Chapter 12: Socioemotional development in Early Adulthood Flashcards
What does socioemotional development in adults revolve around
It revolves around adaptively integrating our emotional experiences into enjoyable relationships with others on a daily basis
Which years lay the foundation for an adult’s socioemotional development
Research shows that it’s the first 20 years of life.
Is there a link between romantic relationships and parent relationships
Yes. Although relationships with romantic partners differ from those with parents, they fulfill some of the needs for adults as parents do for children.
eg they might count on Rom.Patn to be a secure base to which they can return and obtain comfort and security during stressful times
What are securely attached infants
= Those who use the caregiver as a secure base from which to explore the environment.
Is there a link between being securely attached to a partner, and your childhood attachment
Some studies show that adults who were securely attached in their romantic relationships were more likely to describe their early relationship with their parents as being securely attached.
What did certain studies find about insecure avoidant attachment at 8 years of age
Linked to a lower level of social initiative and prosocial behavior and a higher level of anxiety and loneliness at 21.
What can cause the links between early attachment styles and later attachment style to we weakened
Stressful and disruptive experiences such as the death of a parent or instability of caregiving
What are the 3 Categories adults’ attachment can be categorized as
- Secure attachment style
- Avoidant attachment style
- Anxious attachment style
How are securely attached adults
- They have positive views of relationships, find it easy to get close to others
- Are not overly concerned with or stress out about their romantic relationship
- Enjoy sexuality in the context of a committed rlt
- Are less likely than others to have one night stands.
How are avoidant (attached) adults
- They are hesitant about getting involved in romantic relationships
- Once they are in a relationship, they tend to distance themselves from their partner.
How are anxious (attachment) adults
- They demand closeness (crave intimacy and connection, often needing reassurance)
- Are less trusting
- More emotional, jealous, and possessive.
How are the relationships of securely attached adults
- More satisfied
- More likely to be characterized by trust, commitment and longevity
Are attachment categories stable in adulthood?
Yes, but adults do have the capacity to change their attachment thinking and behavior.
What are factors other than attachment style that contributes to relationship functioning
- Relationship satisfaction
- Success
What does love refer to
Love refers to a vast and complex territory of human behavior, spanning a range of relationships that includes friendship, romantic love, affectionate love, and consummate love.
In most of these, a recurring theme is INTIMACY
What are the hallmarks of intimacy
Self-disclosure and the sharing of private thoughts
Which developmental stage do early adults enter on their way to establishing stable and successful relationships. According to ERIKSON
The 6th developmental stage:
Intimacy vs Isolation
How did Erikson describe intimacy
Finding oneself while losing oneself in another person, which requires a commitment to another person.
What does development in early adulthood often involve
Balancing intimacy and commitment on one hand, and independence and freedom on another
What are 2 widely recognized types of love
- Romantic love
- Affectionate love
What is romantic love also called
Passionate love, or eros (latin)
What does romantic love have strong components of and when does it predominate
- Has strong components of sexuality and infatuation
- It often predominates in the early part of a love relationship.
Who usually has higher avoidance and lower anxiety in a relationship
Males.
They keep more emotional distance, avoid relying on or getting too close + don’t worry too much about being rejected or abandoned
What is the most important ingredient of romantic love.
Sexual desire
What is resource-acquisition ability and it’s link to online dating
Resource-acquisition ability refers to a person’s perceived capability to secure resources. measured by their level of education and income.
Having a higher education or income is positively linked to the amount of attention received from users. (ps more in men)
What are some critics and issues about online dating
- Many individuals misrepresent their characteristics (age, looks, and occupation)
What do men lie most about on online dating sites vs women
Men lie most about their age, height and income
Women lie most about their weight, physical build and age
How do romantic relationships change in emerging adulthood
- Short-term rltps were supported (preferred, accepted, ..) more as ppl moved into emerging adulthood.
- Long-term : high levels of support, and negative interactions, control and jealousy decreased (than in adolescence)
What is affectionate love
Also called companionate love
= Type of love that occurs when someone desires to have the other person near and has a deep, caring affection for the person.
What’s some affectionate characteristics that are robustly and reliably related to the degree of reported love between partners
Affectionate touch such as stroking, hugging and kissing
What happens as love matures?
The early stages of love often focus on romantic interest and sexual attraction, but as love matures, passion tends to give way to affection.
What is Phillip Shaver (1986) ‘s developmental model of love
- Initial phase: romantic love fueled by mix of sexual attraction, gratification, reduced sense of loneliness, uncertainty about the security of dev another attachment, excitement from exploring the novelty of another human being.
- With time: Sexual attraction wanes, attachment anxieties either less or produce conflict and withdrawal, novelty is replaced with familiarity, and lovers find themselves securely attached in a deeply caring rltp or distressed, feeling bored, disappointed, lonely, or hostline (eg).
! What did Robert J. Sternberg propose about love
That it can be thought of as a triangle with three main dimensions-
- PASSION: physical and sexual attraction to another
- INTIMACY: emotional feelings of warmth, closeness, and sharing in a rltp.
- COMMITMENT: cognitive appraisal (assessment) of the rltp and intent to maintain it in the face of problems.
What is the strongest, fullest form of love in Sternberg’s theory
The fullest form of love in CONSUMMATE love.
What does consummate love involve
Consummate love involves all three dimensions of Sternberg’s theory.
: passion, intimacy and commitment
In Sternberg’s theory.
What if passion is the only ingredient in a relationship (Intimacy and commitment low or absent)
Then partners are merely infatuated (strong feeling of attraction or obsession).
Like affairs or flings with little intimacy and less commitment
In Sternberg’s theory.
