Describing the psychological characteristics of a person at different periods of his life is an extremely complex and multifaceted task. In this article, the emphasis will be on problems characteristic of certain periods of a person’s life, which often underlie anxiety, fears, and other disorders that potentiate the development of crisis conditions, as well as on the age-related dynamics of the formation of fear of death.

The problem of understanding the origins of a personal crisis and its age-related dynamics has been studied by many authors. Erik Erikson, the creator of the ego theory of personality, identified 8 stages of psychosocial personality development. He believed that each of them is accompanied by “a crisis - a turning point in the life of an individual, which arises as a consequence of achieving a certain level of psychological maturity and the social demands placed on the individual at this stage.” Every psychosocial crisis is accompanied by both positive and negative consequences. If the conflict is resolved, then the personality is enriched with new, positive qualities; if not resolved, symptoms and problems arise that can lead to the development of mental and behavioral disorders (E.N.Erikson, 1968).

At the first stage of psychosocial development (birth - 1 year), the first important psychological crisis is already possible, caused by insufficient maternal care and rejection of the child. Maternal deprivation underlies “basal mistrust,” which subsequently potentiates the development of fear, suspicion, and affective disorders.

At the second stage of psychosocial development (1–3 years), a psychological crisis is accompanied by the appearance of a feeling of shame and doubt, which further potentiates the formation of self-doubt, anxious suspiciousness, fears, and an obsessive-compulsive symptom complex.

At the third stage of psychosocial development (3–6 years), a psychological crisis is accompanied by the formation of feelings of guilt, abandonment and worthlessness, which can subsequently cause dependent behavior, impotence or frigidity, and personality disorders.

The creator of the concept of birth trauma, O. Rank (1952), said that anxiety accompanies a person from the moment of his birth and is caused by the fear of death associated with the experience of the separation of the fetus from the mother during birth. R. J. Kastenbaum (1981) noted that even very young children experience mental discomfort associated with death and often parents do not even suspect it. A different opinion was held by R. Furman (1964), who insisted that only at the age of 2–3 years can the concept of death arise, since during this period elements of symbolic thinking and primitive
level of reality assessments.

M.H. Nagy (1948), having studied the writings and drawings of almost 4 thousand children in Budapest, as well as conducting individual psychotherapeutic and diagnostic conversations with each of them, found that children under 5 years of age view death not as a finale, but as a dream or departure. Life and death were not mutually exclusive for these children. In subsequent research, she identified a feature that struck her: the children spoke of death as a separation, a certain boundary. Research by M.S. McIntire (1972), conducted a quarter of a century later, confirmed the identified feature: only 20% of 5-6 year old children think that their dead animals will come to life, and only 30% of children of this age assume the presence of consciousness in dead animals. Similar results were obtained by other researchers (J.E. Alexander, 1965; T.B. Hagglund,
1967; J. Hinton, 1967; S.Wolff, 1973).

B.M. Miller (1971) notes that for a preschool child, the concept of “death” is identified with the loss of the mother and this is often the cause of their unconscious fears and anxiety. Fear of the death of parents in mentally healthy preschoolers was observed in 53% of boys and 61% of girls. Fear of one's death was noted in 47% of boys and 70% of girls (A.I. Zakharov, 1988). Suicides in children under 5 years of age are rare, but in the last decade there has been a tendency towards their increase.

As a rule, memories of a serious illness that can lead to death at this age remain with the child for life and play a significant role in his future fate. Thus, one of the “great apostates” of the Viennese psychoanalytic school, psychiatrist, psychologist and psychotherapist Alfred Adler (1870 – 1937), the creator of individual psychology, wrote that at the age of 5 he almost died and subsequently his decision to become a doctor , i.e. a person struggling with death was determined precisely by these memories. In addition, the event he experienced was reflected in his scientific worldview. He saw the inability to control the timing of death or prevent it as the deep basis of an inferiority complex.

Children with excessive fears and anxiety associated with separation from significant loved ones, accompanied by inadequate fears of loneliness and separation, nightmares, social withdrawal and recurrent somato-vegetative dysfunctions, need consultation and treatment of a psychiatrist. The ICD-10 classifies this condition as “Separation anxiety disorder in childhood” (F 93.0).

Children of school age, or stage 4 according to E. Erikson (6–12 years old), acquire knowledge and interpersonal communication skills at school that determine their personal significance and dignity. The crisis of this age period is accompanied by the emergence of a feeling of inferiority or incompetence, most often correlating with the child’s academic performance. In the future, these children may lose self-confidence, the ability to work effectively and maintain human contacts.

Psychological studies have shown that children of this age are interested in the problem of death and are already sufficiently prepared to talk about it. The word “dead” was included in the dictionary text, and this word was adequately perceived by the overwhelming majority of children. Only 2 out of 91 children deliberately bypassed it. However, if children aged 5.5 - 7.5 years considered death unlikely for themselves personally, then at the age of 7.5 - 8.5 years they recognize its possibility for themselves personally, although the age of its expected occurrence varied from “through a few years to 300 years.”

