Chapter 6 Early Adulthood Module 6 1 Physical Development in Early Adulthood 4 7 2009 1 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY ADULTHOOD 4 7 2009 2 Physical Development and the Senses z z z z z Physical development and maturation complete Peak of physical capabilities Brain wave patterns show more mature patterns Senses are peak Most professional athletes at peak during early adulthood 4 7 2009 3 Motor Functioning Fitness and Health Staying Well 4 7 2009 4 Physical Fitness Superior physical capabilities require exercise and diet No more than 10 Americans exercise enough to keep themselves in good physical shape Less than 20 participate in moderate exercise on regular basis 5 4 7 2009 Benefits of Exercise z z z z z z z z z Cardiovascular fitness increase Lung capacity increases raising endurance Stronger muscles and greater flexibility Greater range of movement More elasticity in muscles tendons and ligaments Reduction in osteoporosis Optimization of immune response Decreased stress level Increased sense of control over their bodies and feeling of accomplishment AND LOTS MORE 4 7 2009 6 One of the Best Pay Offs Longevity Greater fitness level lower the death rate 7 4 7 2009 Health Leading causes of death among young adults ages 25 34 are Accidents AIDS Cancer Heart disease Suicide Murder there are noteworthy gender and SES differences 4 7 2009 8 Secondary Aging Lifestyle decisions including the use or abuse of alcohol tobacco or drugs or engaging in unprotected sex can hasten secondary aging z This can also increase a young adult s risk of dying z 9 4 7 2009 Violence and Death Tracking Murder 4 7 2009 10 Eating Nutrition and Obesity Young adults will put on weight if they do not eat sensibly z 31 of the adult population is classified as overweight z 7 of men and 10 of women between the ages of 20 and 25 are obese z The rate of obesity in the U S is increasing Genetic factors may lead people to become obese Environmental and social factors also produce obesity Obese people may have a higher WEIGHT SET POINT the particular level the body strives to maintain Most people who diet eventually gain back the weight 4 7 2009 11 Age and Obesity 4 7 2009 12 Stress and Coping in Early Adulthood STRESS Response to events that threaten or challenge an individual z z z 4 7 2009 Lives are filled with events and circumstances known as stressors that cause threats to well being Stressors can be both pleasant events and unpleasant events weddings winning awards exams arguments Long term continuous exposure to stressors may result in reduction of body s ability to deal with stress People become more susceptible to diseases as their ability to fight off germs declines 13 Lazarus and Folkman z People move through series of stages that determine whether or not they will experience stress 4 7 2009 PRIMARY APPRAISAL is assessment of an event to determine whether its implications are positive negative or neutral SECONDARY APPRAISAL is assessment of whether one s coping abilities and resources are adequate to overcome the harm threat or challenge posed by potential stressor 14 Predicting Stressful Event Shelly Taylor 1991 Negative emotions are more likely to produce stress z Uncontrollable or unpredictable situations are more likely to produce stress z Ambiguous and confusing situations produce more stress z Simultaneous tasks demands are more likely to cause stress see Stress Quiz in text Table 13 1 z 15 4 7 2009 Styles of Coping z z z z 4 7 2009 Problem focused coping is attempt to manage a stressful problem or situation by directly changing situation to make it less stressful Emotion focused coping involves conscious regulation of emotion Coping is also aided by presence of social support assistance and comfort supplied by others Defense coping involves unconscious strategies that distort or deny true nature of the situation 16 Hardiness Resilience and Coping Hardiness is a personality characteristic associated with lower rate of stressrelated illness z Resilience is ability to withstand overcome and actually thrive following profound adversity z 17 4 7 2009 The Informed Consumer of Development Coping with Stress General Guidelines z z z z 4 7 2009 Seek control over the situation producing the stress Redefine threat as challenge Find social support Use relaxation techniques 18 Chapter 6 Early Adulthood Module 6 2 Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood 19 4 7 2009 Intellectual Growth in Early Adulthood Physical development slows down during early adulthood but does cognitive What did Piaget propose Piaget and others argued that by time the teen years were finished thinking stabilized BUT increasing evidence suggests that this part of Piaget s theory was incorrect 4 7 2009 20 Postformal Thought Giesela Labouvie Vief suggests that nature of thinking changes qualitatively during early adulthood Adults exhibit POSTFORMAL THOUGHT thinking that goes beyond Piaget s formal operations z z Adult predicaments are sometimes solved by relativistic thinking rather than pure logic Postformal thought acknowledges that world sometimes lacks purely right and wrong solutions so adults must draw upon prior experiences to solve problems z z 21 4 7 2009 K Warner Schaie suggests that adults thinking follows set pattern of stages 4 7 2009 The ACQUISITIVE STAGE which encompasses all of childhood and adolescence in which main developmental task is to acquire information The ACHIEVING STAGE is point reached by young adults in which intelligence is applied to specific situations involving attainment of long term goals regarding careers family and societal contributions The RESPONSIBLE STAGE is stage where the major concerns of middle aged adults relate to their personal situations including protecting and nourishing their spouses families and careers The EXECUTIVE STAGE is period in middle adulthood when people take broader perspective than earlier including concerns about world The REINTEGRATIVE STAGE is period of late adulthood during which the focus is on tasks that have personal meaning 22 How Information Is Used Schaie s Stages 23 4 7 2009 Intelligence What Matters in Early Adulthood Sternberg TRIARCHIC THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE Intelligence is made up of three major components 4 7 2009 Componential aspects Experiential components Contextual factors 24 Expanding on Sternberg s Theory Psychologist Seymour Epstein z Constructive thinking z z Form of practical intelligence Underlies success in such areas as social relationships and
View Full Document
Unlocking...