EARLY ADULTHOOD
20-35 YEARS
(including Emerging Adulthood, 18-25 yrs.)
PHYSICAL DVLPT
senescence: biological aging; decline in the functioning of organs and systems
--wrinkles, gray hair, sagging skin, vision and hearing go down
--women tend to age slower than men b/c women tend to be more health conscious (healthy eating habits, wearing seat belts, less drug use, more likely to go to the doctor)
--women worry about aging more and begin using things to combat aging like hair dyes, anti-wrinkle creams, skin-firming creams
--women are viewed as being older sooner; gray hair is sexy on a man or he looks distinguished
What can slow down or speed up senescence?
“wear-and-tear” theory: body wears out over time from use however, parts of the body usually replace or repair themselves no relationship exists b/t physical work and early death
Physical Changes
--bodies are at their than at any other age period
--physical strength increases during and reaches its peak around , then decreases
--all body systems like at their highest
-- diseases are rare, like heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure) and such are
--overall health can be seen as great or good, rarely fair or poor
--immune system usually is the first to go down; increases during adolescence and declines after
20; psychological stress (divorce, deaths during exams, sleep deprivation, and chronic depression) and physical stress (pollution, allergens, poor nutrition, and rundown housing)
Sexuality:
--all of us have the same sexual responsiveness:
--the level of responsiveness varies by individuals and also by sex

Men:
--become aroused very easily at a younger age; just thinking about a certain women can trigger arousal
--orgasms tend to occur quicker at a young age and the refractory period is smaller (maybe only a few minutes)
--arousal is slower as men get older
Women:
--usually takes women longer to achieve arousal and orgasm, if orgasm comes at all
--as women get older, arousal and orgasm are easier to achieve
Reproductive Capacity:
--many think that pregnancy during 20s is ideal b/c of
--many women are waiting until after 30 to have children b/c want to
, and younger parents have more energy to keep up with the children
--reproductive capacity declines with age
infertility: inability to conceive a child after a year or more of intercourse without contraception
-- of couples experience infertility; in approx.
Men:
-- men are able to produce “fresh” sperm
--however, with age, after 40
--can affect sperm:
of cases, it’s traced to the man go down, mainly
Women:
-- women are born with all their eggs and eggs goes down as they get older
--some women fail to release an egg, so don’t ovulate
--drugs, alcohol, being underweight or obese can affect ovulation
-- in an attempt to “beat the clock” body will release multiple eggs at one time, which increases the likelihood of multiple births for older women of
in vitro fertilization (IVF): egg is removed and fertilized in a lab with sperm and then implanted into the uterus
--has resulted in births

Nutrition:
--moderate fat consumption is necessary for normal body functioning; only a problem when consume too much fat, especially saturated fat
--excess fat consumption is a major factor in heart disease and high blood pressure older
Overweight and Obesity:
--almost of American men and
-- of American adults are overweight
of American women are obese
--young adults who are already overweight or obese tend to gain more weight as they get
Dieting:
-- of emerging adults exercise 30 minutes/day
--even moderate weight loss can reduce health problems substantially
--most who start a weight loss program will gain all of the weight back within 2 years
--well-balanced diet lower in calories and fat, plus exercise
--social support and longer treatments
Substance Abuse
--drug use peaks b/t 19-22 years of age and then declines more sharply than the use of cigarettes and alcohol
--more likely to smoke cigarettes, chew tobacco, use marijuana, and take stimulants to
--binge-drinking, abusing prescription drugs, and club drugs increases; college students tend to engage in binge drinking more
--become more likely to be psychologically dependent on drugs
--most common substance disorders are
COGNITIVE DVLPT
Brain is fully mature in early 20s
Postformal Thought
postformal thought (stage): beyond Piaget’s formal operations; rational, flexible, and practical ways of thinking that accept uncertainties and vary across situations more problem finding instead of problem solving
subjective thought: from personal experiences and individual perceptions what you know to be true based upon what you have experienced and how you perceive things based upon your experiences

