Adulthood as a psychological period: personality development, crises of adulthood

Adulthood as a psychological period: personality development, crises of adulthood

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Introduction:

The period of adult life is the longest period of ontogenesis (in developed countries it accounts for three quarters of human life).

There are generally three subperiods or three stages of adult life:

• early adulthood (adolescence)
• average maturity
• late maturity (aging and old age).

The chronological framework of the period of maturity is quite arbitrary and depends on the time of the end of youth and the beginning of the aging period.

The lower limit of adult life is associated with anthropologists and physiologists with ages of 17-25 years. The characteristics and time boundaries of middle age or middle age are even more uncertain. 36 - 60 years (according to the international age classification).

The upper limit of maturity and the beginning of old age vary even more in different periodizations within enormous limits: this is 55 years - 75 years.

Signs of adulthood:

• a new pattern of development, now less associated with physical growth and rapid improvement in cognitive functions;
• the ability to respond to changes and successfully adapt to new conditions, positively resolve contradictions and difficulties;
• overcoming addiction and the ability to take responsibility for yourself and others;
• some character traits (firmness, prudence, reliability, honesty and the ability to have compassion, etc.);
• social and cultural reference points (roles, relationships, etc.) to determine the success and timeliness of development in adulthood.

The concepts of “maturity” and “maturity” are not identical. Maturity is the most socially active and productive period of life; This is the period of adult life when the tendency to achieve the highest level of intellectual and personality development can be realized.

Adulthood as a psychological period

The main developmental features of a middle-aged person are the ability to communicate, productivity, creativity, anxiety - the desire to become a better parent, to achieve a high level in their profession, to be an indifferent citizen, a loyal friend, direct support.

Work and care are the virtues of mature people. If a person becomes “settled” in any respect, then stagnation and degradation begin, which manifests itself in infantilism and self-absorption - in excessive self-pity, self-indulgence.

In humanistic psychology (A. Maslow, G. Allport, S. Rogers, etc.), central importance was attached to the process of self-realization, self-realization of an adult.

The stage of early adulthood (youth) is characterized by obtaining the right to vote, full legal and economic responsibility, and the possibility of inclusion in all types of social activities. At this stage, lifelong decisions are made, a strategy (lifestyle) is built, professional education is continued or completed, professional roles are mastered, and an appropriate social circle is formed. Most people form their own family and have their first children. Family and parental roles are mastered and implemented.

Representatives of the middle-aged generation occupy a middle position between parents who are entering old age, and children are growing up who begin an independent life and leave the parental family. As a rule, in social terms, relative material independence is achieved, a high level of professional and social career is achieved, the functions of breadwinner and head of the family, and management in society are performed.

Social situation of development and leading activity in the period of maturity

The social situation of development presupposes the active inclusion of a person in the sphere of social production, in the sphere of labor activity, as well as in creating his own family and raising children. Internally, the social situation of development in adulthood is determined by the desire for independence, independence and, most importantly, the attitude towards responsibility. Awareness of personal responsibility for one's own life and the lives of loved ones and the willingness to accept this responsibility is a key experience in the social situation of the development of maturity.

From the position of acmeology, it is indicated that leading activity is not just the inclusion of society in productive life (in the broadest sense of this concept), but also the maximum realization of basic human forces in the course of such activity. Thus, we are talking about the desire for the highest human achievements in various fields - physical, moral, intellectual, professional.

In the value aspect, adult life is associated with reproduction and creativity in the system of social activity and creativity in the system of existential values.

Personality development in adulthood

Normative crises of adult life

Personality development in adulthood remains one of the most complex and insufficiently studied problems of psychology.

Acmeology studies the ways, means, conditions for the flourishing of a person as an individual (physical perfection), as a bright personality, a talented subject of activity and original individuality, as well as a citizen, parent, spouse, friend.

According to A.A. Bodalev, the progress of self-development of an adult includes the following neoplasms:

1. changes in the motivational sphere with increasing reflection of universal human values
2. increasing the intellectual ability to plan and then practically carry out actions and actions in accordance with these values
3. the emergence of a greater ability to mobilize oneself to overcome difficulties of an objective nature
4. a more objective assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, the degree of their readiness for new, more complex actions and responsible actions. An essential point is the uneven or heterochronic appearance of neoplasms, the relationship in their development, when the appearance of some is a condition for triggering the development of others or achieving a higher level.

