Transition from Early Adulthood to Middle Age

Early Adulthood is a period that many of us reach or reached our peak in physical performance. It is said that early adulthood starts at about 18 years of age and ends at about 30-40 years of age. For many people the early adulthood phase was a time of developing a sense of self and identity, learning to become independent of the parents, choosing a career, and having a family and kids of your own. During the later years of early adulthood and the beginning years of middle age, people seem to change from a more self indulgent way of life to a generous lifestyle. They start looking at things as "What's best for the family?" As people get older they start seeing the meaning of life as they know it. An understanding of what is important and what is not is define again and again as the individual lives with it's family. Many times people start looking at their lives differently and do not like what they see as they get older thus sudden changes often occur.

During the transition from Early adulthood to Mid-life we see many physical changes. The changes that occur during this stage take place rather gradual compared to the changes during adolescence. Most people start to gain weight and shrink in height about a half-inch. Loss of vision is the greatest during this transition and many middle age adults have to get glasses if they do not already have them. In the book Early and Middle Adulthood by Lillian Troll she writes, "The brain gets progressively smaller after about the age of 30". Because the brain gets smaller does not mean that it does not work as well just that blood flow to some parts of the brain slows down and eventually we cannot use that part of the brain. Women have changes in their menstrual cycle and go through menopause at about 45 to 51 years of age. Unlike women , men do not go through menopause and stay fertile throughout most their lives. It is known that some men have fathered children between the age of 70-80 years of age. As people get older they are more prone to get disease and it becomes harder for the body to rid itself of the disease. During the transition from early to middle adulthood a gradual decline of physical development occurs and continues throughout the rest of life.

Cognitive development during the transition of early adulthood to middle adulthood seems to get slower but many people make use of methods education to handle problems better. The memory is thought to be better when younger but not all kinds of memory can be applied to age. People become less creative and start maintaining stability with things. Although the brain may slow down as it gets older it also may become more efficient. The retrieval of memories is one of the things that older people have a hard time with. As we get older we might have a great memory but can retrieve the memory thus limiting the memories we can remember. There is a higher level of thought done by adults which leads to better use of time. Intelligence decreases and increases as we make the transition from early to middle adulthood. Intelligence is more likely to incline when tested more often and intelligence is more likely to decrease when required to be abstract. As we get older we keep developing until we die. Development is not always positive but some information we acquire as we go makes life easier and better.

The change in Personal Development during the transition from early to middle adulthood is a changing view on life. People start living more healthier lifestyles and become more aware of how much time they have left in life. People cannot physically do what they have been able to their whole life. In Early Adulthood people are trying to make a life for themselves but as they get to middle adulthood they begin to appreciate what they have more. As all the children move out and start families of their own many middle age adults get empty nest syndrome. Empty nest syndrome is where children move out of the house and the parents are left with empty feelings. Many parents divorce in result of being so depressed over the empty feelings. Parents often start to change their concept of life as they go from being a young adult to mid age adult. Middle aged parents appreciating how they raised their kids when they start to see grandchildren and children's families develop.

From early to middle-aged adulthood many changes occur. The transition between the two is so wide spread that professionals have a hard time telling exactly what and when everything is going to happen. When becoming a middle age adult people start to see that they have lived a good portion of their lives. Many times because the physical and cognitive skills are slowing down, adults start to appreciate the abilities they still have. As parents middle-aged adults have a joy looking at what they have done. A sense of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in the career they have led throughout the years becomes apparent. The transition from early to middle-aged adulthood is a period where most people shift the lifestyle from self indulgent to generosity.
Source: Adult Development

*P.S: I already feel some hormone changes and emotions controlled me even though i just turn 31 a few days ago. *Sigh*