A person is born into the light, passing through certain stages of growing up. Directly dependent on this objective physical process is his psychological well-being. At certain points, people tend to experience age-related crises. For each person, they are natural transitional stages, bearing in themselves certain dangers and sufferings, as well as the opportunity to improve and develop.
Interestingly, the word "crisis" from the Chinese language is translated rather ambiguously. Its spelling is two hieroglyphs, the first of which means "danger", and the second - "opportunity."
The crisis, it is not so important at what level it will be considered, on the state or on the individual, is a kind of start, defined by a transshipment point. It provides an opportunity to stop for a while to think and define new goals, while analyzing your skills and capabilities. Sometimes such a process is conscious, and sometimes not. Moreover, age-related crises of personality development do not always have an exact link to a certain age. In some people, they come earlier for a year and a half years, while in others they develop later. Yes, and they occur with varying degrees of intensity. However, in any case, it is important for each of us to understand the main causes of age-related crises in personality development, as well as their typical course. All this will allow them to survive with small losses and with maximum benefit both for themselves and for their near and dear ones.
Definition of a concept
An age-related crisis of development is one of the transitional stages that are natural for each person. He comes at a time when the individual begins to summarize his personal achievements and is not satisfied with the result. At the same time, a person begins to analyze his past, trying to understand what he did wrong.
Over the course of our lives, we go through more than one crisis period. Moreover, each of them does not start suddenly. At the heart of this state is the dissatisfaction accumulated as a result of the discrepancy between the expected effect and the reality that has come. That is why we are more aware of the midlife crisis. After all, having approached him, a person has many years of experience behind him, which gives him great ground for reflection on achievements, on the past, and also for comparing himself with others.
It also happens that a person, thinking that he has a crisis, does not even assume that he suffers from other mental ailments. And they have nothing to do with the passage of psychological stages of life. And if in children age development crises are quite easy to observe, then in adults it is difficult to do. After all, each of these stages lasts from seven to ten years, passing either almost imperceptibly, or being obvious to others.
Nevertheless, the age crisis of development is a fairly universal phenomenon. For example, 30- and 35-year-olds can solve approximately the same problems. This becomes possible in connection with the existing time shifts.
Age-related crises of mental development must be distinguished from those associated with objective biographical changes. This may include loss of property or relatives, etc. For age-related crises in a person’s development, such an individual’s state is characteristic when everything looks normal for him, but his mental state leaves much to be desired. In order to improve his inner well-being, a person seeks to provoke changes, even if they are destructive. With this, he wants to change his life, as well as the internal situation. People often do not understand this person, considering his problems far-fetched.
Psychologists opinions
An age-related developmental crisis is a phenomenon that is considered physiologically normal. It occurs in most people and is a prerequisite for the development of personality due to its change of life values. However, not all psychotherapists and psychologists agree with this. Some of them believe that the age crisis of development is a pathological process, and it is caused by a number of dependencies and etiological reasons. In some cases, the individual may even develop pathological conditions. To prevent this, specialist intervention and the use of medications will be required. Moreover, it is necessary to treat the coming crises of age development in the same way as any mental disorder or deviation.
L.S. Vygotsky held a somewhat different opinion. His research, which played a large role in the development of domestic psychotherapy, he proved that the age-related crisis of mental development is not at all a pathology. According to Vygotsky, the next stage in the human mental development, especially taking place in childhood, allows you to create a stronger personality, which is characterized by strong-willed resistance to the negative manifestations of the world. However, this becomes possible with the smooth emergence of the crisis period, as well as with the correct attitude of people around or psychologists (if necessary, their intervention).
Life stages and their problems
Psychologists have decided on the periodization of crises of age development. Knowing about it allows each person not only to prepare in advance for stress factors, but also to go through each of these life stages as efficiently as possible for the individual. This will allow the individual to achieve their goals.
