Early and Middle Adulthood
S Brooks
PSY/280
January 06, 2015
Professor Murray L. Johnson

Early and Middle Adulthood
When children leave the teen years and grow into early adulthood into middle adulthood there are many changes and challenges one faces during these periods in life. This paper will discuss how intimate and social relationships develop during early and middle adulthood. This paper will also identify the various role changes that transpire during the periods of early and middle adulthood. The paper will also discuss the immediate and future influences of healthy and unhealthy behaviors practiced throughout early and middle adulthood.
The transition from teenage years into early adulthood comes with many challenges; some of the challenges involve different aspects. During early adulthood there are many changes that occur, such as physical, cognitive and emotional changes. First the physical change that comes with leaving adolescence and growing into early adulthood. Women have reached their adult height by age 18 and men by age 21. During this time both men and women continue to add body fat and men continue to build muscle mass. Depending on an individual’s up-bringing it will have an affect on one social skills and intimate relationships. Studies show individual’s who’s up-bringing in a lower income environment usually have less expectation of completing school and or maintaining a professional career. It also states that individual in lower income situations tend to have children out of wedlock and not get married and cohabit.
Intimate relationships start in adolescence and change as one reaches early adulthood to middle adulthood (Meier & Allen, 2008). Studies show that intimate relationships start in infancy between a mother and a child; it is a bond of closeness. Intimate relationships can be between close friends, starting of one’s family and romantic relationships. Some of the social changes an individual faces when going from teenage years to early adulthood and middle adulthood could range from peer pressure, like smoking, drinking and doing drugs.
During early adulthood an individual faces new responsibilities such as learning to maintain financial responsibilities. This new role begins with an individual’s chosen career path and his or her work ethics. During this role change or transition a parent or parents usually help with finances until the young adult can maintain his or her financial responsibility According to Arnett (2001) “Accepting responsibility for one self and making independent decisions, with financial independence. Another role that may change is going from being single to a relationship that usually leads to marriage. When a person decides to engage in a relationship or get married that person must consider another person’s wants and needs. One of the many factors in a relationship or marriage is who will be the person bringing home the paycheck will it be a one income family or will both people work. Will this relationship bring children and if so what type of environment will the children be raised in. Another role that may change is parenthood, this role bring the responsibility of an individual to bring emotional development and support for the children. As a parent a person should have good morals and positive habits as they are now a role model for the kids.
In middle adulthood, the role continue to shift, in some cases the child becomes the parent or parent’s caregiver and take on more responsibilities that once were their parent’s jobs. Becoming the parent’s caregiver may include financial responsibilities as well as emotional support. In most cases, the child becomes the one who makes all the decisions for the parent down to health care decisions.
During early adulthood certain lifestyles, how a person lives will have a lasting effect on how healthy a person will be during middle adulthood and late adulthood. If a person during early adulthood chooses to eat healthy and exercise on a regular basis he and or she will usually have a better outlook health wise when he or she reaches middle adulthood too late adulthood. Making sure he and or she get the proper rest, sleeping at least 8 hours a night and eating healthy meals. A person who maintains a healthier lifestyle usually does not suffer from ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, and other health related diseases. A person who decides not to take his or her health serious, and not take care of oneself during early adulthood usually suffers from several health related ailments. Smoking, drinking and the use of illicit drugs in excess has the potential to cause detrimental effects on the heart, lungs, kidneys and other major organs. Lack of nutritional meals proper exercise and rest will cause a person in early adulthood to suffer aliments most would have in late adulthood. Some individual’s take poor habits from early adulthood to middle adulthood and are not able to maintain one’s health based on the choices made as a young adult, even when one decided to make the necessary changes.
In conclusion, Social and intimate relationships begin in infancy and continues to early and middle adulthood. Where there are many changes and transition that occur during this time frame from early adulthood through middle adulthood. These changes occur despite what background a person comes from how different a person’s up- bringing was and the direction a particular person decided to take. There are many role changes a person goes through through-out his and or her life span. This role change evolves during early adulthood and allows an individual to learn social responsibilities, and how become financial responsible and not relay solely on his or her parents to survive in the adult world. It also presents an opportunity to learn what an intimate relationship entails. The role transition comes in stages of life, independence from parents, a person becoming responsibly for his or her own well-being. Financial independence learning how to maintain his or her financial well- being and not depending on one’s parents. Choices made from early adulthood to middle adulthood should be positive decisions on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The choices made during early adulthood could be detrimental to a person health during the middle adulthood years if the proper steps are not taken to maintain a healthy life style. An individual should make positive choices during his or her early adulthood and maintain those choices through-out his or her life span. An individual should enjoy life, but do it the correct way despite a person’s up-bringing.

Reference
Meier, A., & Allen, G. (2008, Spring). Intimate Relationship Development during the Transition to Adulthood: Difference by Social Class. National Institute of Health, . Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703509/
Arnett, J. (2001). Conceptions of the Transition to Adulthood: Perspectives. Journal of Adult Development, 8(2).