objective thought: from abstract, impersonal logic not something you have experienced or know for yourself
Flexible thinking or problem solving: being flexible allows you to see multiple views of situations and more solutions to one problem
Dialectical Thought
dialectical thought: most advanced cognitive thought process dialectical thought entails having a thesis and antithesis together and a synthesis based upon the combination of the thesis and antithesis
thesis: a statement of belief; an idea or speculation
antithesis: an opposing statement of belief
synthesis: a new statement of belief that is a combination of the thesis and the antithesis; encompasses all aspects of the thesis and antithesis
Cognition and Higher Education
--those with a college education tend to be healthier and wealthier
--more females than males who are college students
--become better at reasoning about problems that have no clear solution
--attitudes and values broaden; become more tolerable of ethnic and cultural diversity
--dvlp greater self-understanding; enhanced self-esteem; firmer sense of identity
EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DVLPT
social clock: age-graded expectations for major life events, such as beginning an first job, getting married, birth of first child, buying a home, and retiring
--being on time or off can affect self-esteem because adults make social comparisons, measuring their progress against their peers
--personality change can occur because of conformity or departure from social clock
--psychological distress if behind
Relationships
Friendships:
--enhance self-esteem thru affirmation and acceptance and provide support during stressful times
--
--friendship
are important is greater for women

Romantic Love:
--same age, ethnicity, SES, religion, attitudes, personality, educational plans, intelligence, physical attractiveness, and even height
--partners sometimes have complementary traits
--little support about opposites attract
Women look for
Men look for
There are different components of love, mainly intimacy, passion, and commitment
--intimacy is the emotional component (knowing someone well and sharing secrets as well as physical attention in a reciprocal nature)
--passion is the romantic and sexual component (physical and psychological; an intense physical, cognitive, and emotional experience characterized by excitement, ecstasy, and euphoria)
--commitment is the cognitive component (decide to love and maintain the love)
passionate love: at the beginning of a relationship; intense sexual attraction; is very strong
--as passion begins to go down, intimacy and commitment form companionate love
companionate love: warm, trusting affection and caregiving; typically has no passion
consummate love: has passion, intimacy, and commitment; is the Western ideal to sustain a relationship
Living together:
--same residence with sexual intimacy without formal marriage (cohabitation)
--may not be beneficial for those cohabitating even though they believe it is beneficial
--one study: less happy, less healthy, and less satisfied with financial status than married people
--cohabitation prior to marriage is more likely to end in divorce
--may increase stress
Marriage and Marital Roles
--marriage is occurring later instead of sooner to accommodate education and careers
for men --average age for first marriage today is for women, and
--more are choosing to stay single, cohabit, or not remarry after divorce
traditional marriage: clear division of husband and wife roles; husband is head of the household and his primary responsibility is the economic well-being of the family; wife cares for husband and children and home

many of these types of marriages are changing with women reentering the workforce after children are older
egalitarian marriage: husband and wife are equal in sharing power and authority; there is a balance in the time and energy they devote to their occupations, children, and their relationship
--most women expect this type of marriage
Marital Satisfaction:
--men report feeling slightly happier in their marriage than women do
--women tend to feel more dissatisfied when factor in husband, children, housework, and career, esp. when these get to be overwhelming
--equal power and sharing family responsibilities helps improve satisfaction
Divorce
-- of all first marriages end in divorce
--most divorces occur within 7 years of marriage or during the transition to midlife
--factors:
Parenthood
--in the past it was expected for a married couple to have children; now it’s more of an individual choice; because cultural values have changed, some people choose to not have children and don’t fear any social criticism or rejection
--women above 30 are having more children and emerging adults are having fewer children
--most important reasons/advantages for having children: warm, affectionate relationship and the stimulation and fun that children provide; growth and learning experience for the adults; the desire to have someone carry on after they are gone; feeling of accomplishment and creativity that comes from helping them grow
--disadvantages: loss of freedom; financial strain
Career Development
--on avg., people in their 20s move to a new job every 2 years
--initial experience can be discouraging; expectations of the new job and reality are discovered, so many may resign and move on
--personal characteristics play a part also; if you believe you will be successful, more likely to be successful in that job and possibly progress quicker
Women and Ethnic Minorities:
--women, esp. if they are minority, tend to be in occupations that offer few opportunities for advancement
--are underrepresented in executive and managerial roles

--women with “masculine” traits tend to pursue nontraditional careers (high achievement orientation, self-reliance, belief that their efforts will lead to success)