Adulthood Stage

There seem to be certain normative expectations about how individuals of a certain age should act. The period of adulthood is marked by society’s expectations of performing one's duty as an adult. Some special roles and relationships like family and career are the major milestones of adulthood.

The spurt of growth during adolescence stabilizes by adulthood and the individual looks forward to more concrete roles in the society. Our capabilities and behaviours continue to change as we grow older not only because of the biological growth but also because of our knowledge and the way we interact with environment.

In the Indian tradition the period of adulthood refers to Grihastha Ashram. During this stage an individual enters the social life and accepts responsibilities of family, marriage and entering into one’s career. The stage of adulthood has the following sub periods:

  1. Young adulthood (20s to 30s)
  2. Middle adulthood (40s to 50s)
  3. Later adulthood (60s and above)

Young Adulthood

During this period, one sees himself or herself as an autonomous and independent adult. The individual becomes financially less dependent on the parental family. A major developmental task during this period is the choice of a career. Young men and women tend to settle down in a career of their choice. In addition a young adult tries to settle down and start the family life. They are also concerned about various social issues and forming close relationships with one’s professional peers and members of community. The duties of a person demand two-fold responsibilities which are towards oneself as well as the society.

The stage of young adulthood is characterized by new tasks and challenges in life such as establishing financial and emotional independence and entering into marital relationship. Unemployment and marital discord are two typical crisis conditions during early adulthood.

According to Erikson this period is characterized by a crisis of "intimacy versus isolation". The young adults must develop the ability to form deep intimate relationships with others, particularly in marriage. Otherwise, they can become socially and emotionally isolated. Most young adults develop a dream of future accomplishments or a vision of what they want to achieve as a life goal.

Such dreams motivate young adults towards goal directed efforts. Occupational and marital choices and gaining social and economic independence are some major tasks of early adulthood. Very often, during the early thirties individuals make a reappraisal of their choices and seek to make specific changes in their career choice and social relations. These experiences are described as "age thirty transition".

Characteristics of Young Adulthood

  • Choice of a career
  • Starting a family life
  • Forming close relationships with peers
  • Concerns about society