week8 Adulthood

Question 1

• Adulthood:

Answer 1

the line of separation from adolescence is blurred

• No clear cut hormonal or other growth changes
• Due to entering of further education characteristics of adulthood are
  delayed.

Examples:

• Financial independence
• Marriage and children
• Establishing own households

Question 2

Age
• Early Adulthood:

•Middle Adulthood :

-emerging adulthood

Answer 2

• Early Adulthood : (approx.) 20 to 40 and
• Middle Adulthood : (approx.) 40 to 65.

emerging adulthood: (18-19) and early twenties (20-23)

Question 3

legal definition of an adult

Answer 3

The legal definition of an adult is a person who has reached the age at which
they are considered responsible for their own actions, and therefore legally accountable for them
age18 or (16-21)

Question 4

socio-cultural definition of being an adult

Answer 4

• The socio-cultural definition of being an adult is based on what a culture
normatively views as being the required criteria for adulthood, which in turn
influences the definitions of adulthood of individuals within that culture. This
may or may not coincide with the legal definition

Question 5

Adult development

Answer 5

• Adult development refers to the changes that occur in biological, psychological, and interpersonal domains of human life from the end of adolescence until the end of life.

• These changes may be gradual or rapid, and can reflect positive, negative, or
no change from previous levels of functioning.

• Changes occur at the cellular level and are partially explained by biological
theories of adult development and aging.
• Biological changes influence psychological and interpersonal/social
developmental changes, which are often described by stage theories of
human development.

Question 6

Erik Erikson and Carl Jung proposed stage theories of human development

Answer 6

Erik Erikson and Carl Jung proposed stage theories of human development that
encompass the entire life span, and emphasized the potential for positive
change even in very late life.

Question 7

Carl Jung’s Theory

Answer 7

• Carl Jung formulated four stages of development and believed that development was a function of reconciling opposing forces.

Question 8

(Carl Jung’s Theory)

Childhood: (birth to puberty) Childhood has two sub stages.

Answer 8

• The archaic stage is characterized by sporadic consciousness, and
• The monarchic stage represents the beginning of logical and abstract thinking. It is at this stage that the ego begins to develop.

Question 9

Youth: (puberty until 35 – 40)

Answer 9

• Youth: (puberty until 35 – 40) Maturing sexuality, growing consciousness,
and a realization that the carefree days of childhood are gone forever. People
strive to gain independence, find a mate, and raise a family.

Question 10

• Middle Life: (40-60)

Answer 10

Middle Life: (40-60) The realization that you will not live forever creates
tension. If you desperately try to cling to youth, you will fail in the process of
self-realization. Jung believed that in midlife, one confronts one’s shadow.
Religiosity may increase during this period, according to Jung.

Question 11

Old Age: (60 and over)

Answer 11

Old Age: (60 and over) Consciousness is reduced. Jung thought that death is
the ultimate goal of life. By realizing this, people will not face death with fear, but with a hope for rebirth.

Question 12

A Biopsychosocial Metatheory of Adult Development

Answer 12

‘bio-psychosocial’ approach to adult development states that in order to
understand human development in its fullness, biological, psychological and social
levels of analysis must be included as described in the four premises

Question 13

(bio-psychosocial)

I

Answer 13

Human development happens concurrently at biological, psychological and social levels throughout life, and a full descriptive account of development
must include all three levels.

Question 14

(bio-psychosocial)

II

Answer 14

Development at each of these three levels reciprocally influences the other two levels; therefore nature (biology) and nurture (social environment) are in
constant complex interaction, when considering how and why psychological
development occurs.

Question 15

(bio-psychosocial)

III

Answer 15

Biological, psychological and social descriptions and explanations are all as valid as each other, and no level has causal primacy over the
other two.

Question 16

(bio-psychosocial)

IV

Answer 16

Any aspect of human development is best described and explained in
relation to the whole person and their social context, as well as to their biological and cognitive-affective parts.

Question 17

Mid-Life Crisis

Answer 17

• Realisation that ones half of life is almost over
• Self reflection on family, children, career, choices
• The Empty Nest Syndrome
• Seeking another chance to live…

Question 18

Normative Physical Changes in Adulthood

Answer 18

• Physical development in midlife and beyond include changes at the biological
level and one observes changes and problems at larger organs and at
musculoskeletal levels.

• Sensory changes and degeneration begin to be common in midlife.
Degeneration can include the break down of muscle, bones and joints, leading
to physical ailments such as arthritis

• At the sensory level, changes occur to vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, and taste. Two common sensory changes that begin in midlife include our ability to see close objects and our ability to hear high pitches

Question 19

(Illnesses associated with Adulthood)

Answer 19

a higher risk of contracting a variety of illnesses, both physical and mental, is possible.

Question 20

(Physical Illnesses)

Cancer

Answer 20

Research indicate a distinctive connection between aging and cancer.
It has been shown that the majority of cancer cases occur in those over 50
years of age. This may be due to the decline in strength of the immune system
as one ages or due to co existing conditions.

Question 21

(Physical Illnesses)

Arthritis

Answer 21

Osteoarthritis is one of the most commonly experienced illnesses in adults as they age. Although there are a variety of types of arthritis they all include very similar symptoms: aching joints, stiff joints, continued joint pain,
and problems moving joints

Question 22

(Physical Illnesses)

Cardiovascular Disease

Answer 22

It has been found that older age does increase the
risk factor of contracting a cardiovascular disease. Hypertension and high
cholesterol have also been found to increase the likelihood of acquiring a
cardiovascular disease, which are also commonly found in older adults

Question 23

(Physical Illnesses)

Immune System:

Answer 23

Infection occurs more easily as one ages, as the immune

system starts to slow and become less effective

Question 24

Adulthood is also characterised by an exacerbation of psychological and
psychiatric disorders

Answer 24

• Gaining, changing and loosing social roles can be stressful.
• Prolonged stress can have serious negative consequences for the immune and endocrine systems and quite often this leads to onset or exacerbation of symptoms of
• Anxiety Disorders
• Depression
• Psychotic Disorders

Question 25

bio psychosocial approach

Answer 25

“Human development happens concurrently at biological, psychological
and social levels throughout life, and a full descriptive account of development must include all three levels”.