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Early and Middle Childhood

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Early and Middle Adulthood
Over the course of the lifespan people change daily and change at different paces. Where we come from as well as who we come from, molds us into adults. We just discussed the middle childhood and adolescence phase. In this paper, we will examine the psychological adjustments to aging and the lifestyle that occur within individuals during early and middle adulthood (emerging adulthood), which can be looked at as a separate developmental stage.
Social and Intimate Relationships
The social and intimate relationships that people experience during early and middle adulthood can change greatly. As I will explain later in this paper, role changes affect these relationships as well. As Erikson has stated in his intimacy versus isolation phase, humans are “social creatures.” The social relationships that people have at 18 will likely be different from those they have at 25. As emerging adulthood takes place, personality changes are evident. Many early and middle adults seek a mixture of education, friendship, and achievement. If this combination is attained, self-esteem will surely improve.
For example, I was 19 when I enlisted in the Marine Corps. I had grown up in a small town in Wisconsin and was living in my own “bubble.” I received my first set of station orders and was sent to Iwakuni, Japan. It was exciting but also scary for me to think about being so far away from my hometown friends as well as my family. After I had gotten to Japan I began to have problems adjusting for the first two months. I rarely sought out new friends and was considered by some to be an introvert. After joining a basketball team on base, I began to act socially and make friends. I still keep in contact with some of the people I met during my time there, and they turned out to be some of the best friends I have made in my life. Once I had those friends, my self-esteem was restored. As we all enter emerging adulthood we go our separate ways into the world and try to chase success.
The exploration that occurs during emerging adulthood continues with intimate relationships. Romantic love is very complex. Many emerging adults have a series of sexual relationships before seeking a true partner in marriage. “Given that romantic attachments are particularly valuable avenues for identity exploration, one might expect that emerging adult romantic relationships would be less stable and more focused on sexual experimentation and personal sexual satisfaction” (Leveque, 2012, para.3). I think that this quotation quite simply refers to emerging adults looking for more quality and meaning in an intimate relationship than younger counterparts.
Healthy and Unhealthy Habits
Growing up my mother used the old “you are what you eat” catch phrase and over the years I have heard many like it. Oddly enough, there is truth to those phrases. Healthy habits learned at an early age from our parents and our peers lead to a healthier path through adulthood. The first healthy habit should be learning to eat correctly at a young age. Today with the “obesity epidemic,” even young children are posing serious risks to their health by making poor choices and exercising much less. As we have spoken about in previous chapters of our textbook, much of these behaviors are passed down from parent to child. Because the child sees a parent conducting this behavior, the child may view it as normal. Young adults choose high calorie, low nutrient foods. As adulthood progresses, metabolism slows down significantly. To maintain a healthy weight, adults need to eat less and move more. Body weight is partly determined by genetics; therefore young adults should know about their family medical history and be proactive in fighting of potentially life-threatening issues like diabetes or heart disease. Opposite of obesity is the potential for other dangerous eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.
The next habit I want to examine is alcohol consumption. Those who drink alcohol in moderation (1-2 drinks per day) live longer than those who do not drink alcohol. Moderation is the key word in that statement. As emerging adulthood, young adults will face pressure from peers to consume alcohol in large quantities. This can lead to alcohol poisoning or even death. Young adults should know that no one is exempt from becoming an alcoholic. Risky behavior goes hand-in-hand with alcohol abuse. Sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy are a few of the risks young adults face. Health status varies by gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and culture. “It is not surprising that behaviors directly related to alcohol use and other substances replaced other psychosocial risk factors in terms of understanding long-term problematic alcohol use” (Copeland, 2012, p.1925). All of these factors may be even more influential than genetic or ethnic differences.
Role Changes
As we all will experience in life, there comes a time we realize that we are no longer a 16 asking our parents for money on a Friday night to hang out with our friends. We begin to see that the world does not revolve around us and that there is a bigger picture. As people progress through adulthood, development is characterized by two basic needs, intimacy, and generativity. The social clock can influence behaviors but does so less than it has in the past. Most adults will find a partner to share life with and raise families. The male typically assumes the role of main provider, although many women are the sole providers for their children. Adults want to feel generative and successful through their employment, and caregiving to others.
Regarding development, married people tend to be happier, healthier, and more financially stable than non-married people. Husbands do more housework presently than they did before because of women being employed and more independent. Unlike adolescence, early, and middle adulthood is a time to establish identity and a foundation for the person’s future. Siblings usually will become closer as the years of adulthood pass, and relationships with parents usually strengthen.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the list of adjustments people face between early and middle adulthood is long. In the nature versus nurture world, neither set of factors over powers the other. In the emerging adulthood stage (18-25), the choices people make can have a lifelong impact on future development. A normal life is what we all strive for. Healthy habits in early childhood and adolescence can increase chances of a healthy adult life and beyond.

References
Copeland, W. E. (2012, September). Predicting persistent alcohol problems: a prospective analysis from the Great Smoky Mountain Study. Psychological Medicine, 42(9), 1925-35. doi:1030745533
Leveque, H. H. (2012). Emerging adulthood: An age of sexual experimentation or sexual self-focus? The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 21(3/4), 147-159. Retrieved from http://://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/1288663178?accountid=35812

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