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