An important area of ​​research is the problem: the meaning of life and age. The meaning of life is considered as an integrating formation in the mental development of a person, which allows the subject to transform ideas about his life as a set of individual age stages into a “single line of life.”

Age-related crises of adult life

It is possible to identify some age periods for which personality changes most often occur: around 20 years old, around 30 years old (28–34), 40–45 years old, 55–60 years old and, finally, in late age.

Among the circumstances that provoke a crisis are sudden changes in health (sudden illnesses, long-term and severe illnesses, hormonal changes), economic and political events, changes in conditions, requirements, social expectations, etc. Under the pressure of social cataclysms, a double crisis may occur (imposing a social crisis on an age crisis), which aggravates its course and creates a deeper understanding of life.

Moreover, the course of the critical period may vary. The crisis model includes a deliberately negative component: weakness in confronting changed circumstances, collapse of illusions, failures, painful experience of dissatisfaction. Some believe that the transition model is more appropriate when upcoming changes (status, etc.) are planned and the person is able to cope with difficulties.

D. Levinson's approach to analyzing the life process of adults has gained wide popularity. Levinson studied a group of 40 American men aged 35 to 45, conducted 15 hours of biographical interviews with each of them, and also studied the biographies of great men. His goal was to find stable, regular characteristics of development in adulthood, to identify periods when a person needs to solve certain problems and create new structures of life.

As a result, three main eras were identified in the life cycle of men, each of which lasts about 20 years.

Entry into adulthood, the onset period, occurs between the ages of 17 and 33 years. To fully become an adult, a young person must cope with four developmental challenges:

1. connect dreams of achievement and reality: unreasonable fantasies and completely unattainable goals, as well as the complete absence of dreams, do not contribute to growth;
2. find a mentor for the transition from parent-child relationships to relationships in the world of adult peers;
3. build a career;
4. establish an intimate relationship with a "special woman" (Levinson's term) who will help him enter the adult world, who will stimulate his hopes, tolerate his addictive behavior and other shortcomings, help him achieve his dreams, make his partner feel like a hero.

Transition periods, according to Levinson, are stressful because during these times goals, values ​​and lifestyles are reviewed and re-evaluated. Inspired by Levinson's search, the American researcher G. Shikha used the autobiographical method in a comparative analysis of the lives of spouses. Her findings largely confirmed Levinson's data.

So, the first crisis (20 - 22 years old) is the transition to early adulthood, the crisis of separation from parental roots. The main tasks and problems of youth: clarification of life plans and the beginning of their implementation; looking for oneself, development of individuality; final recognition of oneself as an adult with their rights and responsibilities, choosing a spouse and creating one’s own family; specialization and acquisition of skills in professional activities.

Around 30 years of age - the transition to middle adulthood, the “golden age” of the period of greatest efficiency and impact. 30 years is the age of the regulatory crisis of adult life, associated with the discrepancy between the area of ​​cash and the area of ​​the possible, desired, experienced in the form of anxiety and doubt. The crisis of 30 years is associated with the task of adjusting the life plan from the height of accumulated experience, creating a more rational and orderly structure of life both in professional activity and in the family. Trying to overcome unpleasant feelings, a person comes to re-evaluate previous choices - spouse, career, life goals. Often there is a desire to radically change your lifestyle; early marriage breakdowns; professional reorientation, which without personal restructuring and without deep understanding often turns out to be only an illusory way out of the crisis.

The period after 30 years - roots and expansion - is associated with the resolution of material and housing problems, career growth, expansion of social connections, as well as with the analysis of its origins and the gradual acceptance of parts of the self that were previously ignored.

The midlife crisis, the 40th birthday crisis, has received the greatest fame and at the same time the most controversial assessments. The first signs of a crisis, disorder in the inner world are a change in attitude towards what previously seemed important, significant, interesting or, conversely, repulsive. An identity crisis is expressed in the experience of a feeling of non-identification with oneself, of something that has become different.

At least one of the moments of the crisis is associated with the problem of decreasing physical strength and attractiveness. The discovery of weakened vitality is a brutal blow to self-esteem and self-esteem.

