10: Constructing an Adult Life Flashcards
phase of life that begins after high school, lasts through the late twenties - devoted to constructing an adult life, exploring options
emerging adulthood
sharing a household in an unmarried romantic relationship
cohabitation
moving out of one’s childhood home and living independently for the first time
nest-leaving
concept that we regulate our passage through adulthood by referring to our society’s timetable that tells us which life activities are appropriate at certain ages
social clock
cultural ideas about the appropriate ages to engage in particular activities or life tasks
age norms
being on target in a culture’s timetable for achieving adult life tasks
on time
being too early or too late in a culture’s timetable for achieving adult life tasks
off time
in Erikson’s theory, the life task of deciding who to be as an adult
identity
Erikson’s term for a failure in identity formation, marked by the lack of any sense of a future adult path
role confusion
James Marcia’s four categories of identity formation - identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, moratorium, and identity achievement
identity statuses
Marcia’s term for an identity status in which the person is aimless or feels totally blocked, without any adult life path
identity diffusion
Marcia’s term for an identity status in which the person decides on an adult life path without any thought or active search (usually informed by an authority figure)
identity foreclosure
Marcia’s term for an identity status in which the person is actively exploring different possibilities to find a truly solid adult life path
moratorium
a fully mature identity, when a young person decides on a satisfying adult life path
identity achievement
when a young person is unable to decide between different identities, becoming emotionally paralyzed and extremely anxious
ruminative moratorium
how people come to terms with who they are in relation to their unique ethnic or racial heritage
ethnic identity
how people of mixed racial backgrounds come to terms with who they are in relation to their heritage
biracial or multiracial identity
Csikszentmihalyi’s term for feeling total absorption in a challenging, goal-oriented activity
flow
the change from the schooling phase of life to the work world
school-to-work transition
Erikson’s first adult task, which involves connecting with a partner in a mutual loving relationship
intimacy
on-again/off-again romantic relationships in which couples repeatedly get together and then break up
relationship churning
Bernard Murstein’s mate-selection theory that suggests similar people pair up and that our path to commitment progresses through three phases
stimulus-value-role theory
in Murstein’s theory, the initial mate-selection stage, in which we make judgments about a potential partner based on external characteristics such as appearance
stimulus phase
in Murstein’s theory, the second mate-selection stage, in which we make judgments about a partner based on similar values and interests
value-comparison phase
in Murstein’s theory, the final mate-selection stage, in which committed partners work out their future lives together
role phase
the principle that we select a mate who is similar to us
homogamy
the different ways in which adults relate to romantic partners, based on Mary Ainsworth’s infant classification
adult attachment styles
an excessively clingy, needy style of relating to loved ones
preoccupied/ambivalent adult attachment
a standoffish, excessively disengaged style of relating to loved ones
avoidant/dismissive adult attachment
the genuine intimacy that is ideal in love relationships - empathy, balance
secure adult attachment
