Learning Objectives
Describe development during middle adulthood
- Explain the physiological changes during middle adulthood and their physical and psychological consequences
- Describe cognitive and neurological changes during middle adulthood
- Analyze emotional and social development in middle adulthood
- Explain how relationships are maintained and changed during middle adulthood
Emerging Adulthood
Think for a moment about the lives of your grandparents and great- grandparents when they were in their twenties. How do their lives at that age compare to your life? If they were like most other people of their time, their lives were quite different from yours. What happened to change the twenties so much between their time and our own? And how should we understand the 18–25 age period today? In this chapter we are introducing a relatively new stage of life, emerging adulthood. We have seen the age span between adolescence and adulthood expanded due to changes in society.
Early Adulthood
For the purpose of this text and this chapter, we define early adulthood as ages 25 to 40. With the elongation of adolescence and the introduction of emerging adulthood, we can stay “younger” for longer now. Ask your parents and grandparents on what they were doing at age 25 and compare that with today’s youth. Chances are, there will be some major differences with major milestones being delayed.
