What is Young Adulthood?

-Age group falling anywhere between 20 to 40 years of age

-A time period of significant life events; such as marriage, having children, and working

-A later surge into adulthood is very common today due to people going further in school, not getting jobs immediately after graduation, and relying on parents for everything

-Paths to adulthood may be influenced by gender, academic ability, attitudes toward education, social class, and ego development

Emerging Adulthood- a time of experimentation before taking on adult roles and responsibilities

    -Period of exploration when you are no longer an adolescent, but you haven't quite settled into adult roles yet

*How will I know when i have reached adulthood?

            -When you can accept responsibility for yourself

            -When you are able to make independent decisions

            -When you become financially independent

-2 Perspectives of Adulthood:

      1. Sociological- defined by someone who can support themselves or in a stable relationship

      2. Psychological- state of mind, rather than event in which an individual has formed an identity

Physical Development

 

      This is a period of maximal physical performance for most young adults. Most young adults are quite healthy and death from disease is relatively rare compared to accidental deaths. Coordination, dexterity, and vision are all at their peak and are fully functional during this time. Sexual organs are finally mature and it is a lot easier to recover from injury during this time period. The only downside to this peak of health, strength, energy, and endurance is that you feel invincible. Therefore, this is also a time where the most accidents occur. Accidents are the leading cause of death for young Americans up to age 44.

   

         As we age our metabolism changes, so it is extremely important to make sure you are eating a healthy, well balanced diet, and are getting physical activity in your daily life. The increased risk of obesity is due to increased snaking, inexpensive fast food chains, high fat diets, and sedentary lifestyles. Obesity can lead to numerous health problems including, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The number one attribute to living a healthy life is by getting physical activity on a regular basis. Exercise can build muscles, strengthen your heart and lungs, lower blood pressure, and relieve anxiety and depression.

   

Negative Influences on Health:

      -Smoking

      -Alcohol

      -Drug Use

      -Sleeping less than 7-8 hours a night

Mental Health:

-Mental health is generally good in early adulthood, but certain conditions such as depression, become more prevalent with age

-Between the ages of 15-22 the incidence of depression increases gradually

-Antisocial behavior rises in adolescence and drops sharply during emerging adulthood

-As adults settle down, drug usage tends to decline

    

Emotional Development

Kohlberg Moral Reasoning: 

-revolves around the idea that you move from the egocentrism of youth and become more capable of abstract thought

-moral judgements become more complex in adulthood

-experience may lead adults to reevaluate their criteria for what is right and fair

-personal experience can color their reasoning when faced with moral dilemmas

-not everyone reaches this level of emotional development

Gilligan's Moral Development in Women:

-concern for feminine values such as: compassion, responsibility, and the ability to care for others, as opposed to justice and fairness

-deals with the societal expectations for women and in turn how women make moral choices

-Gilligan concluded that women think less about abstract justice and fairness than men do and more about their responsibility to specific people

Emotional Intelligence:

    As we age our ability to understand, perceive, use, and manage our emotions increases dramatically, and we are finally able to recognize and deal with our feelings and those of others. This often affects the quality of the relationships we form.

Cognitive Development

Although as adults age, they continue to develop cognitively, how they use and apply their knowledge changes over time. There are many forms of intelligence, and intelligence doesn't just refer to "book smarts", it has been shown that emotions appear to be an important component as well.

-The ability to use reflective thinking occurs around ages 20-25

     -This is when we are able to question supposed facts, draw inferences, and make connections

-Post Formal Thought is the ability to deal with uncertainty, inconsistency, contradiction, imperfection, and compromise. This is also when we are able to recognize subtle differences and are able to be more flexible with our thinking.

Shaie's Life-Span Model:

   -Through 7 stages of age-related cognitive development, a person shits from:

       1. Acquiring information and skills

       2. Integrating knowledge and skills

       3. Search for meaning and purpose

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence:

    -This theory deals with the 2 aspects of intelligence that psychometric tests miss:

        1. Creative insight- the experiential element

        2. Practical Intelligence- the contextual element

Componential Element- analytic ability (used for tests)

Experimental Element- insightful, creative thinking

Contextual Element- practical intelligence (like street smarts)

Tacit Knowledge:

   -Not formally taught or openly expressed, but necessary to function successfully

   -Commonsense or "know-how"

Emotional Intelligence:

   -Ability to understand, perceive, use, manage, and regulate emotions

   -Recognize and deal with ones own feelings and those of others

   -May play an important part in life success

Social Development

     Active engagement in a broad range of social relationships, activities, and roles has been shown to greatly improve emotional well-being. Having the social support of others is very beneficial for coping with stress.