The period from 30 to 40 years is often called the “decade of doom.” This is the age of preliminary results, when dreams and ideas about the future created in youth are compared with what has actually been achieved. Such crisis contradictions are usually recognized by the person himself as a clear discrepancy that suppresses the discrepancy between the real self and the ideal self, between the sphere of the present and the sphere of the possible, desired. People in creative professions are experiencing this crisis especially acutely.

Additionally, social expectations are changing. The time has come to meet the hopes of society and create some kind of socially significant product, material or spiritual, otherwise society will pass on its expectations to the younger generation.

The 40th anniversary crisis is interpreted as a time of dangers and great opportunities. Awareness of the loss of youth, the extinction of physical strength, a change in roles and expectations is accompanied by anxiety, emotional decline, and deep introspection. Doubts about the correctness of the life lived are considered the central problem of this century.

G. Sheehy identified several models (styles) of life for both men and women: “unstable”, “closed”, “prodigies”, “educators”, “hidden children”, “integrators”, etc.

In addition, Sheehy showed the specificity of age-related crises in women, in contrast to men. The stages of a woman’s life path are much more connected with the stages and events of the family cycle: marriage; the appearance of children; growing up and isolation of children; “empty nest” (adult children have left the parental family).

Knowledge of the crisis, however, gives an advantage: a person understands that one should not look for someone else to play the role of “damage to life”, blaming extraneous obstacles; it is necessary to rethink what has been experienced and to outline guiding principles for oneself that reveal higher-order values ​​(new work).

According to Erikson, during middle adulthood a person develops a sense of the preservation of the family (generativity), which is expressed mainly in an interest in the next generation and its upbringing.

R. Pekk, developing Erikson’s ideas, identifies four sub-crises, the resolution of which serves as a necessary condition for subsequent personal development:

• developing a person's respect for wisdom (as opposed to physical courage)
• replacement of sexualization of relationships by socialization (weakening of sexual roles)
• counteracting affective impoverishment associated with the loss of loved ones and isolation of children; maintaining emotional flexibility, striving for affective enrichment in other forms
• the desire for mental flexibility (overcoming mental rigidity), the search for new forms of behavior.

Conclusion

To successfully overcome crisis experiences, a person must develop emotional flexibility and the ability to give emotionally in relation to growing children and aging parents.

Resolution of the sub-crises of middle age - revision of life goals towards greater restraint and realism, awareness of the limited time of life, correction of living conditions, development of a new image of the Self, giving more and more importance to spouses, friends, children, perception of one’s situation as quite acceptable, which leads to a period new stability.

The unresolved crisis experiences and the refusal to renew themselves return the crisis with renewed vigor to the age of 50. Continuing education is one of the ways to successfully resolve the crisis. Closer to the age of 60, there is a change in all motivation in connection with preparation for the retirement period of life.

Childhood and adolescence

Between the ages of birth and one year, a child goes through a huge developmental journey. He masters new movements, learns to sit and stand. The first year of life is the time when a child masters the ability to handle things and begins to understand the speech of adults.

• At an early age (1-3 years), the baby develops most intensively physically and psychologically. Perception and behavior change. The brain is growing at a rapid pace. Three-year-old children are very sociable. When adults read or tell fairy tales, they enjoy listening to their speech, emotions, and intonation. The main activity of a child is to obtain information and understand the world around him. Personality development at an early age is most influenced by communication with the mother or the person who replaces her.
• Preschool age (from 3 to 6-7 years) is also characterized by physical growth, the child becomes stronger. The leading activity at this stage is role-playing. The famous Russian educational psychologist A. Makarenko was convinced that for a child at this age, role-playing play is just as important as productive work for an adult. Children's play reflects adult life; the child learns to act out different situations.
• The main activity for primary school age (from 6-7 to 11-12 years old) is learning. Age-related characteristics of personality development at this stage are associated with changes in the social situation of development - the child goes to school. The child now interacts with society. He is given responsibilities for which he receives public appreciation.
• Adolescence (13-16 years for boys and 11-15 years for girls) is one of the most important and difficult stages for the formation of the psyche. Age-related development of personality is characterized by the search for “one’s own” social role - when communicating with peers, a teenager tries on different models of behavior and cuts off inappropriate ones. He especially needs friends. You can share with them experiences that cannot be told to adults.

