Early Adulthood Flashcards
physical functioning
optimum physical and cogntive functioning = achieved in 20s and 30s
primary aging
- age-related physical changes that have a biological basis
- universally shared and unavoidable
secondary aging
- age-related changes due to social and environmental influences (poor health habits, disease)
- age interacts with other variables to influence health
determinants of health
- socioeconomic factors (50%)
- health care system (25%)
- biology and genetics (15%)
- physical environment (10%)
determinants of health: socioeconomic factors
- culture
- early childhood development
- education
- employment
- emotional support
- personal health behaviours
- socioeconomic status
determinants of health: health care system
- hospitals
- hospitals and clinics
-medical services - professionals
determinants of health: biology and genetics
- organs
-body systems - DNA
determinants of health: physical environment
- adequate housing
- safe work place/communities
- clean air, water, and soil
brain and nervous system
- new synapses continue to form
- myelinization continues to happen
- old connections start dying off
- brain continues to mature
- new peak in brain development
new peak in brain development characteristics
- affect cognitive skills of response inhibition
- may depend on ability of frontal lobes of brain to regulate limbic system
limbic system
regulates emotional responses
causes of mental health issues
- period in which adults have the highest expectations and shifting roles
- interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors
causes of mental health issues: interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors
- tend to run in families
- increasing disturbances in specific brain function
anxiety disorders
- most common mental disorders
- phobias, GAD, OCD, panic disorder
- associated with intense prolonged fear, anxiety
mood disorders
- second most common mental disorder
- depression, bipolar, cyclothymic, etc.
- mood disturbances
personality disorders
- serious disturbances in cognitive, emotional, and social functioning that is not easily treated
- a collection of personality characteristics can lead to distress, social, and occupational dysfunction
- some improve, most remain problematic for life
to be diagnosed with a personality disorder
- exhibit B since middle-late adolescence
- demonstrate B consistently across most situations
cluster A of personality disorders
odd behaviour
- paranoid
- schizoid
- schizotypal
cluster B of personality disorders
erratic, overly dramatic behaviour
- narcissistic
- histrionic
- borderline
- antisocial
cluster C of personality disorders
anxious, fearful behaviour
- obsessive-compulsive
- avoidant
-dependent
interesting questions:
how would children with antisocial tendencies respond to the little Albert experiment?
create hypothesizes
interesting questions: what are the connections with social learning, imitation, and violent behaviour
create hypotheses
interesting questions: is modelling violent behaviour more straightforward than prosocial behaviour?
create hypotheses
validity of personality disorders
- little is known about etiology
- few seek treatment (ego-syntonic)
- have childhood antecedents
- stable across lifespan
schizophrenia
-disturbances of thought (confused thinking, delusions, hallucinations)
- may interfere with normal functioning
- positive and negative symptoms
ego-syntonic
- feelings that are in harmony
- few seek treatment
ego-dystonic
- distressing feelings
- most seek treatment
schizophrenia: confused thinking
schizophrenia: delusions
schizophrenia: hallucinations
schizophrenia: positive symptoms
- delusions
- hallucinations
- disorganized behaviour and speech
schizophrenia: negative symptoms
- anhedonia (lack of pleasure)
- amotivation
- flat effect
- alogia (lack of speech productivity)
alcohol and substance abuse disorders: binge drinking
- associated with variety of problems
- rate of ____ increase
1. unprotected sex
2. physical injury
3. driving while intoxicated
4. trouble with the police
alcohol and substance abuse disorders: influences
- how fast the effects of the drug are felt
- how pleasurable the drug is in producing euphoria or extinguishing pain
- how long the pleasurable the effects last
- how much discomfort is experienced when stop using the drug
Piaget’s formal operations and beyond
- theorists argue development does not stop here
- post-formal thoughts
post-formal thoughts
- types of thinking associated with hypothesized 5th stage of development
- includes:
1. relativism
2. dialectical thought
3. reflective judgment
post-formal thoughts: relativism
idea that some propositions cannot be adequately described as true or false
post-formal thoughts: dialectical thought
form of thought involving recognition and acceptance of uncertainty
post-formal thoughts: reflective judgment
ability to identify assumptions of different perspectives on controversial issues
intelligence
- crystallized intelligence
- fluid intelligence
crystallized intelligence
- depends heavily on education and experience
- consists of skills and knowledge every adult learns while growing up
- maintained throughout life
fluid intelligence
- involves basic abilities
- depends on efficient functioning of the CNS
- less specific on experience
- declines throughout adulthood, starting around 40 years old
post-secondary education
- formal education post-secondary has become necessary
- number of enrolled students has increased
- there is a developmental impact
developmental impact of post-secondary education
- run the risk of becoming overqualified and underemployed
- shortage of youth who possess the higher-level skills needed in sectors where there is in high job demand
social connections
become much more complex through marriage, divorce, parenthood, career development
Erikson’s intimacy vs isolation
intimacy:
- the capacity to engage in a supportive, affectionate relationship without losing one’s own sense of self