G.P.Koocher (1971) examined the beliefs of non-believing children aged 6–15 years regarding their expected state after death. The range of answers to the question “what will happen when you die?” was distributed as follows: 52% answered that they would be “buried,” 21% that they would “go to heaven,” “I will live after death,” “I will undergo God's punishment”, 19% “are organizing a funeral”, 7% thought that they would “fall asleep”, 4% - “reincarnate”, 3% - “cremated”. Belief in the personal or universal immortality of the soul after death was found in 65% of believing children aged 8–12 years (M.C. McIntire, 1972).

Adolescence (12–18 years), or the fifth stage of psychosocial development, is traditionally considered the most vulnerable to stressful situations and the occurrence of crisis conditions. E. Erikson identifies this age period as very important in psychosocial development and considers the development of an identity crisis, or role displacement, which manifests itself in three main areas of behavior to be pathognomonic for it:
problem of choosing a career;
selection of a reference group and membership in it (reaction of grouping with peers according to A.E. Lichko);
alcohol and drug use, which can temporarily relieve emotional stress and allow one to experience a sense of temporary overcoming a lack of identity (E.N. Erikson, 1963).

The dominant questions of this age are: “Who am I?”, “How will I fit into the adult world?”, “Where am I going?” Teenagers try to build their own value system, often coming into conflict with the older generation, subverting their values. A classic example is the hippie movement.

It is during adolescence that the peak of suicides, the peak of experiments with substances that disrupt consciousness and other life-threatening activities occur. Moreover, adolescents who had a history of repeated thoughts of suicide rejected thoughts of a fatal outcome. Among 13–16 year olds, 20% believed in the preservation of consciousness after death, 60% in the existence of the soul, and only 20% in death as the cessation of physical and spiritual life.

This age is characterized by thoughts of suicide, as revenge for an insult, quarrels, and lectures from teachers and parents. Thoughts like: “I’ll die to spite you and see how you suffer and regret that you were unfair to me” predominate.

In their youth (or early adulthood according to E. Erikson - 20–25 years old), young people are focused on obtaining a profession and starting a family. The main problem that can arise during this age period is self-absorption and avoidance of interpersonal relationships, which is the psychological basis for the emergence of feelings of loneliness, existential vacuum and social isolation. If the crisis is successfully overcome, then young people develop the ability to love, altruism, and moral sense.

As adolescence passes, young people become less and less likely to think about death, and they very rarely think about it. 90% of students said that they rarely think about their own death; personally, it has little significance for them (J. Hinton, 1972).

In this age period, the needs of self-esteem and self-actualization dominate (according to A. Maslow). The time is coming to sum up the first results of what has been done in life. E. Erikson believes that this stage of personality development is also characterized by concern for the future well-being of humanity (otherwise, indifference and apathy arise, unwillingness to care about others, self-absorption in one’s own problems).

At this time of life, the frequency of depression, suicide, neuroses, and dependent forms of behavior increases. The death of peers prompts reflection on the finitude of one’s own life. According to various psychological and sociological studies, the topic of death is relevant for 30%–70% of people of this age. Non-believers forty-year-olds understand death as the end of life, its finale, but even they consider themselves
“a little more immortal than others.” This period is also characterized by a feeling of disappointment in professional career and family life. This is due to the fact that, as a rule, if by the time of maturity the set goals are not realized, then they are no longer achievable.

And if they are implemented?

A person enters the second half of life and his previous life experience is not always suitable for solving the problems of this time.

The problem of 40-year-old K.G. Jung dedicated his report “The Milestone of Life” (1984), in which he advocated the creation of “higher schools for forty-year-olds that would prepare them for the future life,” because a person cannot live the second half of his life according to the same program as the first. To compare the psychological changes that occur in different periods of life in the human soul, he makes a comparison with the movement of the sun, meaning the sun, “animated by human feeling and endowed with momentary human consciousness. In the morning it emerges from the night sea of the unconscious, illuminating a wide, colorful world, and the higher it rises in the sky, the further it spreads its rays. In this expansion of its sphere of influence associated with the rising, the sun will see its destiny and see its highest goal in rising as high as possible.

Elderly people (stage of late maturity according to E. Erikson). Research by gerontologists has established that physical and mental aging depends on a person’s personal characteristics and how he lived his life. G. Ruffin (1967) conventionally distinguishes three types of old age: “happy”, “unhappy” and “psychopathological”. Yu.I. Polishchuk (1994) studied 75 people aged 73 to 92 years using a random sample. According to the research data obtained, this group was dominated by people whose condition was classified as “unhappy old age” - 71%; 21% were people with the so-called “psychopathological old age” and 8% experienced a “happy old age”.

“Happy” old age occurs in harmonious individuals with a strong, balanced type of higher nervous activity, who have been engaged in intellectual work for a long time and who do not abandon this activity even after retirement. The psychological state of these people is characterized by vital asthenia, contemplation, a tendency to reminisce, tranquility, wise enlightenment and a philosophical attitude towards death. E. Erikson (1968, 1982) believed that “only those who have cared in some way about things and people, who have experienced triumphs and failures in life, who have inspired others and put forward ideas - only he can gradually mature the fruits of previous stages.” He believed that only in old age does real maturity come and called this period “late maturity.” “The wisdom of old age is aware of the relativity of all knowledge acquired by a person throughout his life in one historical period. Wisdom is awareness of the unconditional meaning of life itself in the face of death itself.” Many outstanding personalities created their best works in old age.

