The social and emotional concept that adults experience is probably the main component in shaping an adult’s life. The emotional issues an adult go through builds the attitudes one has, the way we live our life, and the way we act around society. However, it also the most complex. Whether a young, middle aged, or old adult each one has its many considerable emotional problems. But overcoming them can lead to what Erik Erikson would call wisdom. As the young adult, they strive for intimacy over isolation, and the ability to be close to others, as a lover friend, or member of

The middle-aged adult generally has two objectives in mind, to have a proper balance of generativity and stagnation. Generativity is the love one has for the future generations. It can be seen as less selfish than the intimacy described in a young adult, the love between lovers and/or friends. Of course we think that the love we give is usually unselfish but it is not true love unless we receive love in return. However, with generativity, the expectation of returned love does not exist; our love is given freely without any consideration for something in return. Stagnation, on the other hand is the act for caring for no one, and becoming an unproductive part of society. It is hard to imagine that we should have any stagnant people in our lives, but Erikson believed that this was caused by overextension. Some people become so generative that they lose time for themselves, or for rest and relaxation. Overall, too little generativity and too much stagnation result in rejectivity where one no longer contributes or participates in society. Furthermore, the “meaning of life” is how we participate and what we contribute because this directly affects our attitude and our emotional well-being. This area of adult development is commonly referred to as the “mid-life” crisis, where adults panic about their age and regret not experiencing or have accomplished things that they thought they would in their youth. A well know side effect to this issue is adults trying to recapture their youth by buying new clothes, or hanging our at singles bars, or generally trying to act younger. Although there are some cons to becoming a middle aged adult, such as the no longer youthful looks, or the increasing age, the amount of pros outnumber the cons. In middle aged life the importance of establishing a solid career, and maintaining a family is where the joy comes from. Watching your children grow and prosper, buying your first house, and spending time with the family provides much more satisfaction compared to having a younger self. If one can find happiness from these values the importance of younger looks will seem insignificant.

Everyone you know will has, or will go through adulthood, and not everything will seem as glamorous as it is portrayed in television. Everyone will have to go through the social/emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of adulthood, and not all adults will find it so easy. The important thing to remember is to prepare for obstacles and to overcome them. If you can do that, then each stage you progress to will give you new found strength to overcome the next obstacle until you have reached a satisfying life as an old adult and are able to look back on the past and regret nothing. The key to experiencing a emotionally, cognitively, and physically healthy adulthood is to simply accept one’s self.

Whether a young, middle-aged, or old adult each one has its difficulties. But the importance in maintaining a satisfying and joyful adulthood is to overcome each o

Some topics in this essay:
William Perry, Erik Erikson’s, According Erikson, Adult Development, Warner Schaie, Erik Erikson, fear death, middle aged, adult development, middle aged adult, social/emotional cognitive physical, social/emotional cognitive, middle-aged adult, form thinking, view world, generativity stagnation, aged adult, cognitive physical,