isolation
- incapable of forming relationships
successful resolution
depends on good resolution of identity vs role confusion crisis encountered in adolescence
Levinson’s life structure
-underlying pattern or design of a person’s life at a given time
- we go through periods of stability and instability
- includes roles, relationships, and behaviour patterns
emerging adulthood is a ___ period
transitional
era changes in partnerships
- same-sex marriage
- interracial unions
- internet dating
evolutionary theories
social role theory
- differences in mate preferences/mating B = adaptions to culturally defined roles
- example:
social assertive mating theory
tendency to mate with someone with similar traits
socio-cognitive attraction
- Are we attracted to people who are similar to us
or - Are we attracted to people who have traits we desire for ourselves
halo effect
- sociocognitive bias
-we assign positive attributes to a person based on a single trait that we deem positive
horns effect
- sociocognitive bias
- we assign negative attributes to a person based on a single trait we deem negative
quality of relationships: influences
- attachment style
- attitudes toward certain issues
- conflict management
- each partner brings skills, resources, traits
- love
- personality
adult attachment style
-secure
- anxious-preoccupied
- dismissive-avoidant
- fearful
adult attachment style: secure
- typically comfortable in their relationships
- find no issue with commitment
- trust their partners
adult attachment style: anxious-preoccupied
- exhibit forms of separation anxiety
- can exhibit low self-esteem
- can become overdependent on their partners
- can push partners away because of insecurities
adult attachment style: dismissive-avoidant
- can be guarded
- exhibit lack of trust towards potential partners
- show no interest in forming close relationships
adult attachment style: fearful (disorganized)
- typically demonstrate inconsistent and fluctuating feelings about intimacy
- might desire close intimate relationships
- may become avoidant with partner
Sternberg’s theory of love components
-commitment
- intimacy
- passion
Sternberg subvarieties of love
- consumate (all 3)
- companionate (intimacy and commitment)
- fatuous (passion and commitment)
- romantic (intimacy and passion)
- empty love (commitment)
- liking (intimacy)
- infatuation (passion)
conflict resolution
good predictor of how successful relationship will be
successful conflict resolution
- validating
- volatile
- conflict avoidant
validating conflict resolution
- partners support each other
- try to find a compromise
volatile conflict resolution
- partners are outspoken and honest
- can often get into arguments
- use strategies to diffuse (humour)
- typically have more positive experiences than negative
conflict avoidant conflict resolution
- understand they can “agree to disagree”
- do not actively engage in disagreements
unsuccessful conflict resolution
- hostile-engaged
- hostile-detached
hostile-engaged conflict resolution
- partners exhibit high levels of defensiveness and competitiveness to win arguments
- can hold grudges
- can extend disagreements for a long time
hostile-detached conflict resolution
-emotionally detached
- have increasing levels of negativity
- typically withhold information
- can show signs of passive-aggressiveness
divorce psychological effects
- increase in mental health problems, especially depression
- compared to those who stay married
cohabitation
- divorce rate for those who cohabit before marriage = 2x higher than those who did not
LGBTQ+ partnerships
- 1/3 same-sex = married
- 2/3 = common-law
- LGBTQ+ partners tend to be more dependent on each other for support
singlehood
- many singles still have intimate relationships
- once they determine they expect to stay single, self-affirmation may protect singles from some of the negative aspects
transition to parenthood
- new parents may argue about child-rearing and chores
- usually very tired
- some cultures have ritualized rites of passage that help new parents cope
post-partum depression
- severe mood disturbance resulting in feelings of sadness
- can last weeks, months, years
- hormones play a role
- greatest predictor of PPD: depression during pregnancy
- 10%-15% new mothers experience this
developmental impact of parenthood
- positive B changes
- marital satisfaction declines:
1. peaks before birth of 1st child
2. decrease after birth, remains at lower level
3. increase after last child leaves home
achieving balance between work and family
- an important but elusive goal
- affects satisfaction
- pre-existing successful conflict resolution strategies help
- having both parents in the home = less dissatisfaction
life without children
- marital satisfaction fluctuates less over time for childless couples
- report higher cohesion than couples with children
social networks
- family
- friends
social networks: family
- parents remain significant parts in young adult’s life
- relationship = strongly influenced by proximity
- family connectedness over time = strong cultural influences
social networks: friends
- chosen among those we see like ourselves
- education, social class, interests, family background, family life cycle stage
worker role
- most need to support themselves financially
- satisfying work = important for mental health
- in women and men
choosing occupation (family influence)
- generally is an occupation with same social class as parents (less true today though)
- value system
- moral beliefs influence willingness
job satisfaction
- lowest in early early adulthood
- increases steadily until retirement
- personality traits affect job satisfaction
- more prepared for job = better satisfied
Hazan and Shaver findings
adults who were secure in their romantic relationships were more likely to recall their childhood relationships with parents as being affectionate, caring, and accepting
