BECOMING AN ADULT
Unit 2 – Chapter 4
(Continued)
Klaus Riegel
• Psychologist
• Development in adulthood does not occur in
predictable stages
• Individuals respond to an internal biological
clock and a changing external social clock
4 Interrelated Internal & External
Dimensions of Development
1. Individual Psychological Dimension: describes
emotional maturity and independence, and the
maturity of mental processes
2. Individual Biological Dimension: describes physical
and sexual maturity
3. Cultural-Sociological Dimension: describes the
expectations and opportunities that each society
defines for individuals
4. Environmental Dimension: describes the physical,
economic, and political environment in which the
individual lives
Klaus Riegel’s Interpretation of
Development
• Development occurs when a change in one
dimension requires an adjustment in one or
more of the other dimensions
 Systems Theory
• Pace of adult development varies to reflect
the influence of a changing social clock
Leonard Pearlin
• Sociologist
• Development can be unique to each individual
yet appear to occur in a common pattern
• Disagreed with stage theories
• Adulthood is not a series of transitions from
one period of stability to another
• Adulthood is a lifetime of continuous change
which individuals might experience occasional
periods of stability
Leonard Pearlin’s Theory of
Psychological Distress
• Continued change that causes distress occurs
throughout life
• Distress is a stimulus that requires a
psychological response
• Individuals might experience occasional
periods of stability in their lives if there was no
distress at that time
Leonard Pearlin’s Theory of
Psychological Distress
• 4 elements determine the path that individual
lives will take
1. Individual characteristics
Ex. Gender, race, intelligence, family background, personality and
education
2. Range of skills individuals have for coping
with distress
3. Availability of social support networks
4. The nature and timing of stress that requires
response
Leonard Pearlin’s Theory of
Psychological Distress
• Many stresses are scheduled by the social
clock of society and are predictable
Ex. Graduating, leaving home, starting work, getting
married
• Individuals can anticipate role changes
• Societies support individuals in their
development by socializing them for the
scheduled events
Leonard Pearlin
• Suggests that the patterns that developmental
theorists (Erikson/Levinson) have observed
are a cohort effect
• Cohort Effect: changes in behaviour result
from socialized responses to a common social
clock rather than from age-linked inner
changes
Socialization for Adulthood
• Socialization is the process by which people
learn appropriate role behaviours, values,
attitudes and expectations in order to
participate in a society
• Becoming an adult requires that individuals
alter their behaviour as they take on new
adult roles in life
Socialization for Adulthood
• When an individual makes a transition to a
new role, resocialization enables a person to
discard old behaviour and to change his/her
behaviour
• In preparation for major role changes,
anticipatory socialization allows people to
learn and practice role behaviour before
actually taking on a new role
Socialization Within the Family
• Family homes are the first environment in
which people are socialized
• Family members are the primary role models
for children and play a major role in identity
formation
• Adolescents whose families both support
them and encourage them to participate in
challenging activities develop a
sense of control and self-esteem
Socialization Within the Family
• Family background determines the extent to
which children can benefit from the
opportunities available to participate
in society and is a significant factor
in identity formation
• Children acquire the status of their family of
origin and identify with the race, religion and
ethnicity of their parents
Socialization Within the Family
• Individuals often acquire the same
expectations of life as their parents by
participating in various activities with
them
• Parents are role models for their children and
provide feedback concerning their behaviour
• People acquire a sense of who they are, what
they can do and what they believe from their
families
Socialization Within the Family
• Family background can also determine the
paths that individuals take in adolescence and
early adulthood
• How much independence families
allow their children depends on how
parents perceive their own autonomy
• Parents who feel they have little control over
their lives are more likely to raise their
children to be obedient and not self-reliant
Socialization Within the Family
• Family background can act as a filter that
selects which socio-economic and sociocultural environmental factors will influence
their children
Ex. Filtering explains why some individuals play the
piano or speak three languages or eat sushi or have
no interest in sports
Role of School in Socialization
• Going to school is the first step a child takes in
separating from the family
• When children enter the school system, they
acquire 2 distinct sets of significant others
outside the family who will provide feedback
on their behaviour:
1) Teachers
2) Peers
Role of School in Socialization
• The school system requires students to
participate in various tasks to acquire the
knowledge and develop the skills that are
essential for taking on appropriate adult roles
• Schools give students feedback about their
competence through formal assessment
Role of School in Socialization
• The socialization role of the school is defined
in the form of the curriculum
• Teachers are expected to transmit the
knowledge and skills required by society and
to assess the students’ performance so they
can acquire a perception of what they excel in
• During adolescence, the
peer group exerts a stronger
influence than teachers
Role of School in Socialization
• Since the social behaviour and expectations
within the peer group can be negotiated, or
alternative peer groups can be chosen,
adolescents have an opportunity to decide by
whom they want to be influenced
• Symbolic Interactionism suggests that school
experiences challenge individuals to develop a
consistent identity by interpreting
feedback from a wider range of
role models among their peers
The Role of the Family in Forming
an Occupation
• Until the last century, people were not
required to choose an occupation
• This was because young people would follow
in their parents’ footsteps
• The knowledge and skills required
to work were learned throughout
childhood in the home
The Role of the Family in Forming
an Occupation
• Now that work is separated from home and
there are so many occupations to consider,
parents no longer have the diversity of
knowledge and skills, nor the time, to prepare
their children for employment
• The school has taken over a major
role of socializing individuals for an
occupation
The Role of the Family in Forming
an Occupation
• Families provide the inherited intellectual
potential and the social and cultural attitudes
and skills that enable young people to succeed
• School and the community provide
opportunities for anticipatory socialization
• Society determines the job opportunities
The Role of the Family in Forming
an Occupation
• Families play a major role in transmitting the
basic values and attitudes that determine the
likelihood of success in adulthood
• Parents’ level of education, family income and
parents’ employment history are linked to
their children’s level of education and their
income as adults
• Young adults from immigrant families
are more likely to attend university