Cognitive Development In Middle Adulthood

Mortality is an issue that becomes significantly apparent to middle aged adults. To slow down this aging process, middle aged adults will start going to the gym on a routine basis. As a matter of fact, during middle adulthood a change that is challenged is the new emerging interests amongst topics which were of no interest at all during early adulthood. Although their pattern of thoughts might not have changed, middle adulthood sparks a newfound interest in politics, spirituality, investing, and reading. Middle adulthood signals a new cognitive development in which traveling and social activities become the main point of focus in which individuals thrive off of. In the film, one can see the cognitive differences presented between Bingham and his younger colleague Natalie. Natalie has the thought pattern of an early adult, whereas Bingham has a different thought process and evidently different interests.

A developmental psychologist, Erikson, explains this philosophy through an eight step theory through which a healthy developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood. Among these stages, Erikson identified the intimacy vs isolation stage; this is the stage of psychosocial development in which people face the crisis of being alone versus being involved in a meaningful relationship. In other words, middle-aged adults are subject to loneliness if they are unable to form meaningful relationships with family, friends, or the community. Therefore, Erikson would state that Bingham has experienced conflict within this stage; presenting him with an inability to grow as a person. Another developmental theorist, George Vaillant, would coincide with Erikson and acknowledge the fact that Bingham lacks the true meaning of