Middle Adulthood Analysis Paper

Middle Adulthood Analysis
The middle adulthood life stage interview was conducted by, Bonnie McDaniel, David Pearson, Jordan Ivy, and Lindsay Belus. During their interview of Nathan, age 43, they were able to effectively demonstrate the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual developmental stages that accompany an individual between the ages of 35-50.
Biological
The biological stages for middle adulthood development consist of the physical and intellectual changes that occur during this age. According to Zastrow and Kirst, (2013), “individuals who reach [their 40s] either begin to gain weight or have to compensate by eating less and exercising more” (p. 449). During the interview, Nathan mentioned that he noticed that he does have

to exercise more now. However, he is still able to bench press the same amount as when he was younger (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4, 2014).
Intellectually, Zastrow and Kirst state that, “middle-aged adults can continue to learn new skills, new facts, and can remember those they already know well…. and their creative productivity is at its optimum point” (2013, p. 451). Nathan mentioned that he liked to read a lot and continually learn new things. He also displayed a high level of self-confidence and competence in those things he learned. Nathan also demonstrated his elevated level of creativity during the drawing activity (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4, 2014).
While a lot of men describe going through a midlife crisis, Zastrow and Kirst explain that the “ease or panic with which a man faces his middle years will depend on how he has accepted his faults and his strengths throughout life” (2013, p. 456). According to Nathan, he has reconciled his faults and stated that there are not enough hours in the day to be down. He expressed his view that life without pain is not a life at all (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4, 2014).
Psychological1
According to Erikson, Nathan would be in the Generativity stage of his life-stage developmental crisis. “Generativity involves a concern with and interest in establishing and guiding the next generation” (as cited in Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2013, p. 469). During the interview, Nathan was asked if he felt he had an obligation to make the world a better place. Nathan stated that, as a Christian, he did feel an obligation to make the world better. He also added that his greatest accomplishment so far is his 12-year-old daughter and the person she has become (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4, 2014).
According to Peck, Nathan has been able to successfully advance through all of his stages.

He is particularly successful in the Mental flexibility vs. Mental rigidity stage, which states that, “[the individual] has arrived at a set of beliefs about an afterlife, religion, politics, [and] desirable forms of entertainment” (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2013, p. 470). Nathan described a very concrete set of beliefs that he has and described himself as more sure of himself and opinionated than when he was younger. He knows what is right and wrong but is open-minded to things he does not agree with (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4,

2014).
Concerning Levinson’s stages, he would be in the Midlife transition stage. This stage is where “men question nearly every aspect of their lives” (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2013, p. 472). However, Nathan has been able to transition very well and does not really question his former choices (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4, 2014).
Social and Spiritual.

During the interview, Nathan was asked how decisions are made in his family and what makes a good friend (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4, 2014). According to Zastrow and Kirst, “the marriage relationship encourages personal growth [and] provides a setting for the partners to share their innermost thoughts (2013, p. 521). Nathan said that every decision is based on the situation. The main thing is to share everything and live Christ-like. He also had a positive attitude about his friends and how to maintain those friendships (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4, 2014). His view on family and friends is influenced by his

morality.
Nathan would be in Kohlbergs’ Law and Order Orientation stage of moral development theory. Because of Nathans view on doing what is right for the greater good, he mentioned that he thinks more about the consequences of his actions and chose all the morally correct choices during the moral choice activity (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4, 2014). His morality is concrete and continually influenced by his strong spiritual conviction.
According to Fowler’s Theory of Faith Development, Nathan would be categorized in the Conjunctive Faith stage. This stage is explained by Duffy (2005) as, a time where the “individual becomes more open to religious and spiritual traditions different from one’s own” (as cited in Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2013, p. 330). Nathan mentioned how he was very influenced by his mother and her experience of accepting Christ and his wife’s faith. He also mentioned that his faith helps him overcome difficult obstacles. Faith carries you through, even if it does not take the pain away (L. Belus, J. Ivy, B. McDaniel, D. Pearson, personal communication, November 4, 2014). His responses correlate with Dawson’s article of spirituality in middle adulthood, which stated that, “spiritual practices such as meditation and contemplation lessen stress and point to God…and encounter[s] of faith…and beliefs become important in new ways (2010).