In the last decades of his life, S. Freud revised many of the postulates of the theory of psychoanalysis he created and put forward the hypothesis, which became fundamental in his later works, that the basis of mental processes is the dichotomy of two powerful forces: the instinct of love (Eros) and the instinct of death (Thanatos). The majority of followers and students did not support his new views on the fundamental role of Thanatos in human life and explained the turn in the Teacher’s worldview by intellectual fading and sharpened personal traits. S. Freud experienced an acute feeling of loneliness and misunderstanding.

The situation was aggravated by the changed political situation: in 1933, fascism came to power in Germany, whose ideologists did not recognize the teachings of Freud. His books were burned in Germany, and a few years later, 4 of his sisters were killed in the ovens of a concentration camp. Shortly before Freud's death, in 1938, the Nazis occupied Austria, confiscating his publishing house and library, property and passport. Freud became a prisoner of the ghetto. And only thanks to a ransom of 100 thousand shillings, which was paid for him by his patient and follower Princess Maria Bonaparte, his family was able to emigrate to England.

“Psychopathological old age” is manifested by age-related organic disorders, depression, psychopathic-like hypochondria, neurosis-like, psychoorganic disorders, senile dementia. Very often such patients express a fear of ending up in a nursing home.

Age-related personality crises are alternating, temporary manifestations of changes in a person’s psychological attitude to the surrounding reality, depending on the age period. As a rule, this kind of phenomenon is negative in nature, which can help stimulate not only the stressful effects on the human psyche, but also the development of certain psychopathological conditions and disorders, for example, phobias, and so on.

In some cases, to prevent the development of pathological conditions, it is necessary to intervene with a specialist and prescribe medications to help the condition. However, it is worth noting that age-related personality crises are a physiologically normal phenomenon that occurs in the majority of people and contributes to the direct development of personality, which is caused by a change in life values. But not all psychologists and psychotherapists agree with this statement; some of them quite confidently believe that the emergence of age-related crises in men and women is a pathological process, due to a number of etiological reasons and dependencies. And this must be treated like any mental disorder or disorder.

The strength of manifestation and the period of age-related crises are always different, although there is a certain link to a certain age. However, it is rather conditional, since only the individual characteristics of a person, surrounding social and microsocial factors, are decisive.

In domestic psychotherapy, the research of L. S. Vygotsky, who did not consider the age crisis as a pathology, plays an important role. He believed that a smooth transition into the next age crisis, especially in childhood, contributes to the formation of a stronger personality with strong-willed resistance to negative manifestations of the environment. However, such a phenomenon is appropriate provided that not only the smooth emergence of the crisis period, but the correct attitude of others, or psychological specialists, if their intervention is necessary.

In addition, according to L. S. Vygotsky, a sharp jump into the crisis phase and its successful overcoming contributes to the formation of a new round of character in human psychology - factors that contribute to giving some descriptive characteristics to the individual.

Some features of the age crisis

Age-related personality crises are of rather decisive importance precisely in childhood, since during this age period the formation of human character, its relationship with society and volitional characteristics take place. For the same reason, the largest number of successive crisis outbreaks occurs in the period of childhood and early adolescence, when the episodes are quite violent.

In general, age-related crises in children do not last long, as a rule, several months and, only in particularly advanced cases, under a certain combination of accompanying circumstances, they drag on for a couple of years. A child is always characterized by a sharp change in attitude towards himself, his parents and the environment. The boundaries of childhood crises are always fuzzy and extremely blurred, the transition will always be smooth, but the middle of the crisis period is always characterized by a sharp emotional outburst and swinging affect.

Externally, a child's age crisis manifests itself as severe difficulties in upbringing, disobedience, the emergence of bad habits, and sometimes antisocial behavior. As a rule, such a picture is always complemented by a decrease in school performance and a vivid manifestation of internal experiences, fixation on any problems that, in fact, cannot be something significant.

A characteristic feature of age-related crises, both in childhood and in older age, is the spontaneous occurrence of so-called neoplasms in the character of an individual, which determine his attitude to various environmental factors. It should be noted that such neoplasms are of a pronounced temporary nature, quickly appear and just as quickly disappear, giving the opportunity to appear next. In a word, not every new formation in personality is fixed in the individual’s character traits, but only those that most firmly, for various reasons, linger in consciousness. Those that bring a positive effect and euphoria to their owner, thanks to which a person understands that he can get some benefit and pleasure. Although often this awareness of usefulness is deeply subjective and is not combined with the norms of generally accepted morality.

D. B. Elkonin made an attempt to somewhat materialize the causality of the manifestation of a crisis state associated with age. He argues that the reason for the emergence of a crisis lies in the conflict between established understandings of a person that arose in the period preceding the crisis, and new factors that gradually appear in life. The critical point of such a conflict, when the knowledge and awareness accumulated in the present reaches its maximum amount, causes the development of crisis symptoms. It’s hard to disagree with such statements, because the concept of “age” necessarily involves dynamics, in this case associated with the number of years lived.

Age associated with the onset of crises

Modern practical psychology has sufficient experience to make an attempt to rank age-related crises depending on the amount of time lived.

