Chapter Ten: Becoming an Adult

Erikson's Sixth Stage: Intimacy vs. Isolation

• Adults face the significant task of forming intimate relationships and finding a life partner.

Identity and Intimacy: Men vs. Career-Oriented Women

• Men tend to prioritize career success before forming intimate relationships.
• Career-oriented women often focus on establishing a career before settling down.

Quarter-Life Crisis

• A defining characteristic is a sense of uncertainty and dissatisfaction with one's life path, often occurring in the late 20s or early 30s.

Physical Abilities in Young Adulthood

• Physical abilities peak in early adulthood, but begin a gradual decline around age 30.

Leading Cause of Death for Young Adults (Early 20s)

• Accidents are the leading cause of death.

Mortality Rates: Men vs. Women (25-34)

• Young adult men are over twice as likely to die compared to women of the same age.

Teratogens and Health Problems

• Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a potent teratogen, known for its adverse impact on fetal development and potential health problems.

Secondhand Smoke and Disease

• More than 87% of nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke, increasing their risk for various health issues.

Binge Drinking: Men

• Binge drinking for men is defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in two hours.

HDL Cholesterol (High-Density Lipoprotein)

• This type of cholesterol is beneficial for keeping arteries clear and reduces the risk of heart disease.

Social Factors in Health: The Exception

• Education is not considered one of the three most important social factors influencing health; the others are socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and gender.

BMI Over 25 and Health Risks

• A BMI over 25 signifies overweight and is associated with increased risk of serious health problems, including heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Long-Term Drinking and Brain Health

• Excessive long-term drinking can lead to brain damage and cognitive decline.

Optimal LDL Cholesterol Level

• The recommended LDL cholesterol level for optimal heart health is below 100 mg/dL.

Alcohol Use Disorder

• The primary characteristic is the inability to control alcohol intake despite negative consequences.

Socioeconomic Status and Health

• Socioeconomic status has a significant impact on health, with higher socioeconomic status linked to better health outcomes.

Emerging Adulthood

• Defined as the period between the late teens and mid-20s, characterized by identity exploration, instability, and a sense of possibilities.

Role Transitions Marking Adulthood

• Examples include completing education, starting a career, entering a committed relationship, or having a child.

Rites of Passage in Cultures

• These ceremonies, common across cultures, mark an individual's transition from one social status to another, often signifying entry into adulthood.

Prefrontal Cortex in Young Adults

• The prefrontal cortex, responsible for planning, complex behavior, and decision-making, undergoes significant development into the mid-20s.

College Enrollment: High School Graduates

• About 68% of high school graduates enroll in college, indicating a high prevalence of post-secondary education.

Changes in College Demographics

• Increasing diversity, including more women, minority students, and older adults, is a key factor in college demographic shifts.

Role Transitions: West vs. Non-West

• In Western cultures, the transition to adulthood is marked by individual achievement, while in non-Western cultures, it is often tied to social obligations and family roles.

Cognitive Abilities: Young Adults vs. Adolescents

• Young adults demonstrate superior cognitive abilities, including reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making, compared to adolescents.

Variablity in Change Patterns

• Intraindividual variability refers to the variability of change patterns among individuals.

General Intelligence and Performance

• General intelligence identifies the relationship between performance on different tests as a common ability.

Primary Mental Ability: The Exception

• Reasoning is NOT considered a primary mental ability; the others are verbal, spatial, quantitative, memory, and perceptual speed.

Fluid Intelligence Throughout Adulthood

• Fluid intelligence, which involves novel problem-solving, peaks in young adulthood and gradually declines with age.

Emotional Intelligence: Understanding Emotions

• Emotion understanding involves identifying, understanding, and differentiating emotions in ourselves and others.

Crystallized Intelligence

• Crystallized intelligence, based on accumulated knowledge and experience, continues to increase throughout adulthood.

Secondary Mental Ability: Flexible Thinking

• Cognitive complexity is related to being a flexible and adaptive thinker, adjusting to changing circumstances.

Emotional Intelligence and Age

• Emotional intelligence tends to increase with age due to greater experience and more effective emotion regulation.

Perceived Control of Marital Happiness and Age

• With age, individuals typically report a greater sense of perceived control over their marital happiness, reflecting a more mature and balanced perspective.

Satisfaction in Younger Adults

• Younger adults generally associate greater life satisfaction with personal goals and accomplishments, including education, career, and relationships.

Primary vs. Secondary Control

• Primary control involves trying to change the environment to fit one's needs, while secondary control involves adjusting oneself to fit the environment.

Primary Control: Midlife Transition

• As individuals reach midlife, they often shift their focus from primary control to secondary control, adapting to life circumstances more readily.

Types of Control Experiences: The Omission

• Control over the processes of social interaction is not one of the four types of control experiences; the existing types are primary control, secondary control, proactive control, and control beliefs.

Impression Modification: Positive to Negative

• When presented with negative information after positive information, older adults tend to modify their impression of a person less dramatically than younger adults.

Social Clock and Life-Span Development

• A social clock refers to the culturally prescribed timetable for major life events, such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.

Life-Story Model and Identity

• McAdams's Life-Story Model posits that one's life story reflects individual identity through personal experiences, values, and goals.

Possible Selves: Aging and Identity

• Possible selves represent an individual's aspirations, fears, and hopes for the future, influencing motivation and behavior as one ages.

Self-Views: Youth vs. Middle-Age vs. Old Age

• Younger and middle-aged adults generally view their hoped-for selves as more positive and idealistic compared to older adults who tend to have more realistic expectations.

Influence of Personal Control Beliefs

• Personal control beliefs influence an individual's motivation, behavior, and overall well-being.

Central Theme: McAdams's Life-Story Model

• Finding meaning and purpose in life is a central theme in McAdams's Life-Story Model.

Personal Control Beliefs: Research Findings

• Personal control beliefs are influenced by factors such as age, gender, and culture.

Explore the complex journey of becoming an adult as outlined in Chapter Ten. This quiz covers the physical, cognitive, and personality development during young adulthood, as well as role transitions and cross-cultural perspectives on rites of passage. Understand how these factors shape the emergence of adulthood in various cultures.