Social and Emotional Aspects of Adulthood

There are many theories about the social and emotional aspects of aging. Some aspects of healthy aging include activities, social connectedness, and the role of a person’s culture. According to many theorists, including George Vaillant (2002), who studied and analyzed over 50 years of data, we need to have and continue to find meaning throughout our lives. 

For those in early and middle adulthood, meaning is often found through work (Sterns & Huyck, 2001) and family life (Markus, Ryff, Curan, & Palmersheim, 2004). These areas relate to the tasks that Erik Erikson referred to as generativity vs. stagnation and intimacy vs. isolation. 

Relationships in Adulthood

Positive relationships with significant others in our adult years have been found to contribute to a state of well-being (Ryff & Singer, 2009). Most adults in the United States identify themselves through their relationships with family—particularly with spouses, children, and parents (Markus et al., 2004). While raising children can be stressful, especially when they are young, research suggests that parents reap the rewards down the road, as adult children tend to have a positive effect on parental well-being (Umberson, Pudrovska, & Reczek, 2010). Having stable intimate relationships has also been found to contribute to well-being throughout adulthood (Vaillant, 2002).

A lack of positive and meaningful relationships during adulthood can result in what Erikson termed the crisis of intimacy vs. isolation in his theory of psychosocial development. In young adulthood (i.e., 20s and early 30s), people tend to be concerned with forming meaningful relationships; young and middle-aged adults are subject to loneliness if they are unable to form meaningful relationships with family, friends, or community. 

Social relationships in adulthood

Social relationships are important to overall well-being in early and middle adulthood. (credit: Philippe Put)

Crises of Adulthood

Both early and middle adulthood come with particular challenges; these challenges are at times referred to as "quarter-life crises" and "mid-life crises," respectively. A quarter-life crisis typically occurs between the ages of 25 and 30. It often revolves around the challenges that arise from young adults newly living life on their own and feeling overwhelmed with new responsibilities; it can also happen after the birth of a child or if a person graduates from college and cannot find a job in their chosen field. In this stage of life, young people may worry about their future, wonder if they've made poor choices, or wonder what life might hold for them now. 

The main triggers for a mid-life crisis include problems with work, trouble in a marriage, children growing up and leaving the home, or the aging or death of a person's parents. This is likely to occur during Erikson's stage of generativity vs. stagnation, a time when people think about the contribution they are making to the world. Generativity involves finding one's life’s work and contributing to the development of others through activities such as volunteering, mentoring, and raising children; those who do not master this task may experience a feeling of stagnation.

Individuals having a mid-life crisis may experience some of the following:

• a search for an undefined dream or goal;
• a deep sense of regret for goals not accomplished;
• a fear of humiliation among more successful colleagues;
• a desire to achieve a feeling of youthfulness;
• a need to spend more time alone or with certain peers.

Some who experience a quarter- or mid-life crisis struggle with how to cope and may engage in harmful behaviors, such as abuse of alcohol or drugs or excessive spending of money. Others may experiment with different aspects of their personality, explore new hobbies, or otherwise seek out change in their lives.

Finding Meaning Through Work

Many adults find meaning in and define themselves by what they do—their careers. Earnings peak for many during adulthood, yet research has found that job satisfaction is more closely tied to work that involves contact with other people, is interesting, provides opportunities for advancement, and allows some independence (Mohr & Zoghi, 2006) than it is to salary (Iyengar, Wells, & Schwartz, 2006). 

Erikson's stage of generativity vs. stagnation revolves around a person's sense of their contribution to the world. Generativity is about making life productive and creative so that it matters to others, especially those in the next generation. According to Erikson, a person who is self-centered and unable or unwilling to help society move forward develops a feeling of stagnation—a dissatisfaction with the relative lack of productivity. The central tasks during middle adulthood can include expressing love through more than sexual contacts, maintaining healthy life patterns, helping growing and grown children to be responsible adults, relinquishing a central role in the lives of grown children, creating a comfortable home, being proud of one's accomplishments, taking care of aging parents, adjusting to the physical changes of middle age, and using leisure time creatively.