Newborn crisis. Despite the insufficient opportunities for the manifestation of verbal and motor dissatisfaction, even at such a young age a person is characterized by some awareness of the crisis situation that arose due to living conditions and adaptation to new conditions of existence. Many psychologists argue that the newborn crisis is perhaps the most severe of the entire set of crises of this kind;

Crisis of the first year of life. This period is very significant for a person, primarily because it becomes possible to verbally express one’s demands, and against the general background of non-verbal manifestations of affective signs;

Crisis of the third year of life. Characterized by the formation and first manifestations of independence. There is a desire to form new ways of communicating with adults, the emergence of contacts with other representatives of the surrounding society - their peers, kindergarten teachers, and so on. A new world of previously unknown possibilities opens up for the child, which quite effectively make adjustments to the possible development of stress factors.

L. S. Vygotsky identifies several main signs of a crisis at the age of three, which are inherent in any physiologically and mentally healthy child. The main one of these signs is the requests of others to perform some action, which outwardly manifests itself as being performed exactly the opposite.

The first signs of stubbornness begin to appear precisely at this age - the child first becomes acquainted with a situation where not everything can be done the way he would like and as he considers correct.

Any child aged about three years also has a tendency to demonstrate independence. This could be given a positive assessment if the child could objectively assess his capabilities. But, often, this is impossible, therefore, overestimating his capabilities and the situation that arises as a result of his incorrect actions leads to conflict.

It would be more correct to call this crisis a school crisis, since its manifestation is facilitated by the beginning of a person’s school activities. In addition to the fact that the educational process forces you to concentrate on gaining new knowledge, acquiring new social contacts, getting acquainted with the positions of your peers, who, as it turns out, have their own views on what is happening around them, the school crisis begins to shape the true will of a person, relying on his genetically potential. Thus, it is thanks to school that a person develops the concept of either his inferiority, low self-esteem, insufficient level of intelligence, or, on the contrary, an increased sense of self-worth, selfishness, an irresistible sense of his own competence and social significance.

The predominant number of all schoolchildren occupy one of the two extremes indicated, and only a few, thanks to their genetic inclinations and upbringing, are able to occupy a neutral, middle position, which allows them to learn from the mistakes of others. Such children, as a rule, have a high level of intelligence, against the background of demonstrative incapacity, otherwise known as laziness. The reason for this is very simple - there is the possibility of using one’s peers, who are weaker in emotions, addictions and intelligence.

In addition, during this period, for the first time in life, the child’s inner life begins to form, which leaves a semantic imprint on the nature of his behavior. The little person gradually begins to take advantage of the opportunity to think about the possible consequences of his decisions, thus his physical activities begin to acquire an intellectual background;

Age crisis from 11 to 15 years. The next most important stressful period in a person’s life, this time associated with puberty. This situation opens up new opportunities and new dependencies that can prevail over old stereotypes, so much so that they completely cover them. This period is also called the transitional or pubertal crisis. This is the first opportunity to look at the opposite sex through the hormonal prism of desires and pleasures, and not as ordinary peers.

Sexual desire contributes to the formation of one’s ego - at this time, teenagers begin to pay attention to their appearance and listen to the words of more experienced boys and girls.

The constant desire to be an adult or to seem like one often leads to conflict with parents who have already forgotten about their similar period. Often during a pubertal crisis, the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist is required, especially in problematic, dysfunctional families;

Crisis 17 years. Stimulated by the end of school activities and the transition to adulthood. Depending on the year of graduation from school, the age of crisis can range from 15 to 18 years. It is now possible to divide the problem into age-related crises in men and women. Often, by this time, the first sexual experience is behind us, which can also serve as a separate reason for the emergence of a sexual crisis in women. But, as a rule, this problem is very fleeting - the pleasure received overshadows all negative thoughts and experiences.

This period is characterized by the generation of various fears, for women - the upcoming family life, for men - joining the army. In addition, there is the problem of obtaining vocational education - a step that will determine the future life of each individual.

It occurs, as a rule, in the middle of the journey and is characterized by a deep reassessment of values, weighing the experience gained against the background of the quality of achievements. As a rule, a very small number of people are satisfied with their lives, believing that they have lived their lives insufficiently fully or uselessly. During this period, real growing up begins, maturity, which allows you to evaluate the meaning of your life.

Retirement crisis. Like the newborn crisis, it is one of the most difficult in a person’s life. If in the first case a person is not aware of the critical impact of stress factors, then during the last crisis, the situation worsens with full perception and awareness. This period is equally difficult for both women and men. This is especially true for the acute feeling of lack of demand in the professional arena - a person still retains his ability to work, feels that he can be useful, but his employer is not satisfied with this state of affairs. The appearance of grandchildren improves the situation somewhat; this especially softens the course of the age crisis in women.

Biological aging, a number of serious illnesses, loneliness due to the death of one of the spouses, the understanding of the imminent end of the life process, very often lead to a situation where it begins to be required.

Age-related crises of personality development

Our whole life consists of them...

