Psychological Adjustments: Early and Middle Adulthood

Introduction

Human beings are all born with an active nature to develop intimate relationships which eventually over time evolve, causing a person to make specific and necessary adjustment to their life to better accommodate their needs at the time. These various relationships and changes are a necessary life requirement, and also act as a source of happiness, confidence, and promotion of good health. Although not solely limited to sexual relationships, those acquired throughout a lifetime change as people progress in their life from early to middle adulthood. It can be said that the social and intimate relationships that one endures in their lifetime potentially helps to add stability to one's life while at the same time aides in the development of one's individuality.

Social and Intimate Relationship Evolution during Early and Middle Adulthood

Many relationships we form throughout our lifetimes, be it those formed in our childhoods, those formed during infancy, or even those cultivated when we've reached adulthood lay foundation for the persevering relationships we as adults continue to have until death, and fundamentally to one's individual development. Many would denote that these stages in one's life are affiliated with the abundance of knowledge about intimacy, and the relationships we form throughout a lifetime. The relationships that we as human beings form in our lives could be said to be an internal coping mechanism that is necessary when we make adjustments and/ or transitions in our lives. It could be inferred that the captivation in one's self as well as with one's social adaption capabilities are reasons in which cause people explore their own identity through various forms of intimacy as well as through different relationship experiences.

Assuredly, the evolution of social and intimate relationships during early and middle adulthood stem particularly from one's changing in their life's priorities. With this said, one's ideals and perception towards life is constantly changing for we as humans are constantly growing be it physically, mentally, or socio-emotionally- so evolution in our lives could be said to be inevitable. Per Meir et al.(2009), due to these changes in priorities "the transition to adulthood has become elongated and less orderly." Meir indicates that those in early adulthood seem to take longer to mentally "become" adults- delaying the marriage process, engaging in committed relationships, etc. From this we could assume that the early and middle adulthood stage in one's life, as indicated above is filled with many ideas on how to mentally discover one's self and find our "place" in the world and due to this, one must be able to adapt to the adult world along with its many foundations.

In reference to that of social evolution at this stage in one's lifespan, the personification of what friends are and who one's friends really are, along with how one feels towards their parents change as well for those in early and middle adulthood begin to better understand societal world perspectives. Many would agree when I mention that as the older we get, the time spent with our families is roughly half of what one would have usually spent with their family as a child. The new ideals and cognitive processes associated with that of early and middle adulthood are closely affiliated with the mere fact that while in this stage of life, one is continuously seeking out relationships that augment strides to accommodate to one's new stresses and desires. Many at this level desire to associate themselves with those who are experiencing similar life situation as they are which in turn helps construct new relationships based on one's priorities at that given time.

Various Role Changes that Occur during Early and Middle Adulthood

As we progress in life- with age, new ideals, etc., we are compromised with the need to adapt to the current situation in our life at which we are enduring at that given moment. Those said situations are usually due to the choices we have made in our lives and as a result of those choices, our roles in life change as well. The changes made in one's life are all representative of the cardinal decisions that a person has made throughout their lifetime. It can be insinuated that even beginning from one's earliest role change in their life, at which you are no longer dependent on your mother and father, that one's life will be occupied with many role changes one must adhere to for mere societal survival. We can all speculate that even those role changes that we as humans eventually anticipate (i.e. marriage, having children, etc.) require substantial adjustments to one's life and how it is lived on a day to day basis.

Many could ascertain that one of the primary role changes in reference to that of early and middle adulthood is that of the shift of parental reliance in financial times of need. Those who are currently at this stage of their life (early and middle adulthood) usually aid this change by gearing their needs and wants toward a specific career choice, or most of the time postpone the process of fully entering adulthood by seeking alternate means of career fulfillment through that of higher education. It can be noted by many that have attended college that while in college, one's parents often still