Chapter 13 Sociological Psychological Emerging adulthood The period from the late teens through the mid to late twenties it is an exploratory period a time of possibilities an opportunity to try out new and different ways of living a time when young people are no longer adolescents but have not yet settled into adult roles People may be considered adults when they are self supporting or have chosen a career married or started a family May depend on discovering one s identity or becoming independent of parents developing a system of values forming relationships Psychologists agree that onset of adulthood is marked by internal indicators sense of autonomy self control and personal responsibility From this point of view some people never become adults no matter the age 3 areas accepting responsibility making independent decisions becoming financially independent Influences on health 5 7 of emerging and young adults call their health fair or poor most consider themselves in good or excellent health The three leading preventable causes of death are smoking obesity and alcohol abuse Accidents are leading cause of death up to 44 Rates of injury homicide and substance use peak at this time Most diseases involve both heredity and environment Personality emotions and social surrounding often outweigh what people know they should do and lead them into unhealthful behavior Diet obesity sleep Diet Diet can protect against certain cancers an estimated 365 000 US adults die each year from the causes related to poor diet and lack of physical activity Obesity Increase in snacking inexpensive fast food high fat diets labor saving technologies sedentary recreational pursuits Can lead to depression or vice versa high blood pressure heart disease etc Diminishes quality and length of life Sleep Deprivation affects health cognitive emotional and social functioning Adequate sleep improve learning of complex motor skills consolidates learning A short nap is helpful enough to prevent burnout Indirect SES relationships These influences include income education and race ethnicity Relationships also seem to make a difference and the paths young people take into adulthood SES Higher income people rate their health as better and live longer than lower income people Education The less schooling the greater the chance they will develop diseases injuries or chronic ailments or victims of homicide or suicide Income and education doesn t cause good health they are related to environment And lifestyle factors that tend to be causative Relationships Social relationships are vital to health and well being Two interrelated aspects of the social environment that can promote health Social integration active engagement in a broad range of social relationships activities and roles Social networks can influence emotional well being Associated with lower mortality rates Social support Material informational and psychological resources derived from the social network on which a person can rely for help in coping with stress Marriage tends to benefit health especially for men Exception married husbands are more likely to be overweight or obese Alcoholism most prevalent substance disorder Heritable at 50 60 Peak of illicit drug use most popular drug Peaks at 18 to 20 As young adults settle down get married and take responsibility for their future they tend to cut down on drug use Usage drops sharply during twenties plateaus at late thirties early forties declines again into old age Marijuana is the most popular illicit drug By emerging adulthood most lesbian gay bisexual and transgendered persons are clear about their sexual identity Highest rates of STDs in the US are among emerging adults ages 18 to 25 PMS Premenstrual syndrome cause is not fully understood but appears to be a response to surge of female hormones estrogen and progesterone as well as testosterone and serotonin More typical in women 30 or older Infertility 1 cause for men and women 7 percent inability to conceive a baby after 12 months of trying Can burden a relationship emotionally Most common cause in men is production of too few sperm In women failure to produce ova or to produce normal ova mucus in the cervix or disease of the uterine lining Most common cause is blockage of the fallopian tubes preventing ova from reaching the uterus Chances to succeed after 18 months to 2 years are high unless there is a known cause for failure to conceive COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Reflective thinking logical thinking that involves continuous active evaluation of information and beliefs in the light of evidence and implications Emerges around 20 25 with the myelination of cortical regions of the brain Many obtain capacity but few attain optimal proficiency in this skill Postformal Thought Mature thinking is richer and more complex than Piaget described Higher stage of adult cognition generally beginning in emerging adulthood through exposure to higher education Define as mature type of thinking that relies on subjective experience and intuition as well as logic and is useful in dealing with ambiguity uncertainty inconsistency contradiction imperfection and compromise It is flexible open adaptive and individualistic Criteria for post formal thought Shifting gears Ability to think within at least two different logical systems and to shift back forth between abstract reasoning and practical real world considerations This might work on paper but not in real life Problem Definition Ability to define a problem as falling within a class or category of logical problems ad to define its parameters This is an ethical problem not a legal one so justice doesn t really help solve it Process product shift Ability see that a problem can be solved through a process with general application to similar problems r through a product a concrete solution to the particular problem I ve come up with this type of problem before and this is how I solved it or in this case the best available solution would be Pragmatism Ability to choose the best of several possible logical solutions an to recognize criteria for choosing If you want the cheapest solution do this if you want the quickest solution do that Multiple solutions Awareness that most problems have more than one cause that people may have differing goals and that a variety of methods can be used to arrive at more than one solution Lets try it your way if that doesn t work we can try my way Awareness of Paradox Recognition that a problem or
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