Middle adulthood development does not differ in significant changes in human behavior, but rather is characterized by the final installation of the model of their life. Analyzing this stage of human development, it is important to take into account such aspects as cultural, physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. In most of these areas, the changes will be minor compared to other life stages of a person and are more related to the person’s life experience. The most significant changes are observed in physical development, while the cultural and social aspects at the time of middle adulthood are already formed.
Cultural Development
The cultural aspect of development in middle adulthood is formed depending on the composition of a person’s family, availability of work, income level, place and living conditions, as well as other factors. At this stage of life, the cultural development of the individual remains practically unchanged and is formed on the basis of previous experience. The man has two children aged 5 and 7, has a dog, works at a job with sufficient income, and lives in the house.
Physical Development
Physical changes are most evident in middle adulthood development. First of all, we are talking about a decrease in capabilities and a person’s predisposition to various diseases (Dunn and Craig, 2019). During the observation period, the man revealed some poor health habits that may have a negative impact on his health. These habits include drinking cocktails in the evenings, as well as smoking. However, along with bad habits, there are good ones, for example, a man adheres to a fairly healthy diet.
Cognitive Development
A man’s cognitive development is best displayed in the use of skills in the workplace. As Dunn and Craig (2019) argue, in adulthood, a person’s cognitive abilities are inextricably linked to their work responsibilities. In the workplace, a man concentrates on the quality performance of his work duties. Also, we can talk about a certain degree of multitasking, but at the same time, observations show that the ability of a man to perform several tasks at the same time is gradually decreasing. Some duties, such as escorting patients to the room and scheduling appointments, he delegates to colleagues. In addition, it is worth noting that a man actively uses technology for work, for example, a software program for accounting for clients.
Social Development
Despite the fact that at the time of middle adulthood the social aspect of the personality is formed, interaction with other people still remains important for a person. As noted by Osher et al. (2020) “relationships that are reciprocal, attuned, culturally responsive, and trustful are a positive developmental force” (p. 8). The main people with whom a man interacts are his children and patients. In relation to children, a man takes care, and also qualitatively performs his paternal functions. He interacts with patients politely while maintaining the necessary distance.
Emotional Development
Middle adulthood development is also often characterized by major changes in a person’s emotional state. Although Allemand et al. (2022) noted the propensity of people in adulthood to depression and suppression of emotions, these manifestations were not observed in a man. For example, while watching the football game, the man was very emotional and repeatedly “shouted at the TV”. However, most of the time, the man maintains a neutral emotional state, but is not detached and friendly towards others.
Conclusion
Thus, the observations show that middle adulthood most of all affected the cognitive development of a man, in particular, his multitasking. There is a tendency to partially delegate responsibilities to colleagues and family members, which is the norm for this period of life. In other aspects, no noticeable changes were revealed, which once again indicates that at this stage, the patterns that were previously developed against the background of the experience are fixed in a person.
References
Allemand, M., Fend, H. A., & Hill, P. L. (2022). Perceptions of the future in adolescence predict depressive symptoms in adolescence and early and middle adulthood. Developmental psychology. Web.
Dunn, W., & Craig, G. (2019). Understanding Human Development. Fourth edition. Pearson education.
Osher, D., Cantor, P., Berg, J., Steyer, L., & Rose, T. (2020). Drivers of human development: How relationships and context shape learning and development. Applied Developmental Science, 24(1), 6-36. Web.