Abstract
Life-span psychology as an independent discipline established itself in the second half of the 20th century. Unlike traditional developmental psychology, which focuses primarily on development in childhood and adolescence, it concerns with development and changes throughout the human life span, since many characteristics reached its peak in the later stages of life.
It is a multidisciplinary discipline, because it not only studies the psychological and biological factors of human development, but also social and cultural context and historical circumstances. The monograph is divided into three thematic sections.
The first explores the main theories of life-span development with emphasis on modern approaches. The second part gives a description of developmental stages, based on current empirical research.
The third and final section presents the key challenges of human life: successful development, well-being, social adaptation and life meaningfulness.