-Women tend to think about their responsibilities to specific people while men are more likely to think in terms of justice rather than feelings. A woman's central moral dilemma is the conflict between her needs and those of others. 

-Paths to adulthood may be influenced by gender, academic ability, early attitudes toward education, expectations in late adolescence, social class, + ego development

-Personality development entails both change and stability

-In Erikson's Normative Stage Model young adults must make commitments to others, or face isolation and self-absorption

Racial and Ethnic Identity Exploration:

    -May feel obligated to assist their families financially, therefore taking on many responsibilities in the home life

    -May begin to question the traditional values of their ethnic group

    -To achieve a secure ethnic identity, you must come to understand yourself both as part of an ethnic group and also apart of the wider, diverse society

Relationships

LBTG Young Adults: 

     Even in todays society, depending upon where you live, there are different norms and cultural values about sexual orientation and gender identity. Although same sex marriage has been legalized in several countries, some states within the U.S. recognize civil unions for same-sex couples but still do not provide federal benefits covered by marriage.

Love, Marriage, and Family:

-Intimate Relationships include friendships, love, and sexuality

-Marital and Non-marital Lifestyles:

         -the proportion of young adults in the U.S. who have not yet married has increased dramatically

         -more people today are single by choice, especially women who are self-supporting

-Parenthood- men and women may have different levels of involvement in raising a child

     -marital status satisfaction tends to decline during childrearing years

     -today people have fewer children and later in life

Co-Habitation- an unmarried, committed couple involved in a sexual relationship that live together

   -becomes an alternative to marriage

Marriage- many benefits included such as: economic security, division of labor, and emotional growth sources of new identities

Divorce- can occur for many reasons, including: unrealistic expectations of marriage, financial freedom, cultural acceptance, changing lifestyles

Friendships:

-Tend to be formed in the work place, or through parenting activities

-Friendships can vary greatly on level of intimacy, shared interests, and length

-People become intimate and remain intimate through these shared disclosures, responsiveness to one another's needs, and mutual acceptance and respect

-Time spent with friends tends to decline by middle age

Patterns of Love:

Non-love- casual relationship between acquaintances (intimacy, passion, and commitment are all lacking)

Liking- closeness, affection, emotional support and understand (casual, not positive relationship)

Infatuation- only passion is present, "love at first sight"

Empty Love- can be a result of a long term relationship where intimacy and passion are lost

Romantic Love- intimacy and passion are present, both physical and emotional bonds

Companion Love- intimacy and commitment are present, but physical attraction is not present or strong

Fatuous Love- passion and commitment without intimacy

Consummate Love- love at last! All three components are present

Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love:

     This theory is composed of 3 elements: intimacy, passion, and commitment. He refers to different types of relationships as being placed on a continuum. The degree to which each of these components is present determines what kind of love they feel.

Gender Differences in Friendships:

Men- tend to share information and activities, rarely share confidences with one another, focus is usually on social interaction

Women- tend to have more intimate friendships than men, more likely to discuss relationship problems, share advice and support, tend to have more close friends than men

Sexuality Trends in the U.S.:

-College women are 3x more likely to become rape victims versus the population as a whole

-Highest rates of STDs in the US among emerging adults ages 18-25

-Negative attitudes of homosexuality are slowly decreasing

-Because of aids about 30% of adults say they have modified their sexual behavior by having fewer partners, using condoms, or abstaining from sex

-Young adults of both sexes have become less permissive in their attitudes towards extramarital sex

Career and Education

     The majority of emerging adults now go to either a two or four year institution, and many continue on with their education even further than that to receive a masters or PhD. This trend of continuing education has become more and more common in past years, and just adds to the problem of student debt. Unlike past generations, it has become much more difficult for emerging adults in todays society to find a job, even after completing their education.

-Since we know that a four year college, away from home is not right for everyone, some people alternate between education and work, and others pursue both at the same time

-College and workplace education has been shown to rekindle intellectual curiosity, improve employment opportunities, and enhance work skills

-Research has found a relationship between the complexity of work and cognitive growth, as well as between complex work and intellectually demanding leisure activities

-Due to changes in the workplace, higher education greatly expands workplace opportunities and earnings

-This age group is more likely to be poor and less likely to have health insurance than any other age group