Aging Most Important Phases of Life

Running Head: AGING: A STAGE IN LIFE
Aging: A Stage in Life
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AGING: A STAGE IN LIFE
There are 12 stages of the human life. Gradually as a person starts to age, these phases
move from one to two. There are 12 stages and it is very difficult to say which phase is the most
important in the lifetime of the individual (Reuter-Lorenz & Park, 2014). Some believe that
adolescence is the most important phase while the others believe that late adulthood is the most
important phases. Old age is also one of the phases in the life of the people. Old age or late
adulthood starts from the age of 80 and then continues till the person is alive. This is the age of
wisdom, these people have lived long and they have experienced a number of things during the
course of their life. This essay will look into the stages of life through which a person ages.
The 12 stages of life starts with the pre-birth phase, this is the phase before the birth of
the child. The second phase is the phase of birth; this is the time when the child is born. The third
phase is the phase of infancy from 0-3 years. After this is the phase of early childhood which
starts from 3 years and ends at 6 (Muniz-Terrera et al., 2013). The next phase is the phase of
middle childhood which is from the age of 6years to the age of 8years. The next phase is the
phase of adolescence which starts from 12 years and continues till the age of 20 years. Then is
the phase of early adulthood, which starts from the age of 20 years and lasts till the age of 35
years. Then comes midlife which is from the age of 30 years to the age of 35 years. After that is
the age of mature adulthood which is the age between 50-80 years. The second last phase of life
is the phase of late adulthood which starts from 80 years. The last phase is the phase of death and
dying (Köstering et al., 2013).
Aging is the phenomena through which the mental and the physical development of a
person take place. There are different phases through which a person ages. Each of these phases
have a unique feature about themselves and as a person gradually goes through all these phases
their mental capabilities also increase. The study that is focused on the human life cycle is

AGING: A STAGE IN LIFE
primarily the study of the aging process. There are multiple theories of aging, psychologist Erik
Erickson have postulated a theory related to aging. Erikson believed that old age starts from the
age of 50 which is the age of wisdom (McLeod, 2013). This eight stage was referred to him as
the stage with the crisis of integrity versus despair, a stage of the generalization of the sensual
modes with basic strength of wisdom (Baars et al., 2016). Gene Cohen who is a student of Erik
Erikson also worked on the principles of aging. Cohen rejects the idea that aging is debilitating
or the powers of the body declines, he says that the body urges and expects to grow in a positive
manner. Aging is not about illness or stagnation, Cohen states that the aging is about positive
growth and not negative emotions. Cohen also says that aging is about the inner push that urges
the human being to new development at every stage. Cohen has given four stages of maturity;
according to some authors some of Cohen’s stages are more flexible than that of Erikson. His
phases of aging are:
 Phase 1- Midlife Re-evaluation ( mid 30s to mid-60s)
This period is marked by quest and not crisis. This phase involves the search for truth and
meaning. The few questions that the individual asks are like where I have been? Where am I
now? And where am I going? People who are in this phase are confronted by their morality.
Some the confrontations produces anxiety among the adult and the Inner-push gives a new
dimension to look at life (Hamilton & Hamaguchi, 2015). During the phase of midlife people
usually become less impulsive and more thoughtful about everything including their work. The
person becomes more accepting of the complexities of life. The brain also accommodates the
inner push by the increasing the size of the corpus callosum. Both the sides of the brain are more
integrated and balanced and they become more intuitive. This results in more productivity and a
stringer sense of self.