Psychological Adjustments to Aging
This paper will cover the ongoing changes one makes from early adulthood to middle adulthood. Early adulthood spans from the ages of 20 and 40 and middle adulthood spans between 41 and 60. All the trials and tribulations that ensue when taking that next journey into adulthood will be addressed. They can include emotional and personal development; physical changes; decision to marry and raise a family or do you put your career first. The realization that you are no longer a young spring chicken hits some people in middle adulthood. In your mind you feel the same way you did when you were in your twenties, but the body tell you a different story. There are two different stages of love during early and middle adulthood described by. Psychologist Elaine Hatfield: there is compassionate love and passionate love. Compassionate love involves feelings of mutual respect, trust and affection, while passionate love involves intense feelings and sexual attraction.
The Evolution of Social and Intimate Relationships
Relationships during early adulthood can be a series of emotional and social changes. It often involves balancing intimacy and commitment with independence and freedom. According to Erikson, young adults face the controversy between intimacy and isolation. To solve this conflict, the individual wants to maintain a sense of independence while still having intimacy. A major task in early adulthood is to find a partner that is similar in age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, and other attributes. Romantic love is found but has strong components of sexuality and infatuation, sexual desire is the most important ingredient. As for friendships, women have more close friends and the friendships involve more self-disclosure and an exchange of mutual support. Friendships are very important during this time of life. Siblings become closer friends, but early adults are basically at risk for loneliness because they do not seek out friendships as much. Adult relationships are established with parents as well.
Some early adults are career focused, choosing to start a career as opposed to starting a family. They acquire marketable skills for the workplaces, choose a career path to follow; use money to further their development in a social capacity and once that is established they may consider settling down.
Some major milestones during middle adulthood may be raising and sending children off to college, coping with a midlife crisis, and assisting with elderly parents. Many changes occur in the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of development during this time. Middle aged adults have to start dealing with changes in body image. They have to make adjustments with the realities of aging. Women have more trouble than men accepting being older. However, only a minority of people experience midlife crisis. It can be described as a time when a person has self-doubt and inner problems which make them go through some sort of drastic change. In middle adulthood, adults become more in touch with themselves than ever before. They also become introspective.
Middle adulthood relationships have more emphasis on relationships that move from passionate love to companionate love. Passionate love sometimes quickly fades but compassionate love endures and ensures longevity. Middle-aged adults often become more appreciative of their own parents, and the relationship improves. Adults that have to take care of their ill or frail parents are referred to as the "sandwich generation. Sibling bonds strengthen, while fewer new friendships are made but they are more deeply valued.
Burnout is sometimes faced in careers. A person gets tired of their job, especially in jobs involving work with specific people. Most middle-aged people keep their same job, and a radical career change often signals a personal or midlife crisis.
Role Changes
As one grows older, roles change and each change represents a major decision in a persons’ life. One of the first changes for early adults is psychological separation from parents. Getting out on your own and becoming responsible and financially independent is the first step to adulthood. You are no longer relying on your parents to help you. The ability to establish your own financial independence is an important step in the life of the early adult because it leaves them with a strong feeling of success. The role as a single adult involves individuality but when you marry the role is changed to that of a spouse. Marriage decides what your specific role will be in the marriage. Will you be the primary bread winner or share the responsibility. The role change to spouse also involves you being responsible for your family as well as being a strong moral example. There also a the period of time in which children leave the home and parents face a new phase of life that does not involve rearing young children. Some parents go through the empty-nest syndrome, in which they have difficulty adjusting to life without their children, but this is usually temporary and many adults begin to enjoy the new freedoms that come with middle age. Women and men become more androgynous, which means they take on both gender role characteristics. In middle adulthood there is a shift in the relationship with the parents. You are now responsible for your parents care and they come to rely on your more than ever. The roles have been switched you are now the parent to your parents.

Impacts of Healthy and Unhealthy Habits
Health habits formed in early adulthood reduce risk factors in middle age. If you practice good health habits as an early adult it can reduce the chances of heart disease. Healthy lifestyle such as no smoking, eating a healthy balanced diet, regular exercise and limiting alcohol intake can result in a low risk of cardiovascular disease. Many adults develop unhealthy diets, gain weight and aren’t physically active, so following this lifestyle can lead to high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes and elevated cardiovascular risk.
Researchers noted that the benefits of these lifestyle changes are greater the earlier they become a regular habit in the day to day process. Clogging of the arteries begins during the late teenage years, so nipping poor health habits in the bud decreases the accumulation of both plaque and greater risk. Plus, when habits are established early, they're easier to continue into later life. Bottom line, unhealthy habits will shorten the lifespan. People who engaged in bad habits such as smoking, drinking and bad diets had an increase of 3x the death rate from cancer and heart disease and 4x the death rate from other causes than people who did not have any of the bad vices. The key to a long life span and longevity is prevention. Practicing healthy habits makes for a better way of life.