Each period of a person’s life is surrounded by its own difficulties, characteristic specifically for this age. In psychology, there is the concept of periodization - the division of the life cycle into separate periods or age stages. Each of these stages has its own specifics, its own patterns of human development. At different periods of life there are stable and crisis stages. The development of a person as an individual is determined by what society expects from him, what values and ideals it offers him, what tasks it sets for him at different ages. A person, growing up and developing, goes through a series of successive stages, not only psychological, but also biological, that is, associated with physical changes and processes in the body.

At each stage, the personality acquires a certain quality (new formation), which is preserved in subsequent periods of life. Crises can occur at all age stages. These are turning points when the question is decided whether we will go forward in our development or backward. Each personal quality that appears at a certain age contains a deep attitude towards the world and oneself. This attitude can be either positive or negative. It is very interesting to find out what crises lie in wait for you in life, especially since in their descriptions many of us can recognize situations from our own lives.

In other words, our whole life consists of crises. After all, we constantly solve problems, set tasks for ourselves and solve them again. And we are also growing up, developing, changing.

Age crises– special, relatively short periods in a person’s life, characterized by sudden mental changes. These are normal processes necessary for the normal gradual course of personal development.
Crisis, from the Greek krineo, literally means "parting of the roads." The concept of “crisis” means an acute situation for making some kind of decision, a turning point, the most important moment in a person’s life or activity.

The form, duration and severity of the crisis depend on individual characteristics, environmental conditions and the environment in which the person finds himself.
In developmental psychology there is no consensus on crises; Some psychologists believe that development should be harmonious and crisis-free. And crises are an abnormal, “painful” phenomenon, the result of improper upbringing. Another part of psychologists argues that the presence of crises in development is natural. Moreover, according to some ideas in developmental psychology, a child who has not truly experienced a crisis will not fully develop in later life. All crises can shift in time and do not have a clear time frame.

How long do crises last and how do they proceed?
Crises do not last long, about a few months, but under unfavorable circumstances they can last up to a year or even two years. These are usually brief but violent stages.

For a child crisis means a sharp change in many of its features. Development can take on a catastrophic character at this time. The crisis begins and ends imperceptibly, its boundaries are blurred and unclear. Exacerbation occurs in the middle of the period. For the people around the child, it is associated with a change in behavior, the appearance of “difficulty in education.” The child is out of the control of adults. Vivid emotional outbursts, whims, and conflicts with loved ones may appear. Schoolchildren's performance decreases, interest in classes weakens, academic performance decreases, and sometimes painful experiences and internal conflicts arise.
For an adult crises also play a significant role in life. In a crisis, development takes on a negative character: what was formed at the previous stage disintegrates and disappears. But something new is always created, necessary to overcome further life difficulties.

This is a situation in which a person is faced with the impossibility of realizing the internal necessity of his life (motives, aspirations, values) due to obstacles (most often external), which, based on his past experience, he cannot overcome.
A person gets used to a certain form of his life and activity: the image and state of the body, food, clothing, more or less comfortable living conditions. For example, in childhood this is the height of a person, the size of one’s own arms and legs, the ability or inability to walk, speak, eat independently, the habitual and obligatory presence of significant adults nearby. For an adult, this could be a bank account, a car, a wife and children, social status, as well as spiritual values. And the crisis deprives him of this support, frightens him with changes and uncertainty about the future.

However, a large number of positive aspects should also be highlighted. A crisis makes it possible to see the main and real thing in a person, destroys the meaningless and external attributes of his life. There is a purification of consciousness, an understanding of the true value of life.
Therefore, a psychological crisis is physical and mental suffering, on the one hand, and restructuring, development and personal growth, on the other. When something new arises in development, the old must simultaneously disintegrate. And psychologists believe that such a course of the situation is necessary.

Overcoming and outcome of crises
The outcome of the crisis depends on how constructive (creative) or destructive (destructive) the way out of this crisis was. In other words, whether this period brought benefit or harm to a person. This is not a dead end, but certain contradictions that accumulate in a person, and must necessarily lead to some kind of decision and action. This is an unpleasant moment, as a person is knocked out of his usual rhythm. All life crises are like a nesting doll: one follows another, and with each of them we become more personal. It’s hard when a person doesn’t get out of a crisis, but accumulates “stuck” in it, I don’t solve my own problems, withdrawing into myself. Correct resolution of the crisis leads to evolution in personal development - a better understanding of our goals, desires, aspirations, human harmony in relationships with ourselves.

Each of us has internal reserves (adaptive properties) in order to solve emerging psychological difficulties. But these protective mechanisms do not always cope with their task. By viewing crises as a pattern, it is possible to predict and mitigate the inevitable consequences and changes, as well as avoid those that are the result of the wrong choice of the person himself. A crisis as an “indicator” of development shows that a person has already changed physically and mentally, but is not yet able to cope with these changes. A person can overcome it and, thereby, enter a new reality, or he may not overcome it, remaining within the same narrow framework that no longer suits him. Overcoming a crisis independently is considered the most favorable for human development.

However, various situations may arise in life, because sometimes we are face to face with psychological problems and simply do not know how to cope with them. Sometimes it is better to get help from a professional to properly understand your own life circumstances.

