The 8 Stages of Life and How to Celebrate Them
Throughout our existence, we go through several developmental stages of life. Each life stage has its beauty, and we make memories every step of the way.
There are a lot of theories in developmental psychology. Some scientists, like German-American psychologist Erik Erikson, claim there are eight stages of life. Others, like Thomas Armstrong, have identified 12 life stages of human development.
Who is right? That’s beside the point. What matters is how we go through these stages of life and how we enjoy them. Life is too short not to celebrate every moment of it.
So, let’s jump into it and see our different life stages and their unique beauty. They all come with specific challenges, as well.
The First Stage of Life: Birth and Infancy (0-3yr)
When we are born, we bring about hope and optimism. A new story is yet to unfold. Until the age of 3, we are “bundles of joy”, and our parents will make sure to keep these memories forever.
It is the age of vitality, innocent exuberance and fun. Some researchers claim that this is also the life stage of trust and mistrust. If infants are well-taken care of, they will develop trust in people and confidence in themselves.
Furthermore, from 18 months to 3 years old, we are in the toddlerhood life stage of human development. This is when we learn to do things on our own.
This is when we take our first steps and start gaining autonomy. You probably have your first childhood pictures from your first big walk in the park. Or this is when you learn to master the tricycle ride. These are great memories, aren’t they?
The Ealry Stages of Life: Childhood (3-5yr)
This is the time of play and great memories.
Children play is a whole world. When we play, we create the world anew. Especially as children, we let our imagination take over and fashion stories and events at our will.
Some developmental scientists claim that these are the first steps towards innovation.
The Childhood stage also coincides with the pre-school years, where we might struggle with initiative and guilt.
From 3 to 5 years old, we try to do things on our own and prove that we are autonomous. If we are encouraged on this path, we can develop a sense of initiative. If we are criticized, we could develop a bit of guilt and uncertainty.
The Early School Years: The Imagination Stage (5-12yr)
Do you still have your first drawings, stories or little inventions that came out of your vivid imagination?
The imagination phase is one of the most exciting human growth and development stages of life. At this stage, we become aware of ourselves as individuals. We develop our ingenuity and learn to cope with our responsibilities.
Do you remember your first school sports events? Maybe your first trophy? Do you have a photo of that hanging in your bedroom at home? That’s great.
Nevertheless, at this stage in life, we have one tough battle: industry vs inferiority. The little victories and glorious moments we live or do not live might influence us throughout our lives.
The Passion of Adolescence (12-20yr)
This is probably the life stage we remember the most in our adult years. Puberty unleashes a lot of changes in our bodies. We discover new emotional, sexual, cultural and spiritual dimensions.
The biggest challenge we face in adolescence is an identity crisis. We try to discover who we are, what our goals and priorities are in life. So, we create lots of expectations for ourselves and the people around us, and that’s a bit confusing.
Adolescence is beautiful when we look back on it, but it might be a bit difficult when we go through it.
The Early Adulthood Life Stage (20-35yr)
This is the age of enterprise. This is when, as young adults, we strive to accomplish everything we have dreamed of as adolescents. This might include getting our first car, our first home, meeting our best mates.
It is also the life stage when we most probably meet the love of our lives, get a job, and start making our mark in the world. We watch lots of movies, see the world, go on vacations together and feel like the world is our oyster.
The main challenges of this life stage are intimacy and isolation. Building long-lasting relationships can be challenging at this phase. So, go out there, open up and make memories that will last you a lifetime. This is the life stage of possibilities!
By the way, if you’re looking for wedding photo frame ideas, you’re right where you’re supposed to be.
The Midlife Stage: Contemplation (35-50yr)
After years in the hustle and bustle of society, making a living, meeting new people, building a family, we arrive at a crossroads. We begin to slow down and reflect on the deeper meaning of our lives.
So, we muster a new understanding of our lives on this Earth, and we deepen our comprehension of the world. It is the beginning of an age of wisdom.
We become more caring and look to pass down our knowledge to the younger generations.
The Benevolence Stages of Life (50-80yr)
This is where we might take up mentorship, philanthropy, volunteerism. So, we are more forgiving, probably meeting our first grandchildren and offering them all our accumulated wisdom.
Memories become really important to us in this life stage. As a consequence, we tell stories of our past experiences and try to teach our dear ones about the world.
The Last Stages of Life – Wisdom (+80yr)
This is where we start to think about the end and encourage the young ones to value their lives and avoid our mistakes.
We must accept age with grace and value our past experiences.
So, as you can see, life offers us plenty of opportunities to live, work, learn, and enjoy. We must make the most of these, have the best memories and stories to tell. In the end, that’s all that matters.
