Young Adulthood

1. Young Adulthood

2. Physical Development: Highlights I. Health Issues A. Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS): symptoms of physical discomfort and emotional tension during the one to two weeks before a menstrual period. 1) Physical Symptoms… fatigue, headaches, swelling and tenderness of breasts, bloating, nausea, cramps 2) Psychological Symptoms... irritability, grouchiness, moodiness, acting demanding, aggressiveness, hostility 3) About 85% of all women have at least one symptom of PMS.

3. B. Alcoholism 1) What are some risk factors? New found freedoms in college Stress in life Family history (genetics & environment) Mental Illness Cultural influences Sex C. Treatment for Alcoholism 1) Detoxification:a program of supervised recovery provided in a hospital setting. 2) Alcoholics Anonymous (AA):a self-help group comprised of people who abstain from alcohol use and offer help and support to each other. While there is no therapist involved, a member usually leads the group during meetings.

4. 3) Disulfiram (a.k.a. Antabuse):a drug that discourages alcohol consumption because the combination of the two produces a violent response consisting of nausea, headache, heart palpitations, and vomiting. 4) Naltrexone: a drug that blocks the high from alcohol, amphetamines, and opioids. 5) Controlled Drinking:reducing consumption of alcohol from dependent/abusive to moderate levels. 6) Relapse-Prevention Training: training designed to help substance abusers to identify high-risk situations and learn effective coping skills for handling these situations.

5. Cognitive Development I. New Ways of Thinking in Adulthood A. Postformal Thought:a mature type of thinking, involving continuous, active evaluation of information and beliefs in the light of evidence and implications.It relies on subjective experience and intuition as well as logic and is useful in dealing with ambiguity, uncertainty, inconsistency, contradiction, imperfection, and compromise. More flexible and adaptive. Make deeper connections. Reconcile conflicting ideas. Develop overarching theories that explain different concepts.

6. B. Aspects of Postformal Thought 1) Shifting Gears: the ability to shift back and forth between the abstract and the practical. 2) Problem Definition: the ability to define a problem as falling within a class or category of logical problems and to define its parameters. 3) Process-Product Shift: the ability to see that a problem can be solved either through a process with general application to similar problems or through a product, a concrete solution to the particular problem.

7. 4) Pragmatism: the ability to choose the best of several possible solutions and to recognize the criteria for choosing. 5) Multiple Solutions: the awareness that most problems have more than one solution, that people may have differing goals, and that a variety of methods can be used to arrive at a solution. 6) Awareness of a Paradox: the recognition that a problem or solution involves inherent conflict. 7) Self-Referential Thought: a person's awareness that he or she is using postformal thought.

8. C. Schaie: A Seven Stage Life-Span Model of Cognitive Development 1) Acquisitive Stage:the first of Schaie’s seven cognitive stages, in which children and adolescents learn information and skills largely for their own sake or as preparation for participation in society. 2) Achieving Stage:the second of Schaie’s seven cognitive stages, in which young adults use knowledge to gain competence and independence. D. Intelligence in Young Adulthood 1) Emotional Intelligence:the ability to perceive, imagine and understand emotions and to use that information in decision-making. a) Emotions and Decision-Making

9. 2) Tacit (Practical) Knowledge: information that is not formally taught or openly expressed but is necessary to get ahead. Sometimes referred to as (un)commonsense. a) Self-Management:knowing how to motivate oneself and organize time and energy. b) Management of Tasks:knowing how to do particular tasks. c) Management of Others:knowing when to reward or criticize subordinates. E. Kohlberg’s Seventh Stage of Moral Reasoning: a sense of unity with the cosmos, nature, or God enabling one to perceive moral issues from the standpoint of the universe as a whole.

10. II. Education and Work A. The College Transition 1) U.S. college enrollment at record high. 2) Over 60% of high school graduates enter college. 3) Over one-third of college students are 25 or older. People are going back to school later in life. 4) Overall, increase is mostly due to increasing numbers of females. Over 60% of undergraduates. 5) About 40% enter and finish college with a degree in 4 years. 6) Of the remaining 60%, half eventually complete their college degree and the other half do not. 7) About 70% of African American college students do not finish college with a degree.

11. College Enrollment by Racial / Ethnic Group

12. Education’s Relationship To Poverty

13. B. Distance Learning:a type of learning in which the instructor and student are separated by space, and sometimes, by time. C. Cognitive Growth in College 1) Commitment Within Relativism:when a young adult is able to make his or her own judgments and choose his or her own beliefs and values despite uncertainty and the recognition of other valid possibilities. D. Cognitive Growth at Work 1) Substantive Complexity of Work: this refers to a reciprocal relationship between the degree of thought and independent judgment required and a person’s flexibility in coping with cognitive demands. 2) Spillover Hypothesis:cognitive gains from work carry over to nonworking hours.

14. Psychosocial Development I. Personality Development: Four Models A. Normative-Stage Models:models that argue for a definite sequence of age-related changes in psychosocial development. 1) Developmental Tasks:typical challenges that need to be mastered for successful adaptation to each stage of life. 2) Intimacy versus Isolation:Erikson’s sixth stage of psychosocial development, in which young adults either make commitments to others or face a possible sense of isolation and consequent self-absorption. Virtue attained… a) Love:a mutual devotion between partners who have chosen to share their lives, have children, and help those children achieve their own healthy development.

