratory and
nervous systems. There are changes to the sensory capacities, too. One of the most noticeable for most middle-aged
people is the onset of presbyopia – a condition of farsightedness due to progressive changes
in the shape of the lens of the eye. This leads to difficulty in reading small print – you may notice people of this age
holding printed matter further away than a younger reader does. Hearing, particularly sensitivity to higher frequency
sounds, is also prone to weaken during middle age.
This is the time when women experience the menopause – the cessation of menstruation. Many women suffer
some level of physical and psychological discomfort as a result, such as hot flushes, mood changes, loss of libido
and insomnia. But the intensity of these symptoms varies considerably among individuals, and menopausal status
is not a strong predictor of psychological distress. There is some evidence that the physical symptoms associated
with menopause vary across some cultures. This may reflect variations in diet and/or social expectations about the
nature of the menopause.
As at other stages of the lifespan, physical changes are closely interwoven with psychological changes. Signs of
ageing prompt many people to review their lives and some begin to feel dissatisfied with their bodies. In a large
sample of middle-aged and older Swiss women, for example, Allaz, Bernstein, Rouget et al. (1998) found that a
majority expressed dissatisfaction about their weight and many had dieted to control it, even though their
weight fell within the normal range.
Individuals’ own behavioural choices can moderate the effects of biological changes. For example, menopausal
women who take regular aerobic exercise report more positive moods and less somatic discomfort than non-
exercising peers. The reactions and support of partners can also influence
women’s experience of menopause.
Cognitive Development
The early and first half of middle adulthood are usually marked by increasing
slope, although the second half of mid-stage adulthood and late adulthood is
marked by a decline in all functionalities. Cognitive functions reach their peak at
around age 35 and then declines for the rest of the life.
“The Physiological and Psychological Development of the Adolescent” is a curriculum unit designed to explain
the life of the adolescent from two perspectives. Once viewed, the adult will be able to understand the
reasoning behind the child’s sudden changes in behavior. In turn, they will be more readily available to offer
help to youth during this phase of life when adolescents are attempting to identify and formulate their
self_x0002_image, values, and ideals along with gaining independence from their parents or guardians.
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
OF THE ADOLESCENT
In trying to discuss adolescence, most adults tend to confuse the terms adolescence and puberty, and use them
synonymously. However, puberty refers to the physiological changes involved in the sexual maturation of a child, as
well as other body changes that may occur during this period of time. Adolescence refers to the stage from puberty to
adulthood, and includes the psychological experiences of the child during this period. Adolescence is described as
being the teenage years from thirteen to eighteen years of age; however, puberty decides the onset of adolescence.
Therefore, adolescence occurs in some children as early as nine years of age. During this period of time the child has a
great deal of concern over his/her body image and any discrepancies in the child’s eye such as obesity, early or late
maturation, etc., may be manifested through a variety of disorders.
During adolescence there is a large degree of psychological growth as children make adjustments in their personality
due to the rapid physical and sexual development which are characteristic of this period of life. Adolescents face
ongoing conflict and difficulty adapting to the sudden upsurge of sexual and aggressive drives. These changes cause
unrest and confusion in the adolescents’ inner selves and in the way they perceive the world.
What is
Puberty?
Puberty refers to the physiological changes that the adolescent undergoes in order
to reach sexual maturity. It is best characterized as the gradual onset of mature
reproductive hormonal activity, triggered by the central nervous system,
mainly the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Most people look at puberty in
three distinct stages railed the pre-pubescent, pubescent, and postpubescent.
The prepubescent stage includes the first evidence of sexual maturation—primary
sexual characteristics—and terminates at the first appearance of pubic hair.
During this stage, reproduction is virtually impossible. During the pubescent stage
the growth spurt begins to accelerate, males experience their first emission of
semen usually in the form of “wet dreams,” and menarche occurs in the females.
The postpubescent stage is characterized by the deceleration of growth
spurt, completion of both primary and sexual characteristics, and fertility is
possible
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF
THE ADOLESCENT
Adolescent maturation is a personal phase of development where children have to establish their own beliefs,
values, and what they want to accomplish out of life. Because adolescents constantly and realistically appraise
themselves, they are often characterized as being extremely self-conscious. However, the self evaluation process
leads to the beginning of long-range goal setting, emotional and social independence, and
the making of a mature adult.
Three distinct stages can be identified in the psychological development of the adolescent, even though there is a
great deal of overlap in the stages, and they may not occur during the age span indicated. During early adolescence
(ages 11-13), development usually centers around developing a new self-image due to their physiological changes.
Adolescents need to make use of their newly acquired skills of logical thinking and ability to make judgments
rationally. When they reach the ages of fourteen and fifteen (the period known as mid-adolescence), adolescents
strive to loosen their ties to their parents and their emotions and intellectual capacities increase. The adolescent
becomes adventuresome, and experiments with different ideas. This plays an important role in finding one’s relations
to oneself, groups, and opposite sex. During this time, the adolescent battles over his own set of values versus the set
established by parents and other adult figures. The adolescent also begins to take on more control of educational and
vocational pursuits and advantages. It is during this time that adolescents’ self-dependence and a sense of
responsibility become apparent, along with their quest to contribute to society and find their place in it.
Thank
You!