HUMAN BEHAVIOR

The Stages of Life
Many of the developments of adulthood stages encompass gaining independence and becoming part of the adult world. In Levinson’s theory, the young and middle adulthood stage involves a period of building and rebuilding one’s life. It is the stage where people leave their family, commit to an occupation, find intimate relationships, and reevaluate choices (Aktu & Ilhan, 2017). For Erickson, the young and middle adulthood stages revolve around intimacy vs. isolation and generativity vs. stagnation. Here, human beings are more concerned about developing intimate relationships and engaging in meaningful and productive activities (Malim & Birch, 2008). Peck’s theory focuses on creating a meaningful life during the middle adulthood stage. It emphasizes on socializing not only for sexual gain but also to establish meaningful relationships.
While applying these theories to human behavior, it is evident that many young and middle-aged adults experience the emotional attachments and social developments discussed across these lenses. However, there are some possibilities that these stages might occur more than once at different lifetimes. Also, most of the life development theories assume that one stage must be completed before proceeding to the next stage which is not always the case (Aktu & Ilhan, 2017).
In real-life situations, most young adults face the issues of making wrong career choices and decisions driven by the expectations of others because they are struggling to create a sense of identity as stated in the developmental theories. However, as they transition into middle adulthood, they realize their mistakes and decide to either quit the career or commit to it because it pays well.
The three professional techniques that can be used to develop the understanding of various theories include applying the constructivism, cognitivism and behaviorism concepts of knowledge.
 
References
Aktu, Y., & Ilhan, T. (2017). Individuals’ Life Structures in the Early Adulthood Period based on Levinson’s Theory. Educational Sciences Journal
Malim T., Birch A. (20088). Adolescence and adulthood. Introductory Psychology. Palgrave, London