Early Adulthood

Question 1

Becoming an adult

Answer 1

• -Rites of passage: rituals associated with passing into adulthood in many cultures. Often connected with religious rituals.
• -Western culture: usually role transition–assumption of new responsibilities and duties

Question 2

Early adulthood factors

Answer 2

• -ages 20 - 40
• -many continue education,
• -Managing own affairs, economically independent, healthy

Question 3

Lifestyle factors in young adulthood

Answer 3

• -Smoking: biggest contributor to health problems
• -Alcohol consumption: binge drinking, addiction
• -Nutrition: directly affects mental, emotional, and physical functioning

Question 4

Cognitive Development

Answer 4

–Development of post-formal thought: truth may vary from situation to situation; solutions should be realistic; ambiguity and contradictions are to be expected

Question 5

Early adulthood restricted view

Answer 5

Viewed as a plateau between childhood and old age - a period of no change

Question 6

One thing critical to young adults

Answer 6

–Work: “what we do” is important to young adults

Question 7

Work serves 3 purposes

Answer 7

• -Economic: supplies us with the money we need to live
• -Social: provides opportunities for social interaction and for establishing friendships
• -Psychological: gives us a sense of self-worth or identity

Question 8

Which of Eriksen’s stages is early adulthood

Answer 8

Intimacy vs. Isolation. The development of a close intimate relationship with partner is very important

Question 9

Relationship between identity and intimacy

Answer 9

• -Men & career-oriented women tend to find their identity first and then pursue intimacy
• -Women in general tend to pursue intimacy first (marriage & children) and identity later
• -One of the struggles of early adulthood is the desire for intimacy while still retaining a sense of personal identity (independence)

Question 10

Steinberg’s Model of Love

Answer 10

Triange:
Top: Passion - Desire to be with another person
Bottom: Commitment: Decision to maintain and cultivate the relationship; Intimacy: What leads two people to share with each other

Question 11

Steinberg’s Categories in Model of Love

Answer 11

• -Non-Love
• -Infatuation
• -Liking
• -Romantic Love
• -Companionate Love
• -Fatuous Love
• -Empty Love
• -Consummate Love

Question 12

Definition of Non-Love

Answer 12

No passion, no intimacy, no commitment

Question 13

Definition of Infatuation

Answer 13

Passion, no intimacy, no commitment

Question 14

Definition of Liking

Answer 14

Intimacy, no passion or commitment

Question 15

Definition of Romantic Love

Answer 15

Passion & intimacy; no commitment

Question 16

Definition of Companionate Love

Answer 16

Intimacy & commitment; no passion

Question 17

Definition of Fatuous Love

Answer 17

Commitment & passion, no intimacy

Question 18

Definition of Empty Love

Answer 18

Commitment, no passion or intimacy

Question 19

Definition of Consummate Love

Answer 19

Intimacy, passion and commitment

Question 20

Lifestyle choices - Marriage

Answer 20

• -By 65, 95% of all adults will have married at least once
• -Average age if 1st marriage: men: 26.8, and women: 25.1
• -From 1970 to 2006, median age rose nearly 4 years for both
• -In NA, monogamous vs. polygamous
• -Margaret Mead: serial monogamy

Question 21

Other Lifestyle choices

Answer 21

• -Cohabitation
• -Homosexuality
• -Singlehood

Question 22

Cohabitation

Answer 22

• -Living together without marriage
• -In US, has increased 10 fold over the past 3 decades
• -In 1970, the majority over 45, no majority 25-44

Question 23

3 types of cohabitation

Answer 23

• -Part-time or limited: convenience, sharing expenses, sexual accessibility
• -Premarital: trial marriage
• -Substitute marriage: long-term commitment without legal marriage, more common in older adults

Question 24

Homosexuality facts

Answer 24

• -Estimates vary, but 2.8% males, 1.4% females claim to be gay or bisexual
• -8 & 4% respectively have had at least one homosexual experience
• -Men on the down-low: slang for men who identify as heterosexual, but have sex with men; do not identify as gay or bisexual

Question 25

Views of homosexuality

Answer 25

- -Deleted from DSM, still viewed by some as deviant and unnatural - -Reparative therapy--now considered unethical - -Couples: 50% of men live as couples, 75% of women - -25% of men and 33% of women have been married to heterosexual partner - -children of gay parents show normal levels of adjustment and self-esteem

Question 26

Singlehood types

Answer 26

- -Never married - -Divorced - -Separated - -Widowed

Question 27

Divorce

Answer 27

- -More than 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce - -The majority of those who divorce will remarry - -More men remarry than women - -Men tend to remarry sooner (usually within 4 years)

Question 28

Divorce ramifications

Answer 28

For women: usually more difficult; serious reduction in income, need to return to work or change jobs, establishing new social relationships while juggling parental responsibilities For men: can be hard. Married men are happier than never married men - least happy are those who are divorced.

Question 29

Marital happiness

Answer 29

- -satisfaction is highest at beginning, drops with children & life pressures, and rises again later in life - -Reason: shared time together - -Nature of dependence: if mutual and equal, then strong & close. If not, then stress and conflict - -Disillusionment can be a factor--decline in feeling loved, valued or cherished; decline in demonstration of affection, less responsive