The 9 stages of human life.

The different life processes and stages, with their respective characteristics.

Although we often consider that "life" is a single thing that we all experience, the truth is that there are some nuances that make each one of us go through it in different ways. One of the factors that makes it change is the material context in which we live, such as the type of family we are born into, the money we have, the place we live in, etc.

However, a no less important factor is the way we live, no less important factor is the way in which our own body makes us live.. And, in that sense, the passing of the years and age make us experience things differently.

Are there "life stages"?

That is why, for example, in the history of psychology many authors in the history of psychology have proposed to classify life stagesespecially those that are part of one of its phases: childhood. Although each one defined his own criteria to decide where one ended and the other began.

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, defined different stages of psychosexual development, a theory closely related to his idea of the unconscious mind. Jean Piaget, in turn, laid the foundations of developmental psychology by establishing stages of cognitive development from infancy to adulthood.

But all these ideas are framed in a broader theoretical context that tells us about the stages of life in general, valuing both psychological and physical changes.

The different stages of life we go through

In the following we will see which are the main stages of life that define how we behave, how we perceive reality and which are the main stages of life.how we perceive reality and what our needs are.

Although it is true that the limits of these stages are not very clear and it is debatable whether some begin or end before or after, there is a relative consensus about what they are and how they occupy our lives.

1. Prenatal stage

Life begins before birth, and the prenatal the prenatal stage is the stage that includes the moments in which we have not yet left the womb.. In this period we are already able to learn through touch and sounds, that is, the human brain already associates stimuli with appropriate responses.

2. Early childhood

Early childhood begins at birth and ends at around 3 or 4 years of age.. It is the stage in which the most important steps in the development of language are taken and also the essential learning about how the world works and the movement of things are made.

In addition, the use of language causes them to begin to create increasingly abstract and complex concepts that will help them reach a deeper level of understanding about things.

3. Early childhood

This stage of life is the one that, more or less, goes from 3 to 6 years of age.This is why it is also called the preschool stage.

In this phase the self-concept is formed and the ability to think about the mental states of others is gained, either to intuit their intentions or to know what information they do not know. This ability is called theory of mind.

4. Middle childhood

Middle childhood or school childhood is from 6 to 11 years of age.. At this stage there is much progress in the ability to understand mathematical operations and complex sentence structure.

Similarly, the importance of having good relationships with others and giving a good image begins to gain weight, and inclusion in a group of friends is also more valued.

5. Adolescence

Adolescence runs from 11 to 17 years of age.. It is a crucial stage, since it consolidates the ability to think in abstract terms and also produces hormonal changes that can produce some emotional lability.

In addition, adolescence is the most intense part of the search for one's own identity, and the social circles to which one wants to belong gain a lot of influence on the person.

6. Youth stage

This stage goes, approximately, from the age of 18 to 35.. Here the consolidation of the most lasting friendship circles takes place and one learns to live with a high degree of independence, so that one is hardly dependent on one's parents anymore. Psychologically and biologically, physical and mental capacities also reach their peak, and between the ages of 25 and 30 they begin to decline slightly.

7. Stage of maturity

Maturity is between the ages of 36 and 50.. In this phase, the work aspect is consolidated and a specialization is fully learned that will allow generating income to live independently in most Western countries.

On the other hand, the expectations of change in one's own life are becoming more moderate and life objectives are oriented more towards stability.

8. Stage of mature adulthood

This phase goes from 50 to 65 years of age.. In this stage, the income level tends to consolidate to levels that allow us to live better than before, but there are bodily changes that we must know how to manage. At the same time, the value of stability also increases.

9. Third age

The third age begins at 65 years of ageIn this period, a new independence is gained as a result of the disappearance of the usual work obligations and the departure of any children that may have been born.

In some cases this produces the Empty Nest Syndrome, and exposure to bereavement is more exposure to bereavement becomes more frequent as relatives of the same generation and friends die.