Sexuality in Early Adulthood - The College Environment
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In the middle-adulthood years, family and work become especially important. Personal time is spent increasingly on marital and family matters, especially if a couple have children. Sexual expression often decreases in frequency, intensity, and significance.
In the middle-adulthood years, some of the psychosexual developmental tasks begun in young adulthood may be continuing. These tasks, such as ones related to intimacy issues or parenting decisions, may have been deferred or only partly completed in young adulthood. Developmental issues include:<br />
Redefining sex in marital or other long-term relationships. In long-term marital or cohabiting relationships many factors may erode the passionate intensity associated with sex. These factors include habit, competing family and work obligations, fatigue, and unresolved conflicts. Sex may need to be redefined as more of an expression of intimacy and caring. <br />
Reevaluating one's sexuality continues in middle adulthood as well. Whether single or in a committed relationship, new roles and priorities call for a reevaluation of one's sexual feelings, wants, and desires. One's sexual philosophy continues to evolve.
Lastly, those in their middle adult years will need to begin to Accept the biological aging process. As people age they may feel less attractive and less sexual. The challenge of aging is to come to terms with its biological changes and challenges.