15. 3) Life Structure: the underlying pattern of a person’s life at a given time, built on whatever aspects of life the person finds most important. a) Dream: one’s hopes about what one wishes to achieve in the future, part of the entry phase of young adulthood. 4) Emerging Adulthood... A new stage of development? Period between the ages of 18 – 25. Shifting cultural forces; delayed onset of full adulthood. Increase in the amount of education needed for good career. Frequency of cohabitation without marriage. Continued growth & change in brain development (prefrontal cortex). Continued identity exploration. Insecurity, instability, self-focus. Criticism... The ability to spend time “exploring” is not available to everyone True developmental stages are not option

16. 5) Normative Studies of Women Women may face different psychological and environmental constraints in forming life structures than men do. Women’s transitions tend to take longer. Between age 27-43, women (as opposed to 17-33 for men) develop more self-discipline, commitment, independence and confidence. B. Timing-Of-Events Model:a model that describes adult psychosocial development as a response to the expected or unexpected occurrence and timing of important life events. People usually have an awareness of their own timing and of the… 1) Social Clock:a set of cultural norms or expectations for the times of life when important events, such as marriage, parenthood, entry into work, and retirement, should occur.

17. C. Trait Models: models that focus on mental, emotional, temperamental, and behavioral traits, or attributes. Costa and McCrae’s “Big Five” Factors... 1) Neuroticism:the tendency to experience emotional instability: anxiety, hostility, depression, self-consciousness, impulsiveness, and vulnerability very easily. 2) Extraversion:the tendency to seek stimulation and enjoy the company of other people. 3) Agreeableness:the tendency to be trusting and compassionate rather than distrustful of and antagonistic towards others. 4) Conscientiousness:the tendency to show self-discipline, to be reliable, and to strive for competence and achievement.

18. 5) Openness to Experience: the tendency to enjoy new experiences and new ideas.

19. D. Typological Models:models that identify broad personality types or styles. Friedman’s and Rosenman’s Personality Types... 1) Type A Personality:a highly competitive, impatient, hurried person who typically has a hostile temperament. 2) Type B Personality:aneasygoing, less hurried, and less hostile person. Block’s Personality Types… 1) Ego-Resilient:well adjusted, confident, and task-focused. 2) Overcontrolled:shy, quiet, anxious, and who withdraw from conflict. 3) Undercontrolled:active, energetic, impulsive, stubborn, and distractible.

20. II. Foundations Of Intimate Relationships A. Self-Disclosure:revealing important information about oneself to another. B. Disclosure Reciprocity:the tendency for one person’s intimacy or self-disclosure to match that of a conversational partner. C. Friendship Center on work and parenting activities. Sharing of confidences and advice. Young singles rely on friendship for social needs. Women have social needs met by friends more than men.

21. D. Love... Sternberg’s Triangular theory of love 1) Intimacy: the emotional element of love; involving self-disclosure, which leads to connection, warmth and trust. 2) Passion:the motivational element of love; inner drives that translate physiological arousal into sexual desire. 3) Commitment:the cognitive element of love; the decision to love and stay with the beloved.

22. Sternberg’s Forms of Love E. Do Opposites Attract?

23. F. Sexual Attitudes 1) Reproductive:attitude concerning sex that sex is permissible only for reproductive purposes within marriage. 2) Traditional:attitude concerning sex that sex is permissible only within marriage. 3) Recreational:attitude concerning sex that whatever feels good and doesn’t hurt anyone is fine. 4) Relational:attitude that sex should be accompanied by love or affection, but not necessarily marriage.

24. III. Non-marital and Marital Lifestyles A. Single Life Proportion of 20-24 year olds who are single... Women - 75% Men - 86% Strong trend in African American women... 35% still single in late 30s B. Gay and Lesbian Relationships About 50% of gay men and 45-80% of lesbians are in romantic relationships. C. Cohabitation:status of a couple who live together and maintain a sexual relationship without being legally married. Wide international variation… More than 83% of French women at some point in their lives. Less than 5% of Polish women at some point in their lives.

25. D. Cohabitation in the United States Over half of US couples who marry live together first. Higher divorce rates among previous cohabiters. May reflect people’s traits, rather than the experience of cohabitation itself. E. Marriage

26. U.S. men and women desire the same top 5 characteristics in a marriage partner... • Mutual Attraction (Love) • Emotional Stability and Maturity • Dependable Character • Pleasing Disposition • Education and Intelligence Interesting differences in rankings… Ambition and Industriousness: Men = 11; Women = 6 Good Financial Prospects: Men = 16; Women = 11 Good Looks: Men = 7; Women = 13

27. Married people are happier than unmarried people (yet less sexually active). But, those in unhappy marriages are less happy than unmarried or divorced people. Factors affecting satisfaction: Economic resources Equal decision-making Non-traditional gender attitudes Partners’ happiness with the relationship Sensitivity to each other’s feelings Communication Conflict management skills Age at marriage College graduates 1) Rewards:benefits such as love, respect, trust, communication, compatibility, and commitment to the partner. 2) Barriers:factors that prevent one from leaving the marriage, such as children, religious beliefs, financial interdependence, and commitment to the institution of marriage.

28. IV. Parenthood

29. A. Men’s and Women’s Involvement in Parenthood Both have a mixture of feelings… excitement, anxiety, responsibility. Mothers are more involved in children’s lives than fathers. Involved fathers tend to be more satisfied with their lives. B. How Parenthood Affects Marital Satisfaction Marital satisfaction declines during childrearing years, especially infanthood. Mothers who see themselves as unable to cope with demands of motherhood are dissatisfied with marriage. Men who are less involved with their babies are more dissatisfied with marriage.

30. V. Divorce 1 out of 5 U.S. adults have been divorced. More than 50% of marriages end in divorce. Higher divorce rates are among: Teenagers High school dropouts Nonreligious persons A. Adjusting to Divorce Divorce tends to reduce long-term well-being... Men experience more negative effects on health than women. Disruption of parent-child relationships. Loss of emotional support. Discord with former spouse. Economic hardship... Women are more likely to live in poverty post-divorce than men.