The CARES taxonomy: Five psychological qualities of adulthood

Psychological adulthood has been traditionally inferred from the attainment of socio-demographic roles, such as having a professional career, being married, and rearing children. In today’s world, these traditional ‘adult’ roles are increasingly delayed and have become somewhat less attainable. Yet, no psychological model has been proposed that describes adulthood as the rich, dynamic, and rewarding phase of life that it is outside of the labels of employee, spouse, and parent. Here we introduce the CARES taxonomy, which describes contemporary adulthood using five psychological qualities that are at the core of adult psychological development: Cognitive maturity, the confidence in one’s knowledge and abilities; sense of Aging, the realisation that one is aging and that life is finite; self-Reliance, the feeling of control in life; Eudaimonia, knowing oneself and living in alignment with one’s core values and beliefs; and Social convoy, the network of relationships and level of social support in life. These five qualities have conceptual and methodological foundations in the psychological literature, map the cognitive, affective, and behavioral roots of development in adulthood, and form the basis of adults’ mental health and well-being. We outline how the CARES taxonomy offers a promising framework for understanding psychological development in adulthood.