Early Adulthood Observation paper – Age 19-40
Details of observation and stages of subject
Place:
Age: 24 years
Gender: Male
Developmental stage- Early Adulthood
Raphael is a typical young adult who is full of health, vigor and vibrancy and is ready for intimacy, having the ability to relate as he seeks to establish himself independently while relating with others.
Developmental stage description
Raphael falls under Erikson’s love stage, which is a stage that pits intimacy against isolation and is a stage that goes all the way up to the age of 39years. According to Erikson, love is the predominant factor at this stage of the young adult as they come out of the teenage stage where the struggle for identity is real. The young adult thus desires to fit in, longs for acceptance and is finding his or her footing in the society. Based on Piaget's theory of cognitive development, Raphael is at the final development stage dubbed the formal operation stage. At this stage according to Piaget's postulates, the adult is capable of deductive and hypothetical reasoning and exercise higher reasoning.
Observed behaviors
Raphael was observed between 8am in the morning as he prepared and left for work for a period of 30 minutes. Raphael lives with a lady who is the girlfriend and they are seen exchanging romantic nuances. He quickly prepares for work by suiting up and taking coffee hurriedly which his girlfriend prepared for him. He kisses her goodbye, dashes out and heads for the car, with a pile of files in tow.
Explanation of behavior
Raphael exemplifies the archetypal character of a young adult. He lives with his girlfriend and they seem to enjoy a happy relationship -if their romantic body language is anything to go by. According to Erikson’s theory, the early adulthood stage is largely characterized by love and intimacy as the young adult seeks intimacy and acceptance (Newman, 2014). This is in stark contrast to the young adult’s previous stage of adolescence whereby they exhibit an identity crisis as they seek acceptance. Stephen now appears to be ready to make long term commitments after settling his identity issues. Additionally, Stephen appears to be a responsible young man who engages in meaningful employment. He is seen preparing and rushing of to work to eke out a living for himself. This also typifies the life of a young adult according to Erikson. Based on Piaget's theory of cognitive development also, persons at the formal operational stage have the capacity of metacognition, abstract thinking and problem solving. Raphael kisses his girlfriend as he dashes out and this has the implication that he is cognizant of the fact that he needs to embrace her and show care to her. This displays Stephens’ ability of metacognition in line with Piaget's theory of cognitive development- the formal operational stage (Newman, 2014).
Discussion
Reference
Newman, B., & Newman, P. (2014). Development through life: A psychosocial approach. Cengage Learning.
