Young/Middle Adulthood Flashcards
Third individuation
Young adults cultivate a new inner definition of the self as being comfortably alone and competent, able to care for self in the real world
Features of Young Adulthood
1) Evolution of the adult psychological self and life structure
2) Assumption of major social roles
3) Peaking of biological development
Young adults living with parents
In 2012, 36% of young adults age 18 - 31 were living with parents - the largest percentage in 40 years
Brain changes during adolescence and until mid 20s
1) Increased myelination of axons
2) Extension of dendrites
3) Synaptic pruning
Last Brain Locations to develop
1) Prefrontal cortex
2) Temporal cortex
3) Hippocampus
4) Amygdala
Percentage of 18-24 y/o who binge drank > 5 drinks/occasion in past 30 days
College - 45.2%
Non-college - 39.8%
Brief motivational interviewing (Developed by William Miller in 1983)
1) Express empathy
2) Develop discrepancy
3) Avoid argumentation
4) Roll with resistance
5) Support self efficacy
The Roaring 20s - Biological Development
1) Peak period in anatomical, physiological, and chemical development
2) Evolutionarily primed for physical labor and procreation
3) Maximum efficiency of immune system
4) Healthiest stage of life
5) Good time to establish healthy habits
Functions of the prefrontal cortex
1) Inhibiting impulses
2) Weighing consequences of decisions
3) Prioritizing
4) Strategizing
Erikson Stage 6
Intimacy versus Self-absorption or Isolation
- People with role confusion are frightened by the intimacy required in sexual relations, close friendships, and important associations in adult life
Marriages that work
Visible displays of affection, little negative communication, view selves as interdependent, experience social homogamy, similarity in leisure activities and role preferences, similar interests
Early marital conflict
Difficulty developing identity apart from spouse, finding time to allocate sharing with spouse, finances
Marriage Statistics
1) Percentage of women aged 15-44 in a first marriage has steadily decreased since the 1980s
2) Percentage of women aged 15-44 who were never married increased from 34% in 1982 to 38% in 2006-2010
Median age at first marriage
25.8 for women and 28.3 for men
Interracial marriage statistics
1) 15% of new marriages in US in 2010 were between spouses of different races or ethnicities compared to 6.7% in 1980
2) 63% of public said they would have no problem with a family member marrying someone outside their own racial or ethnic group
3) In 1986, only one-third of the public said interracial marriage was acceptable for everyone
Co-Habitation statistics
1) 48% of women interviewed in 2006-2010 co-habited with a partner as a first union, compared with 34% of women in 1995
- 40% transitioned to marriage by 3 years
- 32% remained intact
- 27% dissolved
2) More educated women less likely to co-habit and more likely to marry
Same sex marriage legal in 17 states
California Connecticut Delaware Hawaii Illinois Iowa Maine Maryland Massachusetts (First) Minnesota New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Rhode Island Vermont Washington State
Parenthood Challenges
1) Economic Burden
2) Investment of time
3) Loss of independence
4) Parenthood described as continual process of letting go
5) Children may reawaken conflicts parents experienced themselves as children
Interactional Synchrony
Caregivers respond to infants appropriately and both caregiver and child match emotional states
Divorce Rates
Rates have declined since the 1980s (3.6/1000 vs 7.9)
Post-Partum Mental Illness prevelance
20% of women develop mood or anxiety disorders during pregnancy or post partum period
- Post Partum Blues - 50-85%
- Post Partum Depression - 10-15% of women
- Post-Partum psychosis - Rare
Risk factors for Post Partum Depression
1) History of mental illness or underlying predisposition
2) Rapid hormonal changes after delivery
3) Inadequate social support
4) Recent stressful life even
5) Relationship difficulties with father of baby
6) Difficulty sleeping
7) Difficulty adjusting to new role as parent
Consequences of Perinatal Mental Illness
- Lower birth weight and premature delivery
- Medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding carry risks
- Difficulty with attachment and decreased infant bonding
- High risk for infanticide and suicide
Single parenting statistics
