Minnesota State University Moorhead



Chapter 11

Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood

Emerging adulthood -- transition from adolescence to adulthood

18–25 years of age

Five key features characterize emerging adulthood:

Identity exploration, especially in love and work

Instability

Self-focused

Feeling in-between

The age of possibilities when individuals have an opportunity to transform their lives

Markers of Becoming an Adult

Most widely recognized marker: holding a permanent, full-time job

Economic independence is often a long process

Taking responsibility for oneself

Developing emotional control

Physical Performance and Development

Most of us reach our peak physical performance before the age of 30, often between the ages of 19 and 26

During this age period we also begin to decline in physical performance

Signs of decline around age 30

Sagging chins and protruding abdomens

Lessening of physical abilities

Sensory systems show little change in early adulthood

Health

Emerging adults have more than twice the mortality rate of adolescents

Few chronic health problems

Fewer colds and respiratory problems than when they were children

Few stop to think about how their personal lifestyles will affect their health later

Obesity  

Obesity -- having a body mass index of 30 or more

Obesity is linked to increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease

Overweight and obesity are also associated with mental health problems

Dieting and Exercise

Dieting has become an obsession with many Americans

Few are successful in keeping weight off long-term

The most effective programs include exercise

Aerobic exercise -- sustained exercise that stimulates heart and lung activity

Substance Abuse

By mid-twenties, many young adults have reduced their use of alcohol and drugs

Binge drinking

more common among college men than women

problems include missing classes, physical injuries, troubles with police, having unprotected sex

Pregaming

Substance Abuse

By mid-twenties, many young adults have reduced their use of alcohol and drugs

Binge drinking

more common among college men than women

problems include missing classes, physical injuries, troubles with police, having unprotected sex

Pregaming

Sexual Activity in Emerging Adulthood

Emerging adulthood is a time when most individuals are “both sexually active and unmarried”

Males have more casual sexual partners

Casual sex is more common in emerging adulthood than in young adulthood

Heterosexual Attitudes and Behavior

Americans tend to fall into three categories:

One-third have sex twice a week or more

One-third a few times a month

One-third a few times a year or not at all

Married and cohabiting couples have sex more often

Most Americans do not engage in kinky sexual acts

Adultery is the exception not the rule

Men think about sex more than women do

Sources of Sexual Orientation

Sexual orientation is likely a continuum from exclusive male-female relations to exclusive same-sex relations

An individual’s sexual orientation—same-sex, heterosexual, or bisexual—is determined by a combination of genetic, hormonal, cognitive, and environmental factors

Attitudes and Behavior of Lesbians and Gay Males

Many gender differences that appear in heterosexual relationships occur in same-sex relationships

Brown believes that lesbians and gay males

Develop a bicultural identity to create new ways of defining themselves

Adapt best when they don’t define themselves in polarities

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) -- diseases that are primarily contracted through intercourse and/or oral-genital and anal-genital sex

Most prevalent STIs

bacterial infections -- gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia

viruses -- genital herpes, genital warts, and HIV, which can lead to AIDS

(National Center for Health Statistics, 2010)

Protecting Yourself from STIs

Strategies for protecting against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections include:

Know your risk status as well as your partner’s

Obtain medical examinations

Have protected, not unprotected, sex

Avoid having sex with multiple partners

Forcible Sexual Behavior and Sexual Harassment

Sex often involves the exercise of power

Rape -- forcible sexual intercourse with a person who does not give consent

Male rapists share the following characteristics:

aggression enhances their sense of power or masculinity

they are angry at women in general

they want to hurt and humiliate their victims

Rape Victims

Rape is a traumatic experience

Victims initially feel shock and numbness and often are acutely disorganized

As victims strive to get their lives back to normal, they may experience depression, fear, anxiety, and increased substance use and/or sexual dysfunctions for months or years

Date Rape

Date or acquaintance rape -- coercive sexual activity directed at someone with whom the victim is at least casually acquainted

Two-thirds of college freshman women report having been date-raped or experienced attempted date rape at least once

Two-thirds of college men admit that they fondle women against their will

Half admit to forcing sexual activity

Sexual Harassment  

Sexual harassment -- manifestation of power of one person over another

ranges from inappropriate sexual remarks and physical contact to blatant propositions and sexual assaults

may result in psychological consequences for the victim

Prevention -- to provide equal opportunities to develop a career and obtain education in a climate free of sexual harassment

Cognitive Stages

Piaget concluded adolescents and adults think qualitatively in the same way  

formal operational thought is the final stage in cognitive development; characterizes adults as well as adolescents

Piaget believed that adults increased their knowledge in a specific area

Many adults do not think in formal operational ways at all

Realistic and Pragmatic Thinking

As young adults face the constraints of reality, which work promotes, their idealism decreases

Schaie proposed that in early adulthood individuals often switch from acquiring knowledge to applying knowledge as they pursue success in their work

Reflective and Relativistic Thinking

In Perry’s view, the absolutist, dualistic thinking of adolescence gives way to the reflective, relativistic thinking of adulthood

Others believe that reflective thinking is an important indicator of cognitive change in young adults

Postformal Thought

Postformal thought -- understanding that the correct answer to a problem requires reflective thinking and can vary situationally

includes the belief that solutions to problems need to be realistic and that emotion and subjective factors can influence thinking

Creativity

Early adulthood is a time of great creativity for some people

Although a decline in creativity is often found in the fifties and later, the decline is not as great as commonly thought

There is extensive individual variation in the lifetime output of creative individuals

Stimulating Adults’ Creativity

Steps toward a more creative life include cultivating your curiosity and interest

Try to be surprised by something every day

Try to surprise at least one person every day

Each day write what surprised you and how you surprised others; keep a journal

When something sparks your interest, follow it

Wake up in the morning with a specific goal

Spend time in settings that stimulate your creativity

Careers and Work

Important themes of early adulthood: earning a living, choosing an occupation, establishing a career, and developing in a career

by mid-twenties, many individuals have completed their education or training and started to enter a full-time occupation

through the remainder of early adulthood, individuals often seek to establish their emerging career in a particular field and improve their financial standing

The Impact of Work

Work defines people in fundamental ways

Influences financial standing, housing, the way they spend their time, where they live, their friendships, and their health

Work creates a structure and rhythm to life that is often missed when individuals do not work for an extended period

Most individuals spend one-third of their lives at work

Unemployment

Unemployment produces stress regardless of whether the job loss is temporary, cyclical, or permanent

Stress comes not only from a loss of income and the resulting financial hardships but also from decreased self-esteem

Dual-Career Couples

Dual-career couples may have particular problems finding a balance between work and the rest of life

division of responsibility for work and family has changed

husbands are taking increased responsibility and showing greater interest in families and parenting

women are taking increased responsibility for breadwinning

Diversity in the Workplace

Ethnic and gender diversity is increasing in the workplace in nearly every developed country and in many professions

Latinos are projected to constitute a larger percentage of the labor force than African Americans by 2018

Glass ceiling -- invisible barrier to career advancement preventing women and ethnic minorities from holding managerial or executive jobs

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download