Kryslene Human Cycle

The Twelve Stages of the
Human Life Cycle

Which stage of life is the most important? Some might claim that
infancy is the key stage, when a baby’s brain is wide open to new
experiences that will influence all the rest of its later life. Others might
argue that it’s adolescence or young adulthood, when physical health is at
its peak. Many cultures around the world value late adulthood more than
any other, arguing that it is at this stage that the human being has finally
acquired the wisdom necessary to guide others. Who is right? The truth
of the matter is that every stage of life is equally significant and necessary
for the welfare of humanity. In my book The Human Odyssey:
Navigating the Twelve Stages of Life I’ve written that each stage of life
has its own unique “gift” to contribute to the world. We need to value
each one of these gifts if we are to truly support the deepest needs of
human life. Here are what I call the twelve gifts of the human life cycle:
Prebirth: Potential – The child who has not yet been born could
become anything – a Michelangelo, a Shakespeare, a Martin Luther King
– and thus holds for all of humanity the principle of what we all may yet
become in our lives.
Birth: Hope – When a child is born, it instills in its parents and

other caregivers a sense of optimism; a sense that this new life may bring
something new and special into the world. Hence, the newborn
represents the sense of hope that we all nourish inside of ourselves to
make the world a better place.
Infancy (Ages 0-3): Vitality – The infant is a vibrant and

seemingly unlimited source of energy. Babies thus represent the inner
dynamo of humanity, ever fueling the fires of the human life cycle with
new channels of psychic power.
Early Childhood (Ages 3-6): Playfulness – When young

children play, they recreate the world anew. They take what is and
combine it with the what is possible to fashion events that have never
been seen before in the history of the world. As such, they embody the
principle of innovation and transformation that underlies every single
creative act that has occurred in the course of civilization.
Middle Childhood (Ages 6-8): Imagination – In middle

childhoood, the sense of an inner subjective self develops for the first
time, and this self is alive with images taken in from the outer world, and
brought up from the depths of the unconscious. This imagination serves
as a source of creative inspiration in later life for artists, writers,
scientists, and anyone else who finds their days and nights enriched for
having nurtured a deep inner life.
Late Childhood (Ages 9-11): Ingenuity – Older children

have acquired a wide range of social and technical skills that enable them
to come up with marvelous strategies and inventive solutions for dealing
with the increasing pressures that society places on them. This principle
of ingenuity lives on in that part of ourselves that ever seeks new ways to
solve practical problems and cope with everyday responsibilities.
Adolescence (Ages 12-20): Passion – The biological event of

puberty unleashes a powerful set of changes in the adolescent body that
reflect themselves in a teenager’s sexual, emotional, cultural, and/or
spiritual passion. Adolescence passion thus represents a significant
touchstone for anyone who is seeking to reconnect with their deepest
inner zeal for life.
Early Adulthood (Ages 20-35): Enterprise – It takes

enterprise for young adults to accomplish their many responsibilities,
including finding a home and mate, establishing a family or circle of
friends, and/or getting a good job. This principle of enterprise thus serves
us at any stage of life when we need to go out into the world and make
our mark.
Midlife (Ages 35-50): Contemplation – After many years in

young adulthood of following society’s scripts for creating a life, people
in midlife often take a break from worldly responsibilities to reflect upon
the deeper meaning of their lives, the better to forge ahead with new
understanding. This element of contemplation represents an important
resource that we can all draw upon to deepen and enrich our lives at any
age.
Mature Adulthood (Ages 50-80): Benevolence – Those in
mature adulthood have raised families, established themselves in their
work life, and become contributors to the betterment of society through
volunteerism, mentorships, and other forms of philanthropy. All of
humanity benefits from their benevolence. Moreover, we all can learn
from their example to give more of ourselves to others.
Late Adulthood (Age 80+): Wisdom – Those with long lives

have acquired a rich repository of experiences that they can use to help
guide others. Elders thus represent the source of wisdom that exists in
each of us, helping us to avoid the mistakes of the past while reaping the
benefits of life’s lessons.
Death & Dying: Life – Those in our lives who are dying, or who
have died, teach us about the value of living. They remind us not to take
our lives for granted, but to live each moment of life to its fullest, and to
remember that our own small lives form of a part of a greater whole.
Since each stage of life has its own unique gift to give to humanity, we
need to do whatever we can to support each stage, and to protect each
stage from attempts to suppress its individual contribution to the human
life cycle. Thus, we need to be wary, for example, of attempts to thwart a
young child’s need to play through the establishment high-pressure
formal academic preschools. We should protect the wisdom of aged from
elder abuse. We need to do what we can to help our adolescents at risk.
We need to advocate for prenatal education and services for poor
mothers, and support safe and healthy birthing methods in third world
countries. We ought to take the same attitude toward nurturing the human
life cycle as we do toward saving the environment from global warming
and industrial pollutants. For by supporting each stage of the human life
cycle, we will help to ensure that all of its members are given care and
helped to blossom to their fullest degree.

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The Twelve Stages of the

Human Life Cycle

Birth: Hope – When a child is born, it instills in its parents and

Infancy (Ages 0-3): Vitality – The infant is a vibrant and

Early Childhood (Ages 3-6): Playfulness – When young

Middle Childhood (Ages 6-8): Imagination – In middle

Late Childhood (Ages 9-11): Ingenuity – Older children

Adolescence (Ages 12-20): Passion – The biological event of

Early Adulthood (Ages 20-35): Enterprise – It takes

Midlife (Ages 35-50): Contemplation – After many years in

Late Adulthood (Age 80+): Wisdom – Those with long lives

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