What term refers to the changes in an individual’s social status throughout their adult life?

The term that refers to the changes in an individual’s social status throughout their adult life is "intragenerational mobility." This concept focuses on the movement of individuals up or down the social hierarchy during their own lifetime, reflecting their experiences and achievements as they navigate through various stages, such as education, employment, and economic changes.

Intragenerational mobility can be influenced by various factors, including personal effort, economic conditions, education, and social networks. It highlights how a person's opportunities for education and career advancement can significantly alter their position in society, allowing for an understanding of the personal dimension of social mobility.

Other terms like transgenerational mobility relate to comparisons between generations within a family, while intergenerational mobility looks at shifts in social status between different generations, such as parents and their children. Cumulative mobility refers more to the combined effects of both intragenerational and intergenerational experiences on an individual's status, but it does not specifically focus on an individual’s changes throughout their own life. Thus, intragenerational mobility is the precise term that captures the dynamic nature of an individual's social status changes over time.