Ever since I was eight years old, my favorite book has been Peter Pan, by J. M. Barry. The story follows three children who, when faced with the threat of growing up, fly away from home with the eternally youthful Peter Pan (Barry). Wendy, John, and Michael have many dangerous adventures, from crocodile encounters to battles with cutthroat pirates, but through it all, they escape the ultimate danger of growing up(Barry). Believe it or not, I don’t think Wendy, John and Michael are all that different from kids in America today; the reason being, America is a virtual neverland, and we’re not growing up. As expressed by Ph. D Eileen Gallo, “In the 21st century, 26 has become the new 18(naepc.org).” I think we’ve all had the sneaking suspicion that kids aren’t maturing like they used to, but recent studies have exposed this as a scientific truth, formally titled prolonged adolescence. This reality poses a huge problem to both the kids of today and the adults of tomorrow. So right now, let’s delve into the emerging presence, root causes, and key issues of prolonged adolescence to answer the final question, how can we grow up? …show more content…
In the year 1959, famous psychologist Erik Erikson outlined 8 official stages of human development, ranging from infancy to late adulthood (simplypsychology.org). The two stages of life that scientifically separate children and adults are adolescence, age 13 to 18; and early adulthood, age 18 to 35 (simplypsychology.org). The transition from adolescence to adulthood, as told by The New York Times, is marked by a series of distinct milestones, “completing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, marrying, and having a child
Eric Erikson developed eight different psychosocial stages which emphasize the lifespan development during the major periods in life. The first psychosocial stage is infancy and it embraces the age of birth to one year old. The infancy crisis is trust versus mistrust which emphasizes that if children are taken care of; they will be able to gain confidence as well as trust. In the other hand, if they developed mistrust they will develop a sense of insecurity. Erickson’s second stage is toddlerhood which embraces the ages of one to three and deals with the stage crisis of autonomy versus shame and doubt. In the toddlerhood stage, toddlers are able to use mental skills and are able to start deciding for themselves. The third stage is early childhood, and it embraces the ages of three to six with the stage crisis of initiative versus guilt. During the early childhood stage children are able to gain the characteristics of ambition and responsibility and it is developed through the parent’s support. On the other hand if parents are too demanding children will develop guilt. The next stage is middle adulthood which ranges in the ages of six to eleven; children are able to develop the characteristic cooperation but, inferiority can also arise with negative experiences which can cause a stage crisis of industry versus i...
We are introduced to adolescence in the 5th stage of development. Adolescence begins for boys around the age of 14 and continues up until the age of 21 years of age. At this stage of development, there are many changes that occur emotionally, physically, sexually and spiritually (McGoldrick, Carter, & Garcia Preto, 2011). At this time, adolescent kids are going through changes in their body. They are dealing with coming into their own sexuality. Skills pertaining to social skills and social relationships are being developed through experience. Adolescents are also increasing their skills of physical and mental coordination, such as learning about the world and working on their own coordination. Adolescence is also characterized by learning their own identity and where they fit in the world, as well as learning their relationship with peers and those around them. Spiritual identity is also developed along with a deeper understanding of life. Independence is something that is also weighing on the mind of an adolescent. Overall changes in the family structure can also occur when a child of this age reaches this
Erik Erikson developed eight psychosocial stages that occur through life. These stages help parents of younger children understand what the child is thinking and why they are acting the way that they do. For a person to become a well-rounded adult they need to succeed in each level. This essay will discuss the first six stages into young adulthood.
Mistrust stage occurs at infancy and at this stage, Infants learn to trust others depending on the response of their caregivers who are usually parents. The Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt occurs between the ages of 18 months and three during which time children begin to emphasize their independence. This is done by exploring the world around them. Erikson, E. H. (1993). The Initiative vs. Guilt stage generally, occurs between the age three and five and at this time children assert themselves more frequently and are particularly lively. Industry versus inferiority stage occurs between the ages of five and twelve. As children grow in independence, they become increasingly aware of themselves as individuals. Erikson, E. H. (1993). The identity vs. role confusion stage, occurs during adolescence, between the ages of 12 and 18 years. At this stage the adolescents undergo an identity crisis during which they must establish an identity, goals, and a purpose. Erikson, E. H. (1994). The Intimacy vs. Isolation stage occurs in young adulthood ages 18 to 40 years. During this time the young adult begins to share themselves more intimately with others and explores significant relationships with others especially in marriage. The seventh stage is Generativity vs. Stagnation and occurs during middle adulthood, ages 40 to 65 yrs. This is the stage of development during which most people have children and provide guidance or a legacy to the next generation and in so doing
Erikson was particularly interested in the stages of life and what mental, emotional, and physical developments occurred within these age brackets. He outlined a series of developmental “tasks” or a developmental agenda that is followed by all humans throughout the life cycle. Tasks are in sequential order and each task builds on the one preceding. For example, an adolescent who fails to establish a solid identity will not be able to move on to healthy intimacy.
