Age development

Mental development is a process unfolding in time and characterized by both quantitative and qualitative changes. Age in psychology is defined as a relatively time-limited degree of an individual's mental development and development as a person, characterized by a combination of regular physiological and psychological changes that are not related to the difference in individual characteristics.

In each of the ages, new mental qualities emerge — new growths, as Vygotsky called them. The new formation of youth, for example, is professional self-determination and responsibility, and in maturity it is an aspiration for professional heights, stable professional pretensions, individualization.

In the process of studying the age-related development of a person, patterns such as unevenness and heterochronism were identified.
The unevenness of age development lies in the fact that individual mental functions and personal qualities of a person have a certain trajectory of changes over time, the growth and aging of mental functions occur unevenly, at different rates. At different ages, mental development can accelerate or slow down. It is known, for example, an increase in the rate of development in adolescence and a relative slowdown in the period of adulthood. The unevenness of mental development is influenced by historical time. In the XX century. compared with the XIX century. phenomena of acceleration, or acceleration, somatic and neuropsychic development, and at the same time slowing of the aging process are observed.
The heterochrony of development is manifested in the discrepancy in time of the characteristics of the development of different functions. An example of heterochrony can be the discrepancy in time of the achievements of the optimum of sensory functions, intellectual, creative abilities and social development.

Sensory development reaches the phase of maturity at the age of 18-25 years, intellectual, creative abilities can reach, on average, their optimum at 35 years, and personal maturity at 50-60 years. This creates favorable conditions for the age-specific individual development of a person throughout his life. During the period of growth, it is those functions (for example, sensory) that are of paramount importance for the development of other functions that develop most rapidly. During the aging period, the heterochronia ensures the preservation and further development of some functions at the expense of others, which at this time involutionize and weaken.