Ch. 11 - Emerging Adulthood Flashcards
emerging adulthood
period between aes 18-25, now widely thought of as a separate developmental stage (mostly WEIRD?)
health in emerging adulthood
- usually good
- optimal functioning in every body system
- extra capacity, extra burden
organ reserve
capacity of organs to allow the body to cope with stress, via extra, unused functioning ability
homeostasis
balance between various body reactions that keeps every physical function in sync with every other (immediate response; quickest in EA partly d/t organ reserve)
allostasis
dynamic body adjustment that gradually changes overall physiology (long-term)
allostatic load
stresses of basic body systems that burden overall functioning
sex, not marriage
- end of shotgun weddings?
- effective contraception, unmarried pregnancy acceptance
- however, increase in STIs globally
risk-taking
may be an asset or liability.
- EA have more serious accidents than people of any other age
- maturation, not experience, affects risk assessment
drug abuse
ingestion of a drug to the extent that it impairs the user’s biological or psychological wellbeing
low rates of disease between ages 18-25 counterbalanced by …
higher rate of violent death:
- driving without a seatbelt
- carrying a loaded gun
- abusing drugs
- addictive gambling
_____ result in more deaths than all other combined
fatal accidents, homicide, and suicide
why do most colleges restrict alcohol on campus?
drug abuse and binge drinking more frequent among college students than those not in college
illegal drug use and age
- peaks at about 20 yo, sharply declining with age
- most who continue after 25 yo want to quit
postformal thought
proposed adult stage of cognitive development, following Piaget’s 4 stages
goes beyond adolescent thinking by being more practical, more flexible, and more dialectical, and less impulsive and reactive
postformal thinkers …
- use formal analysis to learn science, distill principles, develop arguments, and resolve the world’s problems
- are less impulsive than adolescents
- don’t wait for someone to present a problem to solve or for circumstances to require a reaction
countering stereotypes
cognitive flexibility counters stereotypes as rational thinking aids in recognition and reconciliation of contradictions. width of the gap between explicit and implicit discrimination influences the strength of the stereotypes.
stereotype threat
fear that someone else will judge one’s appearance or behaviour negatively and thereby confirm that person’s prejudiced attitudes
- mere possibility of being negatively stereotyped arouses anxiety that can disrupt cognition and distort emotional regulation.
- makes people of all ages doubt their ability, which decrease learning if anxiety interferes with cognition
cognitive growth and higher education
- most contemporary students attend college primarily to secure their vocational and financial future.
- college also correlates with better health; grads everywhere smoke less, eat better, exercise more, and live longer,
- tertiary ed increases verbal and quantitative ability, knowledge of specific subject areas, skills in various professions, reasoning, and reflection
massification
the idea that establishing higher learning institutions and encouraging enrollment could benefit everyone
- led to marked increase in number of EA in college
- US is the first nation to endorse massification, with state-funded universities in all 50 states, often more than one per state
debts and dropouts
- most adults believe college is too expensive, yet 94% of parents expect college-bound children
- college pays off over time for most graduates; overall statistics are discouraging; attendance vs graduation – lowest grad rate colleges most popular
- student loan payback can be daunting
does college advance critical thinking and postformal thought?
Perry: 9 levels of complexity in college student thinking, experience = progression
Arum and Roska: students’ growth in critical thinking, analysis, and communication over 4 years of college only half as much as students 20 years ago
Newer pedagogical technology: flipped class, MOOCs; success r/t student motivation
effects of diversity in college
there is usually ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity.
- discussion among people of diff backgrounds, ages, and experiences leads to intellectual challenge and deeper thought
- those who are most likely to be postformal thinkers are also those with most friends from other backgrounds
diversity in colleges
- diversity of any kind can advance cognition in many areas
- diversity has increased in colleges across the US
- emerging adults expand their minds when they have honest conversations with people of different backgrounds
- individuals became more accepting of differences when they realize they know different people personally
identity achievement
- search for identity begins and puberty but continues much longer
- most emerging adults are still seeking to determine who they are
- erikson believed at each stage outcomes of earlier crises provides the foundation of each new era
- all four identity statuses are evident in emerging adulthood as the ID crisis continues (achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, diffusion)
in developed nations, it is normative for EA to question who they really are in what four areas?
1) sex
2) vocation
3) politics
4) religion
careers
- many young adults changed their identity status in the years after age 25; almost all changed status by age 29
- ID became deeper, more reflective, meaningful
- determination to “have it all” is part of ID achievement among many EA
vocational identity
establishing this is part of growing up.
- EA critical stage for acquisition of resources and developing work values
- current EA change ~ 1 job per year between 18-25 yo
- work values are affected by current worldwide economic recession
continuity and change
- psychological research on personality traits of twins from ages 17-24 finds both genetic continuity and developmental improvements
- emerging adults are open to new experiences
- trend is toward less depression and more joy, along with more insight into self
rising self-esteem
- psychological research finds both continuity and improvement in attitudes
- positive trend of increasing happiness becoming more evident over recent decades
- YA more likely to make their own life decisions
intimacy
- Erikson’s 6th stage emphasizes that humans are social creatures
- intimacy progresses from attraction to close connections to ongoing commitments
- marriage and parenthood, as EA discovering, are only 2 of several paths to intimacy
parents and EA
parents continue to be crucial influences after 18 yo; more now than in the past.
all members in a family have linked lives, however, a downside to excessive parental support may be “helicopter parenting”
national differences and living with parents
- happiness of EA living with parents depends on economy and culture
- almost all unmarried YA in Italy and Japan remain in childhood home
- less EA live with parents in US if separate households are affordable
friendship
friendship reaches peak of functional significance.
know terms:
- self expansion
- mutuality
- self-silencing
- social media usage
M vs F friendships
F: intimacy, emotionality, self-disclosure
M: limited touching, and self-disclosure
In the US, romantic competence is multifaceted …
- mutual caring, trust, emotional closeness, and sensitivity to the needs of others
- faithfulness, loyalty, and honesty
- love “American style” is sought in some other countries
most EA are postponing, not abandoning marriage
- hooking up and FWB more common
- marriage is still considered crucial by many different couples
finding a partner
social networks and dating sites result in about 1/3 of US marriages
- choice overload ==> regret after making choice more likely
choice overload
having so many options making a thoughtful choice difficult
cohabitation
living with an unrelated person – typically a romantic partner – to whom one is not married.
- most YA in England and N Europe cohabit rather than marry before 25 yo
- in other nations, such as Japan/Ireland/Italy, fewer people cohabit
cohabitation before marriage does not prevent marital problems, including churning
- cohab linked with higher likelihood of divorce
- less likely to pool money, have close parental relationships, or care for parental health needs
- more likely to be criminals or beak up
- however, most research is based on people who cohabited 10-20 years ago
the broader picture for every cohort and culture ..
every human benefits from a satisfying and enduring relationship.
