Adulthood
A. Klimczuk, Adulthood, [in:] H.L. Miller (ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Psychology, Sage, Thousand Oaks 2016, pp. 15-18.
7 Pages Posted: 20 Mar 2018 Last revised: 8 Feb 2021
Date Written: April 16, 2016
Abstract
Adulthood is usually defined as the period of human development in which the physical development, cognitive development, and psychosocial development of women and men slow and reach their highest level. Although scholars strive to build consistent theories, the description of the developmentally highest level differs between countries and cultures due to economic factors and sociocultural factors. After presenting some basic concepts of adulthood from different cultures, this entry continues with a psychological definition of adulthood, a discussion of characteristics of maturity, and brief descriptions of various theories about what constitutes adulthood. It ends with suggestions for the direction of future discussions on adulthood.
Keywords: Behavioral Development; Cognitive Development; Culture and Development; Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development; Freud’s Psychosexual Stage Theory of Personality; Gender Development; Hermeneutics and Developmental Psychology; Language and Development; Language Development; Moral Development; Mo
JEL Classification: Z10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation