Early or Young Adulthood PDF

Early or Young Adulthood Early/Young Adulthood - Early 20s to late 30s The World Health Organization (WHO) defined young people as those between the ages of 10 and 24. Millennials - 1981-1996 Issues: Long engagement vs. Short engagement Marriage (till death...

Early or Young Adulthood Early/Young Adulthood - Early 20s to late 30s The World Health Organization (WHO) defined young people as those between the ages of 10 and 24. Millennials - 1981-1996 Issues: Long engagement vs. Short engagement Marriage (till death do us part) vs. Divorce Same sex marriage vs. Man-Woman marriage For married people: Working abroad vs. Staying in the country Salary vs. Good relationship in the office Emerging Adulthood - Transition from adolescence to adulthood (18-24 years old) - Aspires for economic independence and taking responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions A. Physical Development Physical functioning generally peaks during young adulthood. Physical strength, coordination and dexterity in both sexes peak during late 20s and early 30s. Professional athletes remain at the top of their career in their mid 30s. B. Health Overall they are healthy. Rarely die of disease. Leading cause of death is accidents. Many develop bad health habits that can affect their health later in life like smoking, drinking alcohol, substance abuse and eating and weight problems. C. Sexuality Most individuals are sexually active and become married. Sexual orientation and behavior; and preferences are important developments at this stage. Sexually transmitted infections could be a problem for some. Piaget’s Formal Operational Thought Adults are quantitatively more knowledgeable than adolescents. Some adults are more realistic Pragmatic thinkers Postformal Thought (Kitchener et al.) Involves understanding that the correct answer to a problem can require reflective thinking Correct or truth can vary from one situation to another. That the search for truth is often an on-going and never ending process. Believes that solutions to problems need to be realistic; and that emotion and subjective factors can influence thinking. Creativity Peaks in adulthood, often in the forties and then declines Varies from person to person. The first step toward living a creative life is to cultivate curiosity and interest. Erik Erikson’s Intimacy vs. Isolation - 20 - 40 years old, early adulthood Characteristics: Individuals face the developmental tasks of forming intimate relationships with others. Erikson described intimacy as finding oneself yet losing oneself in another person. Predominant Social Setting: Partners in friendship and sexual relations Psychosocial Crisis: The capacity to reach out and make contact with other people, to fuse one's own identity with that of others. Outcome: The individual develops the capacity to work toward a specific career and to involve him/herself in an intimate relationship. Failure leads to loneliness and isolation. Strengths or Virtues if Crisis is Resolved: Love Kohlberg’s Moral Development: Post Conventional Level (Adults) Social Contract - Rules are seen as social agreements that can be changed when necessary Universal Principles - Moral reasoning is based on universal ethical principles and justice - Freud’s Psychosexual Stage: Genital Stage: Ages 12 to adulthood Erogenous Zone or Primary Source of Pleasure: Genitals Gratification: Mature heterosexual relationship develop Conflict: Establishing intimate relationship Friendship in Adulthood: People tend to have more friends and acquaintances during young adulthood than any subsequent period. The development of online social networks raised concerns about the quality of friendship. Women tend to base their friendships on more intimate and emotional sharing and use friendship as a means to confide in others. Men base their friendships on shared activities or interests and are often less intimate. Loving Through Adulthood: Assortative Mating - A theory stating that people find partners based on their similarity to each other. - Occurs along many dimensions including education, religious beliefs, physical traits, age, socioeconomic status , intelligence, race or color, mental illness, family tradition and political ideology. - Online dating happens at this stage Dark Side of Relationships: Abusive Relationship - A relationship in which one person becomes aggressive toward the partner. Battered Woman Syndrome - Occurs when a woman believes that she cannot leave an abusive situation and may even go as far as to kill her abuser. What predicts successful marriage? 1. Marital Adjustment - The degree to which a husband and wife accommodate each other over a certain period. 2. Homogamy - Similarity of values and interests a couple shares 3. Exchange Theory - Based on each partner’s contributing something to the relationship. - Fair exchange or equity in a relationship. Other Relationships: Gay and Lesbian Couples Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQAI+) community Aims to protect the rights of its members. Single Adults: Being single has become an increasingly prominent lifestyle. Intimacy, loneliness and finding a positive identity in a marriage oriented society are challenges faced by single adults. Family Life Cycle: 1. Form of Families Nuclear Extended or blended families 2. Having Children 3. Divorce and Remarriage Work: A search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as for cash, for astonishment rather than torpor ( Terkel, 1974). Work is love made visible. (Khalil Gibran) Careers and Work: Why do people work? 1. Developmental Changes They establish their emerging career and start moving up the career ladder 2. Finding a Path to Purpose Many young adults are in search of purpose in their career development 3. The Impact of Work Work defines people in fundamental ways and is a key aspect of their identity. Spend 1/3 of their adult life at work. Extremely stressful work situations may result in burnout and alienation. Job satisfaction - the positive feeling that results from an appraisal of one’s work.