Adolescence is a transition which has no fixed time limits. However, the changes that occur at this time are so significant that it is useful to talk about adolescence as a distinct period of human life cycle. This period ranges from biological changes to changes in behavior and social status, thus making it difficult to specify its limits exactly (Damon, 2008). Adolescence begins with puberty, i.e. a series of physiological changes that lead to full development of the sexual organs and the ability to breed and sex. The time interval that elapses begins at 11 to 12 years and extends to 18 to 20. However we cannot associate to a 13 with one 18 years. Let us talk about early adolescence between 11 to 14 years, which coincides with puberty, and after a second period of youth, or late adolescence between 15-20 years. Its extension to adulthood depends on social, cultural, environmental as well as personal adaptation.
Erik Erikson was a researcher of the Psychodynamic perspective who lived through the years 1902 to 1994. He developed a theory that dealt with the stages of human development and was referred to as a Neo-Freudian. A Neo-Freudian are those “who have revised Sigmund Freud’s theory” (Massey, 1986). His theory argued that “both society and culture challenge and shape us” (Feldman, 2011). Erik Erikson’s theory of psychological development does not specify specific ages, so the age categories can only be guessed upon. It is my personal thought that this was a smart move due to different age milestones for different cultures. The essay titled Erik Erikson: Ages, stages, and stories argues that the stages “are organized into a system of polarities that tempt us to think about psychological dynamics in a form that is more binary than Erikson intended.” Each stage has a ‘resolution’ or goal. Each stage presents a “crisis or conflict that the individual must resolve” (Feldman, 2011, p.16)
“Though the age boundaries are not set in stone, we will consider middle adulthood as the developmental period that begins at approximately 40 to 45 years of age and extends to about 60 to 65 years of age” (Santrock, 2013, p. 485). I interviewed two individuals for this paper. Each person was asked the same fifteen questions (Appendix). I interviewed a male and a female who fell in the midrange of middle adulthood.
Erik Erikson developed the eight stages of life theory. Erikson’s theory focuses on the development from birth to death, social context, and interpersonal relations during each stage of life (McAdams, 2009). In the same manner, each stage of life is comprehendible in three levels, such as the body, ego, and family and culture. The eight stages of life are infancy (trust vs. mistrust), early childhood (autonomy vs. shame and doubt), childhood (initiative vs. guilt), childhood (industry vs. inferiority), adolescence and young adulthood (identity vs. role confusion), young adulthood (intimacy vs. isolation), mature adulthood (generativity vs. stagnation (or self-absorption)), and old age (ego integrity vs. despair).
stage (age 0 - 22), the early adulthood stage (age 17 - 45), the middle adult
In conclusion, the growing up or the two stages in life are governed totally by a series of situations, parenting, and events that affect the outcome of how the individuals will handle the changes in life. Using human intellect and determining aspects that are normal, life will be lived and a good balanced person in society will be achieved. Because every person is different and an individual, the outcome in everyone will be different. Mature people may encounter different levels of stressful situations or circumstances than younger adults. They are more practical in coping with stress and have a greater acceptance of some things in life that cannot be altered or improved, and, can easily adapt to changes that will occur in life.
There are eight periods of human development that include, prenatal period, infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. These eight periods make up the three major developmental periods; child, adolescent and adult development.
Adulthood has often been associated with independence. It serves as a turning point in life where one has to take responsibility for oneself and no longer being dependent on his or her family. Early adulthood, usually begins from late teens or early twenties and will last until the thirties (Santrock, 2013). Early adulthood revolves around changes and exploration while middle and late adulthood are more of stability. The transition from adolescence and adulthood differs among every individual. The onset of the transition is determined by many factors such as culture, family background, and the personality of the individual. Emerging adulthood (as cited in Santrock, 2014) is the term to describe the transition period from adolescence to adulthood.
The fifth stage, according to Erik Erikson psychoanalytic theory of development is the Identity Vs Identity confusion. The stage occurs during adolescence in the ages between 12 to 18 years. At this stage, the adolescents try to find a sense of personal and self-identity by intensely exploring their personal goals, beliefs, and values (McLeod, 2017). Notably, the adolescence is between childhood and adulthood. Thus, their mind is between the morality learned during childhood and the ethics they are trying to develop into adulthood. The transitioning from childhood to adulthood is the most important development for a person because the individual is becoming independent and is focusing on the future regarding career, relationships, families
Each person’s life consists of normal stages of development; this is known as life span development. This development starts at infancy and continues through death. In each stage of development, each person experiences four types of development; physical, cognitive, social, and personality.