Typology of teenagers

Given the complexity of adolescence, it is not surprising that children develop heterogeneously and in different directions. According to the degree of social maturity, the following types of adolescents can be distinguished:

• Oriented towards adults and adult life. The character of adolescents is completely determined by the norms that are set and established by elders (parents, teachers). This type is characterized by a low level of maturity.
• Community-oriented teenagers. They are characterized by a high level of maturity. Such individuals are characterized by searching for their place by joining a team. Although this greatly facilitates their social life, it hinders their cultural and intellectual development.
• Teenagers confronting themselves. They do not want to have common traits and interests with representatives of their generation. This manifests itself in unusual hobbies and antisocial behavior. The purpose of this behavior is self-affirmation.
• Focused on extra-institutional norms. Teenagers unite in groups living “their own” lives, different from the generally accepted ones (informal movements). As a rule, communities are formed according to age.
• Seeking to go beyond the group. Such teenagers strive for active activity and learning new things.

Transformative experience

In adulthood, people often begin to focus on what they lack. Williams Brown, author of Adulting, was focused on her career at 20

Despite this, she found herself looking with regret at her peers who started families and children:

Williams Brown is now 31 years old and recently married. I asked her if she felt more mature now, having achieved her goals.

Perhaps the most transformative experience for the transition to adulthood is parenthood. This does not mean that childless people cannot be considered adults. But for those people who have children, it’s as if that same switch is triggered. Jensen Arnett said in a 1998 interview:

If growing up is considered (according to Burrow) a combination of an internal sense of responsibility with the conviction of those around you that you have this responsibility, having children is an ideal situation. It is in this case that you feel like an adult, and other people are confident in this.

The most important currency today is a sense of identity and purpose, and children provide both. In addition to having children, the opposite situation is often mentioned - caring for elderly parents.

These two situations, with a successful combination of circumstances, make it possible to achieve adulthood in a short period. But growing up doesn't have to be fast; the process can be slow and gradual. Growing up is not some event that you can post about on Facebook and expect congratulations. Growing up happens quietly

In addition to having children, the opposite situation is often mentioned—caring for elderly parents. These two situations, with a successful combination of circumstances, make it possible to achieve adulthood in a short period. But growing up doesn't have to be fast; the process can be slow and gradual. Growing up is not something you can post about on Facebook and expect congratulations. Growing up happens quietly.

How to recognize an adult?

Adulthood is not a number on a passport. The presence or absence of this document also does not mean anything. We are talking about psychology, not discussing legal responsibility.

• are responsible for their own lives;

Mature people make their own decisions and implement them. If necessary, they can defend and justify their choice.

This applies to all aspects: from choosing the color of socks to choosing a university, work, partner, friends.

Adults listen to other people's opinions, but they are not decisive.

• are able to provide for themselves financially;

You don't have to work 24/7. However, if necessary, an adult will not be destroyed either physically or mentally from this. He will find a job himself and will be able to feed himself and his family.

• can find a job;

They are not waiting for a call, cronyism or a successful vacancy for a director without work experience. The place of an adult is at the helm of his own life. He either quickly organizes the necessary calls and connections, or copes just as effectively on his own.

Adults understand that work does not define them. Therefore, in a difficult situation, they may agree to an unsuitable position. They are confident in their abilities and understand that retraining from a professor to a salesperson is a temporary solution.

• easily organize leisure time;

One of the characteristics of adult life: you constantly want to sleep. But after getting enough sleep, formed individuals are able to entertain themselves. They don't need to go to clubs to cheer themselves up. They know how to interact with themselves in different ways.

Today - dancing until you lose consciousness, tomorrow - yoga and massage, the day after tomorrow - a pottery master class. Being able to take care of yourself and hear your needs is about adulthood.

• plan their life;

Living in chaos or according to a strict schedule is everyone’s choice. Although long-term planning is a clear sign of a serious personality.

Adults know what they want from life. Therefore, novels, children, moves and trips around the world happen to them at their own request. At the same time, changes often seem sudden to others.

• understand the consequences of their actions;

They know how to predict scenarios and work through them. “If I don’t pass the exams, I won’t go to university. What to do then: look for a job or take online courses? Should I apply in a year?”

• take responsibility for loved ones.

Not giving up when faced with difficulties is also a superpower of an adult. Such homo sapiens do not abandon their children, close relatives, or friends.

They manage to balance between impressive help (time, money, participation) and maintaining their own boundaries. Giving your last sneakers to charity is not a force, it is a request to a psychotherapist.