Modern psychologists consider such periods
in human development, as:

newborn (1-10 days);
infancy (10 days - 1 year);
early childhood (1-3 years);
first childhood (4-7 years);
second childhood (8-12 years);
adolescence (13-16 years);
adolescence (17-21 years);
mature age (first period: 22-35 years - men, 21-35 years - women;
second period: 36-60 years old - men, 36-55 years old - women);
old age (61-74 years - men, 56-74 years - women);
old age (75-90 years - men and women);
long-livers (90 years and older).

However, a person’s mental development is individual, it is conditional, and can hardly fit into the strict framework of periodization. Next, we will present the main periods of human mental development and describe the age-related crises corresponding to each of them.

Crises happen:

· Large – changes in the child’s relationship with the outside world (newborn crisis, 3 years, adolescence – 13-14 years);

· Small – restructuring of external relations. They proceed more smoothly. The crisis ends with a new formation - a change in the type of activity (crisis of 1 year, 6-7 years, 17-18 years).

The transition from one crisis to another is a change in the consciousness and attitude of the child to the surrounding reality and leading activities. A crisis usually occurs during the transition from one physical or psychological age to another. During this period, the previous social relationships between the child and others are broken.

During the critical phase, children are difficult to educate; they exhibit stubbornness, negativism, disobedience, and obstinacy.

Negativism– when a child can refuse to do something that he even really wants just because an adult demands it. This reaction is determined not by the content of the adult’s demand, but by the child’s attitude towards the adult.

Stubbornness- the reaction of a child when he insists not because he wants it, but because he demanded it.

Obstinacy– a child’s rebellion against the entire way of life, the norms of upbringing, and all adults. If an adult does not change his behavior, obstinacy remains in character for a long time.

Positive role of the crisis: Stimulates the search for new forms of self-realization in this profession. The constructive function is expressed in the desire to improve qualifications and occupy a new high position.

The destructive role of the crisis: expressed in the formation of professionally undesirable personality traits. Escalation (further advancement) of this process leads to the formation of insolvent employees whose stay in this position becomes undesirable. The way out is hobbies, sports, everyday life. an undesirable solution is alcoholism, crime, vagrancy.

Overview of crises

1. Newborn crisis– transition from intrauterine to extrauterine, from one type of nutrition to another, from darkness to light, to other temperature influences. These changes can affect the senses and nervous system. The decisive circumstances for normal development are created by adults, otherwise the child will die within a few hours. Hereditarily fixed unconditioned reflexes help to adapt to new conditions: 1) food reflexes (when you touch the corners of the lips or tongue, sucking movements appear, and all other movements are inhibited); 2) protective and indicative (grasping sticks or fingers placed in his palms). An important mental neoplasm appears at the end of 1 month - the “revival complex” (smiles when he sees his mother).

2. Crisis of one year- a kind of separation of a child from an adult. Associated with a surge of independence, the appearance of affective reactions due to misunderstanding of the child’s desires, words, gestures, or understanding, but not doing what he wants (some, at the next “no” or “no”, scream shrilly, fall to the floor - which is associated with style upbringing - little independence, inconsistency of requirements - more independence, patience and endurance will help you get rid of it). Disobedience is observed - curiosity encounters misunderstanding and resistance from adults. New formation is the appearance of autonomous speech (bi-bi, aw-aw, other actually invented words), associated with the need to communicate with an adult.

3. Crisis 3 years(I myself) – expressed in the child’s need for increased independence. This is expressed in the form of stubbornness and intractability. This crisis is associated with the development of the child’s self-awareness (he recognizes himself in the mirror, responds to his name, and actively begins to use the pronoun “I”). That. the new formation is - “I” - the first step on the path of formation as an individual takes place, realizing oneself as an individual (begins to compare oneself with others, gradually develops self-esteem, level of aspirations, a sense of shame, the need for independence and achievement of success).

4. Crisis 7 years– the child begins to feel the need for serious activity. Games no longer satisfy him (it is this, and not the ability to read and write letters, that is an important sign of readiness for school). A younger student has to spend a lot of effort to learn how to study and master the activities of learning. The main mental new formation is an increase in voluntary regulation of activity, awareness of one’s changes, both subjective and acquired new knowledge, skills, and new positions.

5. Adolescence crisis– transition from childhood to adulthood. It is expressed in the desire to express oneself, to show one’s individuality. A new idea of yourself is formed. Often manifests itself in abrupt and unstable forms of behavior. Associated with active sexual development and decreased intellectual activity. Manifests itself in negativism and egocentrism.

6. Crisis 17 years– the period of acquiring social maturity – a worthy and justified place in society must still be acquired. "Copying" adults.

Crises of age-related development are phenomena that every person faces in life. They manifest themselves in the transformation of people’s attitudes towards the surrounding reality, psychological changes in connection with development and improvement at a certain age stage.

Most often, age crises are characterized by negative changes manifested in stress and depression.

Most people successfully cope with these stages in life, reaching a new, more productive level of development. However, in some cases, you may need the help of a specialist to help you cope with the causes and consequences of stressful situations.

Specifics of the definition

The opinions of psychologists on the nature of age-related crises are diametrically divided.

Some believe that periods of crisis are a necessary component of physiological and psychological changes. Without them, personal development cannot occur, because throughout a person’s life’s journey, a person’s system of values, view of society and himself changes.

Other psychologists claim that the emergence of crises in a person’s life is associated with mental disorders. That is, the manifestations of these stages are classified as psychological diseases that must be treated.

