ADULHOOD'S TWO PRIMARY COMMITMENTS

The healthy adult is one who can love and work (Sigmund Freud, 1935).

Two basic aspects of our lives do, however, dominate adult. Erik Erikson called them intimacy (forming close relationships) and generativity (being productive and supporting future generations).

One can live magnificantly in this world if one knows how to work and how to love (Leo Tolstoy, 1856).

LOVE

We flirt, fall in love, and commit-one person at a time. Pair-bonding is a trademark of the human animal (Helen Fisher, 1993).

Adult bonds of love are most satisfying and enduring when marked by a similarity of interests and values, a sharing of emotional and material support and intimate self-disclosure.

Love intimacy, attachment, commitment; love by whatever name is central to healthy and happy adulthood.

WORK
For many adults, the answers to "Who are you?" depends a great deal on the answer to "What do you do?" For women and men, choosing a career path is difficult, especially in today's changing work environment.

Work can provide us with a sense of identity and competence and opportunities for accomplishment. Perhaps this is why challenging and interesting occupations enhance people's happiness.

And for those who choose to marry, it is having a partner who is a close, supportive and who sees you as special, and for some it includes having loving children whom you like and feel proud of.

Gombe Stream National Park

Love and blessings,

Robert Malugu

1. I love comments on this blog: They are as important as anything I write myself. They add to the knowledge and community that we have here. If you want to comment then you are more than welcome; whether you feel you are a beginner or an expert, feel free to have you say.

 

2. Relevant links in comments are actively encouraged: If you are leaving a comment on my blog and want to point to a link on your own or someone else’s site that is relevant to the topic then please feel free to do so. This adds to the conversation and improves the blog. 

"Open hands catch the ball. Open hearts catch the love." - Robert Moore

About the Author

Robert Malugu is the founder and editor of Malugu Robert - The Positive Thinking Site. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, at Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn.