Essay Questions
mac1091
ALGUnitIII--YoungAdulthood.pptxHuman development Unit III
Young Adulthood (Early 20’s-Early 40’s)
Unit III
Unit III (Young Adulthood-Late Adulthood)
Young Adulthood (Early 20’s-Early 40’s)
Middle Adulthood (Early 40’s-Early 60’s)
Late Adulthood (Early 60’s-Death)
Young Adulthood~Early 20’s-Early 40’s
The Growing Years…
Young Adulthood
Typically, physical development/ maturation already complete
Small % still gain in height in early 20’s
Brain continues to grow in weight, reaching its maximum weight during young adulthood and then contracting in size
Senses are typically at their peak
Peak Physical Strength
Reaction time quicker
Muscle strength greater
Hand-eye coordination sharp
The College Years
69% of white high school graduates, 61% of African American graduates, and 47% of Hispanic graduates enter college
Only around 40% of those who start college graduate 4 years later with a degree
Although about half of those who do not graduate will eventually finish, the other half never obtain a college degree
More women that men attend college and graduate
Women receive 133 bachelor’s degrees for every 100 men
This proportion continues to increase
The Multiple Demands of College
Often multiple life changes come along with entering college
High stress with demands of coursework
Additional financial stress
Change in social groups/ peers
Being away from home for the 1st time
First-year adjustment reaction – a cluster of psychological symptoms often experienced by first-year college students, including:
Loneliness
Anxiety
Withdrawal
Depression
Adjusting to the Demands of College
How do students adjust?
Making friends
Joining teams, clubs, fraternities/ sororities
Some students benefit from counseling to support them during the transition***GHC offers free counseling services
Possible signs that professional help is warranted:
Psychological distress that lingers, interferes with a person’s well-being and ability to function
Feeling unable to cope with stress
Hopeless or depressed feelings (sometimes without an apparent reason)
Inability to develop close relationships
Psychosomatic symptoms
https://www2.highlands.edu/site/sss-counseling-support
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Relationships: Young Adulthood
Intimacy and Love
According to Erik Erikson, the focus of early adulthood is the intimacy vs. isolation stage.
Individuals must develop the ability to form deep, intimate relationships with other people.
Not directed specifically toward sexual intimacy, but toward forming long-lasting emotional bonds with another person.
Erikson’s components of intimacy:
Selflessness – sacrificing one’s own needs for those of another
Sexuality – gratification of joint pleasure
Deep devotion – fusing of identities
Difficulties during this stage?
Loneliness, isolation, fear of relationships
Possible result from failure to resolve conflict of previous stage
Friendships
Humans have a need for belongingness – leads people in early adulthood to form and preserve relationships that allow them to experience a sense of belonging with others
How are friendships formed?
Proximity (distance)*We are statistically more likely to be attracted to our neighbor-close proximity.
Similarity (similarity in intelligence, personality and attractiveness)
Gender differences – much more evident in this phase of life
females: emotional sharing of confidences
males: shared activities, interests
females tend to discuss things in greater depth
more self-revealing
confide less about strengths, victories, achievements
Men & Women Differ when Selecting a Mate
V (Visual)
T (Touch)
N (Nasal)
N (Nasal)
E (Emotional)
E (Emotional)
V (Visual)
T (Touch)
Men
Women
Externally
Internally
How Men & Women Differ
Men
Women
Men are highly visual
Men fall in love with what they “see”
Women like to talk first
Men like to have sex first; talk second
Women have more at stake then men
Men are “physically” touchy feely
Women are more emotional
Men are 75% testosterone & 25% estrogen
Women tend to put touch last
Women are 75% estrogen & 25% testosterone
The Two Faces of Love
Two categories of love:
Passionate
Companionate
Passionate love (romantic love)
State of powerful absorption
Intense physiological arousal
Rapid emotional swings
Companionate love
Strong affection for those with whom we are deeply involved
Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love
Sternberg believed that love has three basic components
The three basic components are:
Intimacy, the emotional component, which involves liking and feelings of closeness
Passion, the motivational component, which contains drives that trigger attraction, romance and sexual desire
Commitment, the cognitive component, which reflects the decision to make a long-term commitment to a loved partner.
The Combinations of Love
Intimacy alone is described as liking
Passion alone is described as infatuation
The combination of intimacy and passion is called romantic love.
Commitment alone is called empty love
The combination of commitment and passion is referred to as fatuous love (foolish and silly)
The combination of commitment and intimacy is known as companionate love, a secure and trusting partnership.
A combination of all three components is known as consummate love, (a relationship that is in the highest degree, near perfect).
The absence of all three components results in non-love.
Cohabitation vs. Marriage
Cohabitation – couples living together without being married
Various reasons for choosing cohabitation over marriage:
Not ready for lifelong commitment
“Practice” for marriage (problems with this?)
Reject marriage altogether
Why marry?
Appropriate culmination of a loving relationship
“Right” thing to do
Desire support of a spouse (economic, sexual, social roles)
Children out of wedlock not accepted by all sects of society
Legal benefits (insurance/ survivor benefits)
The research suggests that couples who cohabitate are more likely to divorce.
Only about 40% of couples who cohabitate go on to marry
The rate of domestic violence is higher in couples who cohabitate
The reported sex lives is greater in couples who are married
Couples who are married save more money
Couples who are married work harder to ensure proper child rearing
Marriage provides greater perceptions of stability
The Pros/Cons of Cohabitation vs Marriage
What Makes Marriage Work?
Conflict in marriage is not unusual
Nearly half of newly married couples experience a significant degree of conflict
Many others view the early years of marriage as deeply satisfying
Characteristics of a good marriage:
Visible affection
Communicate relatively little negativity
Partners hold similar interests
Partners agree on distribution of roles
View themselves as an interdependent couple
A sense of obligation to the partner and family
This awareness has not helped prevent the epidemic of divorce
Nearly half of all marriages in the U.S. end in divorce (56%)
Most divorces occur during the first ten years of marriage
Why Do Couples Divorce?
Possible Factors:
poor communication; lack of support; lack of intimacy
women are now more financially independent, less likely to remain in bad marriages
young people expect more from marriage than previous generations
couples realize that exposing children to continued conflict does greater damage
Remarriages are far less stable. As many as 70-90% of second and third marriages end in divorce
46% of women and 64% of men report infidelity in their marriages
At-Risk for Divorce:
teens have higher divorce rates
high school or college drop-out
if the father is unemployed, under age 30, or living in poverty
those who cohabitated before marriage
Psychological Side
How to Stay Together (4 C’s)
1. Communication
Be Upfront
Be Honest
Listen
2. Change
One has to be willing to change lifestyles
3. Compromise
Give & Take
Share
4. Commitment
Marriage or Union
Remember: You will always find others attractive and someone will always find you attractive. This does not mean one always needs to take action on attraction.
Adjusting to Divorce
adjustment depends on how people feel about themselves and former partners
involves relief, sadness, guilt, apprehension and anger
rejection, loss of control, powerlessness
requires emotional detachment
those with more personal resources and friends adjust better
divorce lowers the standard of living
Men are more likely to remarry sooner.
Men are often better adjusted following a divorce
Women are more likely to leave the marriage
Choosing to Become a Parent.
Pleasure in watching their children grow
Fulfillment from their children’s accomplishments
Bonding with children
Societal norm – “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage.”
Self-serving element
Children care for/ provide for parents in old age
Run family business
Provide companionship
For some couples, there is no “decision” to have children
Failure/ absence of birth control methods
Nearly 90% of married couples have at least one child
Two lines. You know…
The Transition to Parenthood
Marital satisfaction is U-Shaped (happiest before children and happiest when they leave)
Marital satisfaction is at it’s lowest when children are young
The arrival of a child alters every aspect of family life
Changes in day-to-day life
Dramatic shift in the roles spouses play
Financial strain
Study in 2001 indicated that the average middle class family with 2 children spends 233,000 on each child by the time they are 18
Choosing a Career
Another critical aspect of early adulthood is choosing a career path
Ginzberg’s Career Choice Theory – suggests that people move through a series of stages in choosing a career
Fantasy period – Until age 11 – Career choices are made without regard to skills, abilities, or job availability. Focus on what sounds appealing
Tentative period – Through adolescence – Begin thinking about the requirements of certain jobs as well as tying in their own abilities and interests
Realistic period – Early Adulthood – Adults explore specific career options either through actual experience or training
