Early And Middle Adulthood Stages

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Midlle Running header: STAGE ANALYSIS: EARLY AND MIDDLE ADULTHOOD STAGES Stage Analysis: Early and Middle Adulthood Stages Tanika Black, Tamara Coleman, Detra Mathias, Janel Wilder PSY 280 May 25, 2010 Michele Claybrook-Lucas Stage Analysis: Early and Middle Adulthood Stages Various issues affect one’s development in early and middle adulthood. Early adulthood is a time when individuals seek intimate relationships. Middle adulthood is a time when individuals experience physical and psychological changes. The purpose of this paper is examine the effects that choosing a partner and physiological issues has on development in early and middle adulthood. Choice of Partner Many individuals fail to realize the importance of companionship. Humans have a need for friendship. Developing healthy relationships decrease stress and contribute to the formation of one’s character and personality. Friends are needed for support, listening, talking, protection, laughs, affection, and advice. Learning carefully to select friends at a young age enables one in his or her early to middle adult years to effectively choose a partner. Individuals do not always follow the necessary processes when selecting a partner. Each party needs to have trust, both physical and mental attraction to one another, take into account various personal views, both political and economic, and share some of the same aspirations. According to Erikson’s theory, the sixth stage of development is intimacy. If there is no intimacy established by early adulthood, the result is isolation. Erikson describes intimacy as finding oneself while losing oneself in another person (Santrock, 2008). If someone cannot obtain meaningful relationships, this could lead to depression and violent behavior. According to Robert J. Sternberg (1988), love is defined by three types, which

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