Practically at each of the age stages, there is a need to make one or another decision, which is usually set by society. Overcoming the problems that have arisen, a person is able to live his life most safely. But sometimes he still does not find the necessary solution. In this case, he will certainly have more global problems. If, however, a person cannot cope with them, then this threatens the emergence of a neurotic state. They just unsettle him.
Some stages and crises of age development are described in psychology rather poorly. It concerns, for example, the period of 20-25 years. The age-related crises of 30-40 years are considered more well-known, which have not yet fully understood destructive power. Indeed, at this age, often people who are in apparent prosperity suddenly change their lives. They begin to commit completely reckless actions, while destroying their already formed plans.
The crises of age development in children are clearly delineated. These periods of development of the human psyche require special attention of parents. If one of these stages fails, the problem of age development crises is exacerbated. They are layered on top of one another.
Childhood crises have a particularly strong impact on the character of a person. Often they can set the direction for his whole future life. For example, a child who does not have basic trust in his adult life may not be able to manifest deep feelings of a personal nature. And a person who was not allowed to feel independence in childhood can no longer rely on personal strength. He stays infantile for life, seeking a replacement for his parent in his soulmate or in his superiors. Sometimes such people with pleasure willlessly dissolve in a social group. The same child, who was not taught hard work, in the future will experience problems with goal-setting, as well as with external and internal discipline. Parents, having missed time and not paying due attention to the development of the child’s skills, by their inaction will lead to the fact that a small person will have a number of complexes. In adulthood, this will cause him difficulties, which will be incredibly difficult to overcome.
Often parents suppress their child's natural teenage rebellion. This does not allow the child to go through the corresponding stage of the age crisis. And the fact that such people in childhood did not take responsibility for their lives will certainly go through all their subsequent years as a red thread. It also reminds one of one’s childhood during the midlife crisis. After all, most of the human shadow contexts are developed precisely in the preschool and school periods.
Each of us needs to be in a crisis of age development for some time. The main crises of life will certainly present us with many problems. But each of these periods must be lived in its entirety.
Psychologists also note the presence of gender differences in the passage of age-related crises. This is especially pronounced in middle age. So, men at the stage of the crisis at this stage evaluate themselves by financial security, career achievements and other objective indicators. In women, family welfare comes first.
The crises of the psychological growth of personality are directly related to the theme of age. The fact is that there is a widespread belief that everything good happens with us only in young years. This belief is strongly supported by the media, as well as representatives of the opposite sex.
Significant changes in appearance occur over the years. And a person has a moment when he is no longer able to convince others, and himself personally, that youth has not yet left him. This condition leads to a large number of psychological problems. Some people, due to their appearance, realize the need for internal personality changes. But there are those who are starting to try to get younger. This indicates unresolved crises, as well as a person’s rejection of his body, age, and life as a whole. Consider the main age-related crises of personality development.
Period from 0 to 2 months
This is a time characterized by the onset of a newborn crisis. His cause is those significant changes that have occurred in the conditions of life of the baby, multiplied by his helplessness. If we consider the characteristics of the crises of age-related development, then in this period you can see such manifestations as weight loss, as well as the ongoing adjustment of all body systems that need to function in a fundamentally different environment for them, not in the water, but in the air.
A newly born baby is helpless and completely dependent on the world. That is why in this crisis period there is confidence in everything around or, on the contrary, distrust in it. If the resolution was successful, then in this case the little person is born the ability not to lose hope. The end of the crisis of the newborn is characterized by the development of the following:
- Individual mental life.
- The revitalization complex, which is a special emotional-motor reaction of a baby, addressed to an adult. It is formed starting from about the third week after birth. The child begins to concentrate and freeze when fixing sounds and objects, and after that - a smile, motor revitalization and vocalization. In addition, rapid breathing, cries of joy, etc. are characteristic of the revitalization complex. If the child develops normally, then already in the second month all these manifestations are observed in full force. The intensity of all components of the complex is gradually increasing. At about 3–4 months of age, behavior transforms into more complex forms.
