Lecture 8
Young Adulthood
OBJECTIVES
1. Define young adulthood.
2. State the developmental tasks of young adulthood.
3. Name the physiological changes that occur in young
adulthood.
4. State at least four priority health issues related to the young adult stage of the
life cycle.
5. List the reproductive health issues of young adulthood.
6. Utilize knowledge of men's health need in applying-gender appropriate care and
guidance
7. State two health screening preventative programs important during young
adulthood.
8. Discuss the role of schools in helping individuals adjust and cope with
tasks and challenges of young adulthood.
9. Describe the psychosocial tasks of young adulthood as described by
Erikson.
10. Explain Paget's theory of cognitive thinking in young adulthood.
11. Describe Kohlberg's theory of moral development in the young adult.
12. Discuss piglets formal operational thinking as it applies to the young
adult.
13. Trace the growth and development of a parent.
14. Design teaching techniques that will contribute to successful learning in
the young adult.
Definition
• Young adulthood is most often defined as the age
between 20 and 40 years.
• The stage may also be referred to as early adulthood.
• The legal age of adulthood is 18 years, when the
individual can vote ,be drafted into the military, and enter
into marital relationships without parental consent.
Developmental tasks of young adulthood
The major developmental task or crisis of young adulthood is
- Intimacy versus isolation.
- Transition from the safety of the parents, home and the
structure of the high school to achieve the tasks of selfsupport.
-Independence.
- By age 21 some adults live separately from parents,
- Establish a commitment to a work identity
- Develop an adult social role of their own design
Physiological changes
• Physical growth in height and weight and organ and sexual maturation
are generally complete by young adulthood .
• Physical health, motor coordination, and physiological performance
typically peak between ages20 and30 .
• Hard physical work and exercises are often enjoyed and are productive.
•
Wise food choices provide optimum nutrition, and regular exercise can
help maintain health and prevent obesity or cardiovascular disease.
• The priority areas include maintaining physical activity , fitness , and
nutrition ; decrease in use of tobacco and alcohol ; positive mental heath
health practice ; and adequate information concerning family planning
options
Physiological changes
The priority areas for health promotion during the young
adulthood years include:
• Maintaining physical activity
• Fitness and nutrition
• Decrease use of tobacco and alcohol.
• Positive mental health practices.
• Adequate information concerning family planning
The major cause of death in young adulthood are most often
related to accident or violence and are both preventable
WOMEN HEALTH ISSUES
- Women have great influence on childrearing and learning. Maintaining
women's health, there fore, may enable them to influence generation of
children to practice good health habits and choose health lifestyles.
- The major risk factors contributing to the mortality rate include lack of
prenatal care, inadequate knowledge of health needs , and poor
nutrition.
-Recent public education effort have increased awareness of the need for
testicular self examination (TSE) and Breast self examination as a part of
gender specific preventive health programs.
-Encouraging breast self-examinations and
mammograms at appropriate intervals can lead
to early detection and early intervention for
breast cancer
-Violent behavior against women is an epidemic
and contributes to the morbidity and mortality
statistics of young adult women
Cycle of Violence
Phase I
Tension Building
Limited control
Minor incident
External influences
Minor incident
Minor incident
Minor incident
Phase II
explosion no
control
Minor incident
Minor incident
Phase III
Home moon
Calming, loving, respect
Longer than phase II but shorter than 1
Men’s Health Issues
• Men’s may be higher risk for injury due to their
work environment .
• Men may also smoke and drink alcohol more
often as compared with women, contributing to
the development of many health problems.
• Education concerning the harmful effect of
smoking, alcohol, substance abuse and obesity .
Psychosocial development
There are many developmental tasks and challenges that occur during
the young adult years. These tasks include
• developing mature sense of right and wrong.
• successful separation from family control.
• initiating lifestyle practice.
• establishing friends.
• intimate relationships.
• deciding on marriage and career goals.
• and developing parenting skills.
Psychosocial development
Intimacy
• Erikson described establishing intimacy as one of the major
tasks of young adulthood .
• It includes the ability to develop warm, trusting, honest
relationship with another person with whom it is a safe to
be open and express and share private thoughts
Cognitive ability
• The young adults cognitive process involves realizing that
knowledge is the integration of multiple points of view
Moral reasoning;
Kohlberg was theorist who believed that the individual must be capable
of the formal operational level of thought before achieving mature
moral reasoning
Parenting
In today's society, not all adults achieve or desire marriage and family. When
parents learn they are to have baby, both positive and negative feelings are
evoked. The may want the baby and want to be perfect parents.
Teaching techniques for the young adult
Successful adult learning always involves relating the
information to the appropriate develop- mental tasks they
are experiencing .
Teaching goals should be made clear, outlining how the
new knowledge can be applied and how it will benefit
their current life roles. learning is lifelong process.
Teaching techniques for young adult should be interactive,
problem oriented, and related to daily psychosocial tasks
at work, home ,or school