When it comes to life, we all know there are definitive stages – for example a toddler, a teenager, an adult, and a pensioner. But what if there was a lot more to it than worrying about your ‘mid-life crisis’ or your ‘quarter-life crisis’? Well, Psychologist Carl Jung described our lives in 4 different stages, which is a very interesting theory. Do you agree with it?
The Athlete
According to Carl Jung, when we’re in our athlete stage of life, we’re in our most self-absorbed state. Out of all of the four stages, the athlete stage is the most immature stage in our lives and is a time where we define ourselves and the people around us by their personal appearance and body image – and often become obsessed with the ideology of the perfect body. During the Athlete phase, the person is critical and narcissistic. However, Jung also goes on to state that many people never make it out of this phase, and spend their whole lives as the athlete. Other people revert back to this stage at a later point in their life.
The Warrior
After we move out of the Athlete phase, we then move onto our Warrior phase. This is a change in personality and mentality where we begin to see the responsibilities we have in life, why we have them, and we acquire a desire to take over the world – at least, metaphorically. During this time, we become extremely goal-oriented and decide exactly what we want from life. The athlete inside of us fades – although we do encounter struggles along the way. The Warrior phase is the most common phase to revert back to throughout your life, as many people change their goals and opt to re-invent themselves at different ages.
The Statement
When we come out of the Warrior phase, we roll into the Statement phase where we begin to ask ourselves what we’ve done for other people throughout our lives. Instead of focusing on your own personal goals and achievements, your focus shifts to looking at how you can improve others’ lives and make a difference in forwarding them.
This stage often occurs when you first have a child, and continues while you watch your child grow up. This is because you begin to focus on making their lives the best they can be, and providing them with all the opportunities they need as they grow into adults themselves. As well as parenthood, this stage also occurs in those who don’t have children. The Statement phase also allows you to reflect on what you will leave behind when you die. It allows you to think about what you’ve learned and accomplished throughout your own life and how you can pass this down to others around you.
The Spirit
The Spirit Stage is the final stage in your life. This is the stage where we put the likes of money, possessions, relationships, and accomplishments behind us and realize that we as humans are so much more than possessions. Instead, we are spirited beings that have no end, and no beginning – and we focus on what awaits us after death.
