Changes from Adolescence to Adulthood

Axia College Material
Appendix F
Susan Hillman
Week 6 Checkpoint: Changes from Adolescence Through Adulthood
PSY/210

For each of three developmental domains: physical, cognitive, and social/personality, identify two major changes or challenges associated with that developmental stage (adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood).

|Stage of Development |Physical Development |Cognitive Development |Social/Personality Development |
|Adolescence |The main change in physical |In adolescence, the formal |During the adolescent years, is |
| |development in adolescence is |operational stage of cognitive |when they try to get their |
| |the growth spurt; in a time span|development begins; however some|independence from their parents |
| |of 2 to 3 years, adolescence |people never reach this stage. |and develop their own |
| |will grow in between 8 to 12 |In adolescence, the imaginary |individuality and identity. |
| |inches. Another physical change|audience and the personal fable |Also, during these years an |
| |during adolescence is the |also begins. A teenager may |adolescent has to deal with how |
| |secondary sex characteristics |feel as if everybody is watching|to learn how to express their |
| |develop. |them; thus the need for more |changing and developing |
| | |privacy. They also begin to |sexuality. |
| | |think that they are invincible. | |
| | |As an adolescent, we use | |
| | |dualistic thinking where | |
| | |everything is seen as good/bad | |
| | |or right/wrong. | |
|Young Adulthood |Our physical development is at |People are also at the peak of |Becoming an independent adult in |
| |its best during our young |their cognitive abilities in |several different ways such as: |
| |adulthood. However, in the |their young adulthood. |financial, responsibility and |
| |early twenties is when our body |In younger adulthood we begin to|making decisions. In the “trying|
| |starts to lose its flexibility. |have a greater understanding of |twenties” people are trying to |
| |In our early twenties, we still |things and begin to use more |find the direction that they want|
| |have a lot of stamina and energy|strategies. In young adulthood |to take in life. Young adults |
| |to go on. We are physically |we begin applying our |also go through individuation. A|
| |matured by young adulthood. |intelligence to long-term goals |person normally decides on a |
| | |and responsibilities. |career, whether or not to get |
| | |As young adults, dualistic |married or settle down and have |
| | |thinking is replaced by multiple|children, and decisions of this |
| | |thinking, where we realize that |nature during this age span; |
| | |everybody has a different |however, some do wait until they |
| | |opinion and that an authority |are older. |
| | |may not have all the answers; |Stages are more defined by events|
| | |also we begin to develop our own|such as marriage, having |
| | |style of thinking. We also |children, or a career. |
| | |become aware of our personal | |
| | |limitations. | |
|Middle Adulthood |In middle adulthood women go |Memory function begins to |Around the age of 30 years old, |
| |through menopause; however, a |decline; however, it is fluid |people start to go through the |
| |few do go through this stage in |intelligence that is affected |age-30 transition; this is where |
| |middle adulthood. Men go |more than crystallized |they find that things that were |
| |through a stage called |intelligence. The way |“comfortable” in their 20’s is no|
| |andropause, which is where |information is processed in our |longer that way. People in their|
| |testosterone production begins |brain also slows down. |30’s start to concentrate on the |
| |to decline around the age of 40 |Also as middle-aged adults we |future, instead of the |
| |years old. For women who have |develop a better ability to use |“here-and-now” like younger |
| |yet to go through menopause, the|logic, intuition, and to |adults. In the 30’s people also |
| |biological clock starts ticking |separate conflicting facts and |start to go through generativity |
| |to remind them that their child |ideas. |versus |
| |bearing years are drawing short.| |stagnation, where a mid-aged |
| |Signs of aging starts to show | |adult might want to be more |
| |such as a few wrinkles and gray | |productive with their life. A |
| |hairs. | |person also begins to look back |
| |Our hearing and sensory | |on what they have done with their|
| |functions may begin to decline | |life. There is also the mid-life|
| |in our middle-age. | |crisis, where people realize |
| | | |their life is half way over and |
| | | |they begin to reaccess their life|
| | | |and what they possibly have |
| | | |missed out on. |
|Late Adulthood |The skin becomes less elastic |Memory function begins to |In late adulthood, we go through |
| |and begins to wrinkle, and our |decline even more. Our working |what Erickson called ego |
| |hair will begin to gray and |memory also starts to decline in|integrity versus despair, where |
| |become thinner. |late adulthood. In late |an older person has to find life |
| |Our reaction time also decrease,|adulthood, we also start to |worth living even though their |
| |as we get older it takes us more|develop a decline in our fluid |body is declining with age. |
| |time to react to a situation. |intelligence. |Also, with older age, we might |
| |Our senses also become duller. |Brain tissue begins to decline |have to let some of independence |
| |Our body begins to break down |due to loss of neurons and |go with declining health, such as|
| |with age. |larger ventricles. In our older|living in a nursing home or a |
| |Fat begins to replace muscle and|years, we also have the |retirement center. We also have |
| |our metabolic rate decreases. |possibility of developing |to adjust to the idea of our |
| |The cardiovascular system also |illnesses that affect our |lives eventually ending in our |
| |begins to not function as well |cognitive abilities such as |near future. |
| |due to age. Our bones also |Alzheimer’s disease or dementia | |
| |become less dense; therefore, we| | |
| |are more apt to break bones. | | |
| |Even though in late adulthood we| | |
| |can still have a fulfilling sex | | |
| |life, it tends to slow down due | | |
| |to lower levels of testosterone | | |
| |and slower blood circulation. | | |
| |An older adult is also more | | |
| |prone to developing age related | | |
| |illnesses during the functioning| | |
| |of our body slowing down and | | |
| |wear on our body. | | |