Life stages

Articles, Films and practical Guides on life stages, part of Psyche’s coverage of self-knowledge and personal growth.
Photo of a person in a field of tall grass looking at a forested hill under a partly cloudy sky.
Psyche Exclusive
NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

A poet-botanist’s lifelong pursuit of discovery

A film by Alex Darby and Jake Morris

Portrait painting of a man in a thoughtful pose with hand on head wearing a dark coat and white cravat against a dark background.
POETRY

Existential crisis? Try reading Wordsworth

For many generations of readers, the poetry of William Wordsworth has been an irreplaceable balm for the soul

by Sam Dresser

A child’s hand resting on an elderly person’s hands.
LIFE STAGES

Learning to inhale

I brought my newborn to visit a hospice patient. It took me far from what I’d thought medicine was

by Lynn Hallarman

Two women sitting on a log outdoors, each holding a child, with greenery in the background.
LIFE STAGES

An activist weaves motherhood into her world in this gentle short

Directed by Flavien Kressmann and Sarah Des Rosiers

Photo of a young gorilla with a pensive expression set against a blurred green forest background.
MEMOIR
1

Through Zuri’s eyes

She was a young gorilla, sitting alone in the Calgary Zoo. Once our eyes locked, I was in for a life-long connection

by Keriann McGoogan

Illustration of two female anthropomorphic bears in a romantic embrace sitting on a window sill, with trees in the background and a red bird beside them.
SEX AND SEXUALITY
1

Sweet illustrations capture women’s stories of first-time queer attraction

A film by Diane Obomsawin

Photo of a pregnant woman in a pink vest and white skirt, holding a red bag, walking in an urban area.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES
1

Moving through the world pregnant, my body became everyone’s

And I knew that, once I became a mother, I would be only more visible, more public, more available for scrutiny

by Katie da Cunha Lewin

Close-up of an elderly woman’s face with eyes closed, light grey hair, and a blurred brown background. Her expression is calm.
DEATH AND DYING
4

Why one death doula sees an examined death as vital to a good life

A film by Annie Marr

Black and white photo of two girls, one yawning with hand covering mouth, the other looking forward attentively.
MEMORY AND NOSTALGIA

It’s not just youth’s happy memories that have a special weight

Mixed in with the highly memorable rites of growing up are more troubling highlights. But these, too, can have enduring value

by Çağlayan Özdemir, Michelle D Leichtman & David B Pillemer

Outdoorsy woman lies back in a sunny forest on grass and ferns, surrounded by trees with mossy trunks. She shields her face from the sun with an arm.
LIFE STAGES

An ecologist finds an apt metaphor for healing in the rainforests she studies

Directed by Andrew Nadkarni

Photo of people in colourful costumes at night outside a neon-lit restaurant.
LIFE STAGES

Legal definitions aside – what makes you think you’re an adult?

Achieving adult status is a momentous part of life. Our research suggests getting there takes more than years or milestones

by Megan Wright

Three girls dancing in a bedroom; one on a bed in blue outfit, others on the floor wearing casual clothes. The room has pink curtains and a blue lamp.
LIFE STAGES

A nostalgic ode to being 15, fearless and in love with the world

Directed by Celia Willis

Photo of a cyclist in a yellow shirt on a winding park path at sunset with a city skyline in the background.
DEATH AND DYING

I thought I knew everything about death. Then grief struck me

Even though I grew up in Death World, and still live there, it couldn’t prepare me for being my family’s sole survivor

by John Troyer

Monichrome drawing of a bearded man with a hat, holding a pole, facing a striped lighthouse on an island, both reflected on a calm body of water.
POETRY
1

Sail through Shakespeare’s melancholic soliloquy on life’s seven stages

Directed by Jérémie Balais and Jeffig Le Bars

Photo of two people laughing and an elderly man sitting on a mosaic bench in a park with green trees in the background.
PERSONALITY
9

There’s a reason some of us find it easier to change than others

There is a personality trait we carry throughout life that explains why some of us find it easier to change than others

by Amanda J Wright