Daniel Levinson\'s (1920) Theory (the

Daniel Levinson's (1920) theory (the Seasons of a Mans Life, 1978) on life development was an offshoot from that of Erickson who had developed his theory thirty years earlier.

Erickson's contribution was on the theory of stages in ego development, namely that each age level is characterized by particular challenges or manifestations that the individual has to successfully navigate in order to transition to the next stage. Erickson's first consideration -- and this is what Levinson had in common -- was to the life course per individual rather than to the life course as group or as world / history.

More so, in contradistinction to prominent life development theories, such as those of Piaget and Freud who postulated that development was largely completed at the end of adolescence, and in contradistinction to the trend of the 1950s that focused on geriatrics and gerontology (where it was the elderly who dominated), Levinson (as did Erickson) maintained that life development was an ongoing odyssey. To that end, therefore, his aim was to present a development life course that would focus around the adult.

Levinson (1986) proposed that adults move through particular seasons which include: (1) Early Adult transition 1-22 (2) Entering the adult world 22-28 (3) Age 30 transition 28-33 (4) Culmination of early adulthood: settling down 33-40 (5) Midlife transition 40-45 (6) Entering middle adulthood 45-50 (7) Age 50 transition (8) Culmination of middle adulthood 55-60 (9) Late-adult transition 60-65, and, (10) Late adulthood 65+.

The Stages

1. Preadulthood or Early Adult transition (Ages conception-22) -- the individual grows from dependence to independence recognizing himself as a separate entity distinct from the mother and from other humans around him.

2. Early Adult Transition (17-22): The adult starts to formulate and implement relationships in his external world. These are his initial shaky attempts to an acquaintanceship with the world around him and to his relationship with that world.

3. Early adulthood (17-45): characterized by greatest energy and abundance and likewise by greatest contradiction and stress. This is the era of drive, ambition, obligations, and attempts to succeed in all areas of life. Whilst potentially fulfilling, it can also provide enormous bouts of stress.

4. Midlife Transition (40-45): Levinson (in sync with Jung, Erickson, and Ortega) sees this era as constituting a sharp break between early adulthood and middle adulthood manifested by greater focus on others as opposed to self and by a more humane and reflective temperament and perspective.

5. Middle adulthood (40-65): Our biological capacities are somewhat weakened. Our focus transfers from ourselves to others, and we feel a responsibility for the future generation.

6. Late Adult transition (60 +) is a synthesis and linkage of both middle and late adulthood