We explain what adulthood is, its beginning, end and characteristics. In addition, its biological and psychological aspects and what are its stages.
What is adulthood?
The developmental stage is called adulthood human that follows youth and precedes old age. It is the stage when full maturity physical and intellectual of the individual, and the fullness of social and legal rights and duties is obtained. It is commonly framed between the ages of 21 and 60, and is understood as an intermediate plateau in the life human.
In biological terms, adulthood corresponds to the imago state of animals, that is, to the sexual, physiological and social maturity of the individual. However, given the vital complexity of the human being, these equivalences are always tentative.
Human adulthood comes after the stage of changes dizzying adolescence. It not only brings with it this biological and physiological fullness, but also a relative emotional and psychological stability, along with a greater burden of responsibilities Y autonomies facing the culture and the society.
However, coming of age and adulthood should not be confused. The first is the minimum age necessary to be considered a responsible and autonomous actor in the face of the law, but in a strict sense adulthood usually comes in later years. Anyway, the use of age ranges to define the stages of human life is always tentative and approximate.
Characteristics of adulthood
Generally speaking, adulthood is characterized by the following:
- Finish the increase muscular and skeletal of the individual, and after a reduction of the physical capacities of the same, towards the end of the stage a very gradual decline begins.
- The individual reaches the fullness of his mental and intellectual processes, with a gradual and progressive decrease in the ability to learning, but at the same time greater emotional stability and a greater ability to relate what is known.
- The personality of the individual is already expressed in its totality, that is to say, each one becomes already as he is.
- Greater responsibility is expected of the individual moral, once the stages of selfishness juveniles, and therefore a greater capacity for take decisions responsible and to judge their social environment in a responsible way.
- It is the stage in which a family, that is, paternity or maternity begin to constitute a concern for individuals.
Stages of adulthood
Adulthood comprises two major stages, generally: early adulthood and middle adulthood.
- Early adulthood is the initial span of adult life, ranging from 21 to 40 years. This is the stage in which the processes of bodily, physical and intellectual growth end, reaching the fullness of their physical abilities around 25-30 years of age, with great agility, strength and endurance. At this stage the thought social and reflexive, open, adaptable and integrating logic, emotion and intuition. Socially, the young adult assumes a greater burden of responsibilities and freedoms, taking your first firm steps in professional direction, ethics and social that will define the rest of your life. The affective and emotional ties become more solid and the sentimental life begins a notorious settlement.
- Middle adulthood, on the other hand, is the plateau of human life, which ranges between 40 and 65 years of life.It is also known as "second adulthood" and it is a vital stage marked by self-realization and great productivity in intellectual (and / or scientific, philosophical or artistic) terms, since the cultural background acquired in the previous stages is sufficient to carry out significant contributions to the world. At this stage there is also the so-called "crisis of the Middle Ages" in which the individual forges himself a new inflection of his personality, to face the decline in his physical and sensory capacities, which is already beginning to become noticeable, as well as the appearance of early diseases. This usually goes hand in hand with the pursuit of pleasures rather than the satisfaction of social or individual pressures, and in general it is a stage of full independence, which ideally prepares the individual to face old age.