What if the relationship is marked by intimacy and commitment but low or lacking passion.
That would be affectionate love.
Usually found among couples who have been married for many years.
In Sternberg’s theory.
What if passion and commitment are present but intimacy is not.
Sternberg calls the relationship fatuous love.
as when one person worships another from a distance. Or fast commitment without knowing each other deeply
Does culture have influences on romantic relationships
Yes.
In collectivist countries, intimacy might be more diffused (spread out across multiple rltps like friends, fam, etc) because of their strong group emphasis.
In Individualistic countries (us, European, etc): intimacy is often intensified because of smaller social network and less group orientation.
What are single adults and how has it changed
Recent decades have seen a dramatic rise in the percentage on single adults.
This reflects higher rates of cohabitation and a trend toward postponing marriage
In which countries in the fastest increase in the proportion of single adults
Rapidly developing countries such as China, India, Brazil
What are some common challenges faced by single adults
- Difficulty forming intimate rltps
- confronting loneliness
- Figuring out where you fit in a marriage-oriented society.
What are advantages to being single
- Having time to make decisions about one’s life course
- Time to develop personal resources to meet goals
- freedom to make autonomous decisions
- pursue one’s own schedule and interests
- explore new places and new experience
- privacy
What does it mean that Match.com reported an increase in “conscious dating”
= singles taking a smarter approach in looking for a partner and building relationships.
What is cohabitation
It refers to living together in a sexual relationship without being married.
What is a serial cohabitation
exiting one cohabitation and then entering another.
this has increased
Do all couples see their cohabitation as a precursor to marriage
No, some view it as an ongoing lifestyle.
they don’t want official aspects of marriage.
What are some problems couples who cohabit face.
- Disapproval by parents and fam members -> emotional strain on rltp
- Difficulty owning property jointly (share legal ownership of property). + if rltp ends, legal right to ownership and propety aren’t as clear as in marriage
What do studies show about cohabiting before marriage
They found lower rates of marital satisfaction and higher rates of divorce in couple who lives together prior
What might explain the finding that cohabiting is linked with divorce more than not cohabiting?
- Less traditional lifestyle of cohabitation may attract less conventional individuals who are not great believers in marriage in the first place.
- The experience of cohabiting changes people’s attitudes and habits in ways that increase likelihood of divorce.
How was marriage seen until about 1930
Stable marriage was widely accepted as the endpoint of adult development.
What has emerged in the past 70-80 years about marriage
Personal fulfillment both inside and outside marriage has emerged as a goal that competes with marital stability.
What are the 2 characteristics of marital partners that predict whether the marriage will last longer.
- Education
more likely to delay marriage, but eventually get married and stay married - Ethnicity
Asian American women (70%) were the most likely to be in a first marriage that lasted at least 20 years
What are some marital trends
Compared to past years (eg 1960), age at first marriage climbed up in most developed countries.
What is one explanation for the fact that young adults are not marrying early or soon
They want to first establish a stronger career and financial foundation to increase the likelihood that their marriage will be successful.
According to some surveys, why do individuals get married. list reason in order
- love
- lifelong commitment
- companionship
- children
What are the trends and proposals for improving premarital education in the next generation
- Individualism and commitment ambivalence: premarital education needs to guide couple in transitioning from “me” to “we” and develop a strong commitment
- Meaning of and attitudes about marriage: premarital ed should help ppl clarify for themselves and partner the meaning of marriage and their attitudes about it
- Premarital rltp and history and experiences: Prem.ed needs to focus on the complexities and challenges of marriage .
- Effects of media: Prem.ed. should help explore the effects of media use of marital beh and attitudes
What are the benefits of a good marriage
- Live longer
- Healthier
- ## lower stress overload than other types of rltp (signle, coh…)
What are associated with a higher rate of divorce
- low education
- low income
- no religious affiliation
- youthful marriage
- parents who are divorced
- baby before marriage
When does divorce usually happen in a marriage
It usually takes place early in a marriage, most often between the 5th and 10th year.
What causes people to get divorced
- grew apart
- arguments
- infidelity
- lack of respect and appreciation
- domestic violence
What has research found in the difference between LGBTQ marriages and hetero
They were similar in commitment, satisfaction, conflicts.
Who’s the researcher who’s research represents the most extensive assessment of marital relationships available
John Gottman’s
What are among the principles Gottman has found that determine whether a marriage will work
- Establishing love maps : They aren’t psychological strangers. Have detailed maps of each others life and world
- Nurturing fondness and admiration: express admiration, appreciation and positive things about each other
- Turning toward each other instead of away: see each others as friends
- Letting your partner influence you: willingness to share power and respect each others view
- Creating shared meaning: Speak candidly adn respectfully, sharing goals and working with each other towards achieving them.
What methods does John Gottman use to analyze what makes marriage work
- Interviews couples, how they view marriage
- Videotapes them talking to each other
- Physiological measures to chart their heart rate, blood flow, pressure, etc
- Checks with them every year
What is one of the most common characteristics of divorced adults
Difficulty trusting someone else in a romantic relationship
What are some strategies for divorce
- Think of divorce as a change to grow and dev more positive rltps
- Makes decisions carefully
- Focus on the future more than on the past
- Use strengths and resources to cope with difficulties
- Dont expect to be sucessful and happy in everythg u do
What are the 2 ‘talks’ established by Deborah Tannen
- Rapport talk
- Report talk
What is Rapport talk
= It’s the language of conversation, a way of establishing connections and negotiating relationships
Women prefer this type of talk
What is Report talk
= It’s a talk designed to give information, this category of communication includes public speaking
