Emerging Adulthood and Early Adult Development

Vocabulary flashcards covering developmental psychology concepts in emerging adulthood, including physical health trends, sexuality, gender, personality traits, attachment styles, relational models, and interpersonal dynamics.

Emerging adulthood

The developmental period between the late teens and early twenties (ages 18–25, with some researchers extending it to age 29) when individuals have moved past the relative dependency of childhood and adolescence but have not yet fully assumed adult responsibilities.

Five characteristics of emerging adulthood

The five defining developmental features of early adulthood: the age of identity, the age of instability, the age of self-focus, the age of feeling in-between, and the age of possibilities.

Western markers of adulthood

Modern markers defining entry into adulthood in Western culture, primarily consisting of achieving financial independence and accepting responsibility for oneself, superseding older markers like marriage and parenthood.

Sex

The physical or physiological differences between males and females, encompassing both primary and secondary sex characteristics.

Gender

The social or cultural distinctions and expectations associated with a given sex.

Gender identity

An individual's personal identification with a role that corresponds to the sex assigned to them at birth.

Transgender

An identity describing individuals whose gender role or identity differs from their biological sex assigned at birth.

Gender role

Society's shared concept and expectations regarding how men and women are supposed to act and behave.

Human sexuality

Sexual interest in and attraction toward others, as well as an individual's capacity to have and express erotic experiences and responses.

Sexual motivation (libido)

A person's overall sexual drive or psychological desire for sexual activity.

Sexual response cycle

A physiological model outlining the sequence of physical responses that occur during sexual activity, including the excitement phase and the plateau phase.

Five-Factor Model

A psychological framework classifying human personality into five broad trait dimensions: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Attachment-related anxiety

An attachment dimension reflecting the degree to which an adult worries about whether their partner genuinely loves them and fears being abandoned or rejected.

Attachment-related avoidance

An attachment dimension reflecting whether an adult is able to open up to others, trust them, and comfortably depend on them.

Secure attachment

An adult attachment style characterized by finding it relatively easy to get close to others, feeling comfortable depending on partners and being depended upon, and rarely fearing abandonment.

Avoidant attachment

An adult attachment style marked by discomfort with closeness, difficulty trusting or depending on others, and nervousness when an intimate partner attempts to increase emotional intimacy.

Nervous/ambivalent attachment

An adult attachment style marked by a fear that partners do not truly love them or will not stay, accompanied by a desire to merge completely with another person that can push partners away.

Consensual validation

The psychological verification and reassurance individuals feel in their own beliefs when surrounding peers and romantic partners share identical attitudes and values.

Self-disclosure

The relational tendency to communicate personal information frequently, without fear of reprisal, within an accepting and empathetic environment.

Passion

In Sternberg's model, the intense physical and physiological attraction romantic partners experience toward one another, most prominent during early relationship stages.

Intimacy

In Sternberg's model, the psychological closeness and capacity to share thoughts, personal vulnerabilities, and feelings that develops over time with reciprocal partner knowledge.

Commitment

In Sternberg's model, the conscious and deliberate decision between partners to stay together in a relationship over time.

Consummate love

The complete, ideal form of love depicted at the center of Sternberg's triangular model, achieved through the balanced presence of intimacy, passion, and commitment.

Hookups

Uncommitted sexual encounters that typically occur outside of an established friendship or dating relationship.

Catfishing

A deceptive online practice in which an individual creates a false online persona or profile to deceive others in relational contexts.

Cycle of Abuse

A four-stage cyclical pattern of relationship violence formulated by psychologist Lenore Walker consisting of: 1. Tensions Build, 2. Incident, 3. Reconciliation, and 4. Calm.