Epithets for the word “growing up”

Fast, fleeting, fast-flowing, transient, eternal, distant, short, fleeting, naive, irrevocable, irrevocable, short-lived, short-lived, unforgettable, indelible, unique, first, half-forgotten, past, early, foggy, lost, carefree, serene, cloudless, carefree, carefree, restless, prosperous, noble, brilliant, stormy, cheerful, excited, free, hot, daring, wondrous, hot, lively, cheerful, healthy, golden, golden, sparkling, ebullient, seething, light, rebellious, restless, tender, unclouded, fiery, beautiful, charming, ardent, joyful, iridescent, playful, bright, free, happy, anxious, blooming, pure, wonderful, wonderful, bright, soldierly, front-line, vital, unforgettable, affectionate, quiet. Poor, bleak, joyless, useless, homeless, sorrowful, bitter, sad, difficult, bad, unfortunate, wretched, darkened, sad, harsh, difficult, heavy, dull, gloomy, reckless, crazy, dissolute, violent, unreasonable, awkward, erroneous, vicious, criminal, complex, constrained, riotous, intoxicated, homeless, hungry, miserable, mutilated, sad, difficult, destitute, torn, lonely.

Easy growing up as a historical anomaly

Education researcher Robert Havighurst argued that there are some very specific “developmental tasks” that need to be solved: finding a partner, learning to live with him/her, starting a family, raising children, getting a profession, getting a home. These are the traditional adult roles that can be seen in any family sitcom and which today's youth are not thought to share or appreciate.

Havighurst developed his theory of development in the 40s and 50s, so it was expectedly a product of its time. The post-war economic boom brought growing up closer and made it accessible: young men had enough work, and many positions did not require education, and with this money it was quite possible to feed a family. And the social views of that time gave priority to the necessary signs of well-being: work, wife, home, children.

However, this period was only a historical anomaly. Mintz writes:

And to get married, many young men had to wait until their father died to receive an inheritance. At least today a wedding does not require the death of one of the relatives.

The golden age of simply growing up didn't last long. Already in the 1960s, the age of marriage began to increase, and completed secondary education became a necessity. Society still values ​​the old markers, but you have to try a lot harder to achieve them.

Jensen Arnett notices something surprising:

Aphorisms

“If children grew up in accordance with our expectations, we would only produce geniuses.” The German writer Johann W. Goethe said that parents expect too much from their children. Not everyone is destined to become geniuses, so you need to lower your requirements according to reality.

“The only thing that upsets me in this world is that I have to become an adult.” The French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery considered childhood the best time in life, so he wrote with regret about the inevitable growing up. His world-famous fairy tale parable “The Little Prince” has become a hymn to childhood.

“As we grow up, we become more serious, and this, let me say, is the first step towards becoming stupid”

The English politician and poet of the Enlightenment, Joseph Addison, said that children are much smarter than adults, because with age their intelligence is limited by many conventions.

“A careless word and a child grows up, deceived love and a person becomes bitter.” French writer Andre Maurois wrote that children can grow up simply because of a careless word that offends them.

And broken feelings lead to bitterness, in his opinion.

“Getting old is sad, but growing up is nice.” Popular French film actress Brigitte Bardot said that growing up is a pleasant feeling. A person becomes wiser, looks at life more simply and adequately evaluates current events.

“Every child is born a deity, and then descends to a man.” The French writer Simone de Beauvoir wrote that children are born unspoiled, so they can be compared to a deity. Only with age do they acquire the vices characteristic of every person.

“It’s worth growing up if only to learn to truly love.” French film actress Vanessa Paradis said that growing up has its certain advantages, for example, a person learns what true love is.

“Nothing makes you grow up like betrayal.” Russian Soviet writers and co-authors, the Strugatsky brothers, wrote that a person suddenly becomes an adult only from suffering. One of the ways of such growing up is betrayal, which hurts the human soul.

“Growing up is damn hard! It’s much easier to move from one childhood to another.” American writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald said that often people do not grow up like this, but simply move on to another childhood. Such individuals have no sense of responsibility or shame; they live for their own pleasure.

“Secrecy and lies are what we accept as adults.” British writer Joan Catling Rowling wrote that adult life has many disadvantages compared to childhood. For example, a person learns what secrets and lies are.