In 2012, 24% of children lived with only their mothers, 4% with only fathers
Challenges for adoptive parents
1) How to tell child about adoption
2) How to deal with child’s desire to learn about biological parents
3) Children more likely to have behavioral problems and problems with drug abuse
Symptoms of job dissatisfaction
- Frequent job changes
- Absenteeism
- Frequent mistakes at work
- Accident proneness
- Sabotage
Gender and career choices
Women - Communal professions
Men - Agentic professions
Career Consolidation (Characteristics) - George Vaillant
Age 25-35
- Contentment
- Compensation
- Commitment
- Competence
Unemployment statistics
In 2012 - 10.5% of families included at least one unemployed person
Overall US unemployment rate 7.3%
Seligman’s theory of learned helplessness
Loss of job may produce feelings of helplessness brought on by a perceived lack of control
Women and work statistics
- Of all working age women in 2000, 70% had jobs (35% in 1960)
- 64.8% of mothers with children under age 6 have jobs (75.1% above 6)
- Women earn about 75% of what men do for identical jobs
Public opinion about working mothers
51% of public say children are better off with their mother at home
8% think better off with father at home
Thirty something - Stages of early adulthood characterized by:
1) Autonomy
2) Authority
3) Self-sufficiency
Middle Adulthood - Physiologic Changes
1) Bone loss exceeds bone formation (more for women)
2) Lean muscle mass begins to decrease
3) Energy requirements decline (Weight gain)
Middle Adulthood - Sensory changes
1) Decrease in near vision
2) Decrease in ability to hear higher pitched sounds
3) Decrease in taste discrimination
4) Reduced sensitivity to vibration, pain, temperature, pressure and light touch
5) Decreased ability to detect odors (more in men than women)
Middle Adulthood - Cognitive Changes
1) Brain weight declines
2) Fluid intelligence declines (Ability to process novel information and apply mental abilities to situations that require little or no previous knowledge)
3) Crystallized Intelligence improves (Ability to apply knowledge gained over time and by experience)
4) Explicit memory declines (Knowledge about the world, its facts and figures that can be detailed verbally)
Definition of Stress
When external circumstances or demands is appraised by a person to exceed available resources and endangers well-being
2 Forms of Coping
1) Problem focused - Change the problem
2) Emotion focused - Change how you feel about the problem
Personality Types
Type A: Intense and sustained drive for achievement and a persistent need for recognition and advancement
Type B: Enthusiastic and active; they often have many interests outside of work; they are capable of meeting their own needs but are also responsive to the needs of others
Type C: Repress their feelings; their assertive; appear needy and helpless
Type D: Primarily experience negative emotions; they appear fatigued and depressed; negative world view
Illness In Mid Life: Heart Disease
- Risk of developing coronary heart disease by mid-life is 1 in 2 for men and 1 in 3 for women
- Type A individuals at risk
- Type D personality inidividuals with CAD 4 times as likely to die
Illness in Mid-Life: Cancer
- 4/10 develop cancer at some point in their lives
- 3/4 of cancers are diagnosed in people 55 and older
- Type C personalities at greatest risk
Symptoms of Empty Nest Syndrome
1) Depression
2) Loss of Purpose
3) Worry, stress, or anxiety over the welfare of the child
4) Feelings of rejection
Boomerang Generation
- One third of young adults in the United States live with their parents - double the rate from 10 years ago
- Half of parents who have adult children living with them, report ‘severe’ conflict
Midlife Crisis
Increased responsibilities + Increased Losses
Midlife Crisis: Men and Women
Men: Risks for concerns about what they have not accomplished
Women: Decreased self esteem as a result of physical and sexual changes associated with menopause
Renewal and Growth
1) Earning peak and peak in social authority
2) Middle Adulthood
3) Couples with children only spend 1/3 as much time alone together
Erikson’s Stage 6 and Stage 7
6: Intimacy vs. Isolation - Love (20-40)
7: Generativity vs. Stagnation - Care (40-65)
James Fowler
Stages 4: Individuative-Reflective (20-40)
Stages 5: Conjunctive (40-60)
Donald Super
Stage 3: Establishment (mid - 20s to mid-40s)
Stage 4: Maintenance (mid-40s to mid-60s)
