Sociology: Adult Development

Adult Development

Adulthood is primarily a time of determining lifestyles and developing relationships. Among other things, most adults eventually leave their parents' home, develop a long-term romantic relationship, and start a family, creating a new home.

Research by sociologist Daniel Levinson determined the stages of adult development, as presented in Table 1 .

TABLE 1

Levinson's Stages of Adult Development

*Age*	*Levinson's Stage*
17–33	Novice phase of early adulthood
17–22	Early adult transition
22–28	Entering the adult world
28–33	Age-30 transition
33–45	Culmination of early adulthood
33–40	Settling down
40–45	Midlife transition
45–50	Entering middle adulthood
50–55	Age-50 transition
55–60	Culmination of middle adulthood
60–65	Late adult transition
65+	Late adulthood