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Adult development essay

Our textbook The Journey of Adulthood by Barbara R. Bjorklund and Helen L. Bee is the study of adult development, and it follows the tenets of developmental psychology, the field of study that deals with the behavior, thoughts and emotions of individuals as they go through various parts of the life span. The field also includes child development, adolescent development and adult development, which is the concern of the textbook.

This paper will be exploring the concepts in adult development discussing the theories of Erikson’s stages of adult development, the concept of career selection and the concept of retirement. Also this paper will be discussing healthy aging and unhealthy aging.

Theories of Adult Development

Eric Erikson believed that egos exist from birth and behavior is not totally defensive. He organized life into eight stages that extend from birth to death (many developmental theories only cover childhood). Since adulthood covers a span of many years, Erikson divided the stages of adulthood into the experiences of young adults, middle aged adults and older adults. While the actual ages may vary considerably from one stage to another, the ages seem to be appropriate for the majority of people.

Erikson’s basic philosophy might be said to rest on two major themes: (1) the world gets bigger as we go along and (2) failure is cumulative. While the first point is fairly obvious, we might take exception to the last. True, in many cases an individual who has to deal with horrendous circumstances as a child may be unable to negotiate later stages as easily as someone who didn’t have as many challenges early on. For example, we know that orphans who weren’t held or stroked as infants have an extremely hard time connecting with others when they become adults and have even died from lack of human contact. ( Harder, A. 2009). In the first week of class we had the opportunity to discuss Erikson’s theory and I compared his model with my own life and that of my children and he was on point. I totally agree and understand this concept. The next concept is the concept of career selection.

The Concept of Career Selection

This concept was the work of John Holland. Holland was the major voice in the area of career selection. He believes that people seek work environment that fit their vocational interests, which is defined as personal attitudes, competencies and values. This may have been the case, at the time of his study and era. But I would have to say that people of this era looks toward benefit and pay. These two items are the most important to job seeker in looking for employment. People are general happy with their working environment when they are work in a place that gives them job satisfaction and security. Most people select job on the basis of their schedules. The jobs and work people like to do, does not change over the life span. The last concept is the concept of retirement.

The Concept of Retirement

Leaving the workforce is a big decision that is made everyday. Many people have spent 20 plus years working for a company and have looked forward to their retirement. People retire from one career to start another. Retirement is a big part of adult development. It is not something that people all of a sudden do. It is something that is well thought of and plans out. Some retirement may be mandatory, when a company is force to downsize they lay off or let go those employee that have longevity and it will free some revenue.

Healthy Aging and Unhealthy aging

Most people know age is just a number. Perhaps age in childhood give valid information about what to expect in the way of appearance or behavior, but once a child reaches adolescence, many more factors take over. In fact, the further we venture on the journey of adulthood, the more variability there is among people our “ own” age. Several type of age has been identified, and they illustrate the many dimensions of adult development. (Bjorkland & Bee, 2009) p. 13

Aging is a normal process of life, and people are living longer. With today’s medical technology, many people are living in good health and longer lives. It’s important to be aware of the many components of senior health, including physical health, mental health, and emotional well-being. With healthy lifestyle habits, plenty of exercise and activities, and strong social support, healthy seniors can look forward to personal fulfillment and a long life.

Many people do not realize that the way they treat their body while they are young can have an affect on them when they get older in life. Physical change will occur during adulthood because the lifestyle they chose to live. The result may be from smoking, drinking, taking drugs and lack of exercise. The best advice is to eat healthy, exercise, get regular checkups, know your family health history, and seek scientifically proven treatment early for whatever disorders occur. Live a balanced life with time for supportive relationship and activities that reduce stress. (Bjorkland & Bee, 2009) p. 95

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