In any case, you need to understand that the time of onset of the age crisis and the severity of its manifestation are individual for each person, although psychologists distinguish conditional age limits.

The famous psychologist and pedagogical figure L. S. Vygotsky argued that crisis periods are not only a normal and natural state of a person, caused by changes in physical and psychological factors, but also a very useful phenomenon, with the help of which a person can move to a new stage of his development. With their help, a person develops strong-willed character traits and expands his personal and social horizons. However, the teacher emphasizes that such an impact on the individual will occur if the behavior of others has a competent pedagogical and psychological approach.

If a person is ready for change, then problems with the psychological state will not arise. However, people often feel sorry for themselves, not wanting to change anything in their lives. In this case, we can say that they themselves provoke the onset of such depressive states, from which only a specialist can help.

Manifestation Traits

It is necessary to clearly understand that periods of crisis are stages in a person’s life when not only character traits are formed, but also important, often life-changing decisions are made. After all, the word “crisis” is translated from Greek as “fork in the road.” A person chooses his life path, environment, interests.

Changes in people's consciousness take place against the background of their usual way of life. What begins to happen to a person is incomprehensible and frightening at first. A constant feeling of discomfort haunts and deprives you of the opportunity to feel confident in the future. The feeling that you need to change something in life and change yourself does not go away.

At this time, constant conflict situations occur with family, friends and colleagues. A person expresses dissatisfaction with everything that surrounds him. This happens due to internal tossing, unwillingness to accept reality, and the search for ideal solutions.

During a crisis, it is important for a person to find the only correct solution that will help him change for the better. Otherwise, he cannot do without the help of a specialist.

All development crises are characterized by the following provisions:

A crisis period causes complex psychological changes to which every person is subject. This must be accepted, using all available potential to get out of the current situation;
The changes in consciousness that appear are not the end, but the beginning of a new path. All accumulated contradictions over a certain period of time come to the surface and require resolution;
There is a way out of any situation, you just need to make an effort to realize your hidden potential;
Having correctly “survived” a turning point, a person becomes stronger, more confident and more interesting. He gains confidence in his own abilities and develops a comfortable lifestyle.

Various crises in humans are based not only on physiological changes associated with age. Critical stages can occur for various reasons related to personal life, professional activity or health status. These are personal crises. Their appearance is influenced by several factors:

Physical or psychological trauma;
Formation of personal qualities and character;
The influence of others: peers, adults, any significant people for a person;
Desire to achieve excellence in all areas of activity;
Sudden changes in a person’s usual course of life.

During a turning point, a person always faces a certain choice that he must realize and accept. The success of a person’s future life will depend on the correctness of this choice.

Characteristics

Psychologists identify “natural” turning points that occur after reaching a certain age in all people.

Crises and age-related changes have a close relationship. Turning points are of particular importance in childhood and adolescence. At this time, there is an intensive formation of personal qualities, character traits and attitudes towards the surrounding reality. This is why most age-related turning points occur in childhood.

Basically, any transitional stage in children does not last long; with a competent approach from adults, it takes only a few months. The time frame cannot be clearly defined either, since the physical and psychological capabilities of children are different.

Children are characterized by drastic changes in their attitude towards others and themselves.

External changes manifest themselves in disobedience, aggressive behavior, and whims.

In adolescence, a protest against an established way of life can be expressed by an addiction to bad habits, a decrease in interest in educational activities, and a focus on one problem that does not carry anything important.

An important feature of turning points is the emergence of new character traits that indicate the attitude towards society and the surrounding reality. It is worth noting that such neoplasms are temporary in nature and after a short time they change to others, deeper and more stable.

Distinctive features

A person who is at a turning point in life always stands out from his environment. There are several signs that can be used to characterize the onset of a crisis.

An absent look. People are constantly immersed in themselves, they may not notice those around them, they may not hear the questions asked;
Sudden change in mood. Moreover, this symptom is especially pronounced in adolescence, when boys and girls have not yet learned to control their emotions. In adulthood, it is easier for people to control mood swings, but here, too, everything is very individual.
Consciously or unconsciously, a person skips meals, sleeps poorly, and has nightmares that prevent them from getting enough sleep.
Excess of emotionality. When experiencing a turning point, people go to two extremes: they either see everything in negative terms, or they put on rose-colored glasses, developing vigorous activity in all directions.

Regardless of what age a certain turning point in life occurs, those around you should not suppress its manifestations. A person must survive this period in order to learn certain lessons from it, otherwise psychological disorders cannot be avoided.

In order to help your loved ones survive developmental crises, you need to know their approximate age range and specific manifestations.

Let us consider the main turning points associated with the maturation of the individual.

Birth

When taking its first breath, a newborn, unlike its parents, does not experience joy from its birth. The first feeling that visits him is fear of a new unknown world, where everything is so different from what he experienced before in the womb.

Bright light, loud sounds, cold - all this causes severe psychological discomfort in the baby. The umbilical cord, which provided a reliable connection with the mother, is cut. The struggle for life begins.

The beginning of the way

The first attempts to move independently, sounds that begin to form words, the desire to touch and taste everything. The child develops conscious desires, which stand out more and more clearly against the background of reflexive needs. The slow and painful, often unconscious, first separation from the mother begins.

