Early Adulthood Review physical development women and work Most of us reach our peak performance and development between 18 and 26 females in early adulthood are less likely to die from other suicide homicide and unintentional injury than when compared to males of the same age according to the chart on page 273 Levinson s research Male Leaving the family Getting into the adult world Becoming independent Creating a structure for life that will be reviewed as the person ages Women Not as much research done on women in early adulthood Women in the past were seen in terms of their reproductive role Today careers outside the home play significant role in self esteem identity Decrease in importance of marital status in women s roles and activities Conceptions of age periods women viewed as aging faster than men People in US view adulthood positively but early adulthood AKA young adults is favored over older age groups Society views women as aging faster than men BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE PHYSICALLY SPEAKING Most likely referring to stereotypes of maturity levels Social Norms Age norms Defines what is appropriate for people to do at various ages Age Grade Systems Individuals within a particular age group have specific roles defined by society In US there are no specific roles required but there are expected age norms Physical Peak in Development Peak in 20 s Best speed and agility in athletes occurs between 18 30 years of age After that begins to decline Most young adults are very healthy They report the least illness and chronic health complaints out of all the age groups Unhealthy habits established in childhood usually persist Ex unhealthy eating lack of exercise Erikson s stage Intimacy vs Isolation Young adults form meaningful relationships with other young adults May form long lasting partnership during this stage of development If not young adults may become isolated lonely One key developmental task Must balance intimacy commitment independence freedom avoid isolation Carol Gilligan research Men and women live in different moral domains Men Justice approach Define moral problems in terms of rights and rules Women Responsibility approach Perceive morality as an obligation to avoid hurting others Review marriage and family life parenting diversity of adult lifestyles Love Relationships Romantic Love Passionate love eros based not only on physical attraction but also emotional bond Affectionate Love Companionate love deep caring affecting non passionate AKA non sexual love stronger than friendship Consummate Love Passion intimacy and commitment strong attachment sexual intimacy and commitment AKA the best kind of love Variation in Family Organization and Structure Cohabitation Lesbian gay couples Nuclear family Extended Family Blended Family Single parent Family Community Family Commune Becoming Parents Having children and raising families as best time of their life Post partum depression see below Features of emerging adulthood Arnett Time of Transition Identity exploration love and work Instability love work education Economic dependence on family extending for many Self focused increasing autonomy Feeling in between feel not yet as a full adult Age of possibilities we re full of optimism positive direction Good mental health stress depends on how one views events Good mental health requires that people adapt to life s fortunes Stress depends how a person defines life events Ability to function well in social roles Subjective sense of well being Ex what s your definition of happiness Attitude self esteem sense of control social support Starting family post partum depression stressors financial interpersonal Post partum Depression Suffered by someone in weeks just after giving birth Becoming a Family with Children Financial Decision It s expensive Cost to raise a child from 0 18 yrs 330 000 for middle income family 440 000 for high income family Interpersonal Decision Intimacy and passion decreases Increase in commitment Decrease in marital satisfaction Division of household labor In early 90 s Women 33 hours per week excluding childcare Men 14 hours per week More recently Men in dual career families do about 45 of housework Egalitarian fathers 9 hours less at work wk Traditional fathers 11 hours more at work Divorce Approximately 48 50 of marriages in United States will end in divorce Average length of marriage in the United States is just over 9 years Why do couples divorce Age at marriage younger older Education high school grads college grads Religious beliefs not religious religious Geographic area west east Interesting to note not sure the validity of this fact but take it as truth for the exam Unrealistic expectations of marriage Ex not expecting significant financial burdens especially with children etc Communication Problems may also be related to younger people getting married less time spent on getting to know one another and resolve issues like communication Children s perceptions of divorce by age 2 to 6 Poor understanding of divorce blame themselves egocentric 7 to 8 Feel rejected blame one parent fear of abandonment 9 10 Feel anger toward parents may feel lonely Adolescence Better understanding of situation may or may not show behavioral problems Cohabitation Over 4 million unmarried couples in the US Breaks up among unmarried couples are equally stressful as stress suffered by married couples who divorce Middle Adulthood Terms Empty Nest Syndrome Children on their own Sandwich Generation Caring for elderly parents as well as children Job Burn Out Caused by high stress high responsibility possibly much paper work and not great pay Displaced Homemaker Divorced or widowed and re entering work force Sometimes stressful without recent skills in the workplace or current educational updates Erikson stage Generativity vs Stagnation Erikson s work presents mostly positive images of mid life Generativity leave legacies and benefits for the next generation work for improvement of society AKA investing for the future generation Stagnation self absorption have done little for the next generation AKA invest for yourself Levinson s work mid life crisis Interviewed middle age men looked a famous men s biographies rather than statistical studies Psychological crisis in self concept AKA questioning the meaning and direction of his life realize that neglected parts of self such as talents goals etc need to be fulfilled No hormonal cause rather adjusting to declining physical energy