According to psychologists, despite the small possibilities for manifestation of motor and verbal discontent, the infant can to some extent be aware of the crisis situation that arises in connection with changing living conditions and the need to adapt to a new environment. Many experts are sure that this time is the most difficult for a person in psychological terms.
Second year of life
At this age, a crisis is promoted by an increase in the baby's capabilities, as well as the emergence of many new needs. A year of life is characterized by a surge of independence, the emergence of effective reactions and familiarity with the boundaries of what is permitted. Because of this, children often disrupt vital biorhythms of sleep and wakefulness.
When considering the concept of a crisis of age-related development in a year of a person’s life, psychologists note that he seeks to resolve the contradictions arising from the gap between speech regulation and desires. The emergence of independence and autonomy allows him to do this, as opposed to shame and doubt. In the case of a positive resolution of the conflict, the baby gains will and develops speech regulation.
The crisis of three years
During this period, a small person begins to form and for the first time independence manifests itself. The child has contacts with peers, with kindergarten teachers and other representatives of the surrounding society. Three-year-olds also seek to create new ways of communicating with adults. The child discovers a new world of previously unknown opportunities. They also make their own adjustments to the development of various stress factors.
Considering the characteristics of crises of the age-related development of children, L. S. Vygotsky noted that the main signs of their manifestation at the age of three are:
- Stubbornness. For the first time for a child, situations arise when something is done not the way he wants.
- Manifestations of independence. A similar trend could only be viewed from a positive perspective if the baby were capable of an objective assessment of its capabilities. His wrong actions often lead to conflict.
After this period, age-related crises in the development of preschool age no longer appear.
Problems at 7 years old
We continue to consider the main crises. The crisis of age development following the three-year period of a person’s life is a school crisis. It occurs during the transition from kindergarten to secondary education. Here the child is faced with an intensive educational process, which makes him concentrate on learning new material and gaining a large amount of knowledge. At the same time, the social situation of development is changing. The age crises of school years are directly affected by the position of peers, which sometimes differs from one's own.
In these years, thanks to such contacts, the true will of a person is formed based on his genetic potential. After passing through the school crisis, the child either becomes confident in his inferiority, or, on the contrary, acquires egoism and a sense of significance, including social significance.
In addition, at the age of seven, the formation of the inner life of the child takes place. In the future, this leaves a direct imprint on its behavior.
The crisis of children 11-15 years old
The next stressful period of growing up is associated with puberty. This situation allows you to see new dependencies and opportunities, which often occupy a predominant position over old stereotypes, sometimes completely overlapping them. This period is often called a transitional crisis, or puberty. In children, the first attraction to the opposite sex occurs, based on hormonal changes in the body. Teenagers strive to become adults. This is precisely what leads to their conflicts with parents, who have already forgotten about what they were at that age. Often during this period, families are forced to resort to the help of psychotherapists or psychologists.
The crisis of seventeen years
The occurrence of psychological discomfort at this age is caused by graduation and the child's transition to adulthood. For girls in this period, the emergence of fears about a future family life is characteristic. Guys care about leaving the army.
There is also a problem caused by the need for further education. This is an important step that determines the future life of each person.
Midlife Crisis
Most people are characterized by dissatisfaction with their lives. However, it often does not appear immediately.In the middle of the path they have lived, many begin to overestimate their priorities and attachments, as well as to weigh the experience gained, considering it against the background of personal achievements. However, most people are confident that they spent all these years uselessly or not fully enough.
Psychologists say that this period is a real maturity and growing up. After all, it is during its passage that people conduct a true assessment of the meaning of the life they have lived.
Retirement Age Crisis
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In the future, the situation is aggravated by the development of serious diseases, loneliness that arose due to the death of a spouse or wife, and awareness of the imminent end of life. To overcome the crisis of this period often requires the help of a specialist.