This condition is painful because the baby still really needs her help and support, both physically and psychologically. However, the desire to explore the world is becoming stronger. This first internal contradiction causes personality conflict.

Third year

One of the most emotionally difficult turning points in the development of a little person. Physical development is proceeding at a rapid pace, the baby wants to do everything himself. However, he does not always succeed in this.

A personality begins to form, separating oneself from parents and peers. The desire to show independence and express one’s position is expressed in violent protests against the established way of life. Protests manifest themselves in whims, disobedience, and aggression.

Adults must be patient, because their behavior largely determines what kind of personality their child will grow up to be, how he will relate to others, and what kind of relationships he will develop in society. After all, the baby’s demands are determined by his unconscious needs and desires, which he is still unable to understand.

It is important for parents to develop a specific behavior strategy with the help of which they can show all the diversity of the surrounding reality and teach their child to correctly use all life’s opportunities in a positive way.

School realities

This transition period is not as emotionally pronounced as in three-year-olds. However, children experience severe discomfort when entering school, because their usual way of life changes and the demands placed on them by adults increase.

It is important for parents to support their children during this period, because this is the time of development of children’s self-esteem. Not only the academic performance of schoolchildren, but also their relationships with peers, self-confidence and their actions depend on the competent approach of teachers.

The formation of personality during this period occurs very intensively. Teachers and peers become people who influence the development of children’s character, because children spend most of their time at school.

If for some reason the child does not have a good relationship in the school community, parents must fill this vacuum, show ways out of dead-end situations, and teach how to resolve controversial and conflict situations.

Almost adults

At this time, the formation of personality occurs under the influence of the opinion of society: for a teenager it is very important what people significant to him say about his actions.

The manifestation of negativism, aggression, the desire for independence at any cost are signs of a crisis of adolescence.

The influence of parents' authority depends on their competent position. If adults become friends for older children, capable of understanding, helping and guiding, and not judging, this will help avoid conflict situations at home.

It largely depends on the parents how quickly this difficult, but very important period for the formation of personality will pass.

Life definition

After graduating from school, when hormonal passions have already subsided, young people face a number of new important problems. You need to decide on the choice of your future profession, your future life path, and setting goals.

Young people are already consciously planning their future adult lives. Modern realities provide a huge choice of different paths, and they are desperately trying to find their own, only necessary and important for them. At the same time, they often make the mistake of accepting the one that their parents imposed on them as the only correct option. The price for this mistake will be a prolonged midlife crisis.

Crisis of thirty

It would seem that this time should become reliable and stable for a determined personality. However, it is at this time that a person begins to think about the correctness of the choice made in his youth, clearly sees and can analyze the mistakes made.

For some, these years will be the best time in their lives, since, having managed to analyze everything that does not suit them, people will be able to achieve great heights in their careers and personal development. Others will begin ineffective self-analysis, which will lead to depression and a complete refusal to further self-improvement.

Closer to forty

Perhaps the most difficult period for an already formed personality.

A person comes to the realization that half of his life has already been lived, and much of what he wanted could not be realized.

Family, career, familiar surroundings seem to be unnecessary ballast that interferes with “free swimming.”

It is during this period that most families are destroyed, people change their profession, social circle and passions.

Men most often try to fulfill themselves in love pleasures, women - in self-analysis. People are trying to change their usual way of life in some way, being careful not to have time to do what they think are important things.

Retirement

The age of analysis, comprehension of the years lived. As soon as a person approaches the retirement age, there is a clear awareness of the immutable truth: life is coming to an end, and one cannot return to one’s former youth.

Many people, especially those who have no relatives or for some reason have bad relationships with them, fall into a depressed state, acutely feeling their loneliness.

This is the moment in life when the support of family is vital. It is important for older people to know that they are needed and useful.

It is very gratifying that recently in our country there has been a trend of increasing numbers of people who have learned to enjoy their old age. After all, now they have a lot of free time, there are no responsibilities to adult children, and they can live for their own pleasure, doing what they love, for which they never had time during working days.

To spite all crises

If in childhood parents help overcome turning points in the development of personality, then in adulthood a person has to cope with problems himself.

Psychologists have developed tips that will help you learn a lesson from any crisis situation, become better, and not get bogged down in depression.

Learn to find joy in simple things. Happiness consists of little things.
Learn to relax and enjoy being alone with yourself.
Physical activity can kill any depression. Take up dancing, yoga, or just jogging in the morning. A charge of vivacity and good mood is guaranteed to you.
Do only things that bring you pleasure in your free time.
Love yourself. Make it a rule to praise yourself for any little things, raise your self-esteem by any means.
Don't suppress your emotions. If you want to cry, don't hold yourself back. This way, you can get rid of the burden of accumulated negative emotions.
Communicate as much as possible, do not isolate yourself. If you feel that any communication makes you uncomfortable, seek help from a specialist.

From all that has been said above, it is obvious that age-related crises are characteristic of every person, without exception. But how these turning points will pass depends on the adult generation, which was able to provide the necessary support in time, guiding them on the right path.

The more correct the parents’ approach to crises in childhood, the easier it will be for a person to pass through turning points in life in adulthood.