CHAPTER 9

NOTES AND TEST

Becoming an Adult

When does adulthood begin

1.  Role Transitions Marking Adulthood

a.      one of the criteria for deciding an individual has reached adulthood are role transitions, when the individual is assuming new responsibilities and duties

b.     Some societies use rituals (rites of passage) to mark this transition, and they are focused usually on men.  These types of rituals are absent in Western culture

2.  Going to College

a.      There is an increase in the number of adults returning to college.  Adults returning to college tend to be more motivated.

 b.  College is also a catalyst for cognitive development

Psychological Views

a.  The frequency of reckless behavior decreases in adulthood

b.  According to Erikson adults deal with intimacy vs. isolation

b.     Men usually solve identity issues before intimacy issues, where some women resolve intimacy issues before identity issues

Physical Development and Health

1.  Growth, Strength and Physical Functioning

a.      Young adulthood is the period when physical abilities, (height, strength, coordination, dexterity) peak.  These abilities decline in middle age.

2.  Heath status

a.  Young adults are the peak of health. 

b.     The leading cause of death are accidents followed by AIDS and cancer

c.     Men are more likely to die than women.  Ethnic minorities have a higher rate of death mostly attributed to poverty and reduced access to health care

Life Style Factors

a.      Smoking is the biggest contributor to health problems, related to half of cancers.  It is the primary cause of respiratory and cardiovascular disease.

b.     Drinking poses health risks

c.     Binge drinking is a major health concern, especially among college students

d.     Dependence on alcohol interferes with heath, relationships , work and social functioning

e.      During this period nutritional needs change, mostly due to changes in metabolism.  An important risk factor in cardiovascular disease is the ratio of LDLs to HDLs, in serum cholesterol.

3.  Social Gender and Ethnic Issues in Health

a.      Most important social factors in health are socioeconomic status and education

b.     Whether women or men are healthier is difficult to determine because women have been excluded from health research

c.     The poorest health conditions in this country exist for African-Americans living in inner-city slums

4.  Cognitive Development

a.   How should we view intelligence in adults?

                1.   Balte’s research show that across adulthood, and  

                                 abilities reflect different developmental trends and

                                 differences in the individual

b.  What happens to intelligence in adulthood?

1.     Intellectual abilities can be studied as groups of related skill, called primary mental abilities. Most groups perform better on some skills such as inductive reasoning, but researchers found that older groups perform better on number skills.

2.     Fluid intelligence – abilities that make people flexible and adaptive thinkers.  Fluid intelligence declines across adulthood

3.     Crystalllized intelligence – knowledge that individuals acquire through life experience and education.  This type of intelligence improves until late life

c.  Going beyond formal operations: Thinking in adulthood

1.     Postformal thought – is the recognition that truth may not be the same from situation to situation, that solutions must be realistic, that ambiguity and contradiction are the rule, and that emotions and subjectivity play a big role in thinking

5.Moral Reasoning

Kolberg’s Theory

a.  Preconventional characterized by

1.     obedience to authority

2.     nice behavior in exchange for future favors

 b.  Convetional characterized by

1.     living up to others expectations

2.     following rules in order to maintain social order

c.     Postconventional characterized by

1.     adherence to a social contract when it is valid

2.     personal moral are based on abstract principles

Alternatives to Justice

a.      Gilligan criticized Kolberg’s theory on the basis that it was biased.  Gilligan claimed that women mostly base their reasoning more on care and responsibility

b.     b.Research suggests that both males and females use both a justice and a care/responsibility approach which depends on the circumstances

Cultural differences in moral reasoning

a.  Research found that individuals in Western cultures tend to use a justice-based approach to moral reasoning

6.  Personality in young adulthood

Creating scenarios and life stories

a.      Young adults create a life span construct that represents a sense of the past, present and future

b.     This is manifested

1.     a social through a scenario that maps out the future and it is based on clock

2.     life story, which creates an autobiography

Possible Selves

a.      Individuals create possible selves by projecting themselves onto the future based on thinking of what they would like to become, what they could possibly become, and what they are afraid of becoming

b.     Individuals 18-24 years old and 40-59 years old report that family issues are the most important, whereas 25-39 year olds report that personal issues are most important

c.     c.All age groups report that physical issues as their most feared self

Self-concept

a.      Self-concept is believed to develop according to Piaget and postformal thinking with emotional development

b.  Self-concept is relatively stable across adulthood

Personal control beliefs

a.  Personal control is an important issue with broad applicability.

b.     Personal control beliefs vary from one domain to another, because developmental trends are complex