15. Early Adulthood - Social + Personality Development

Role development

____________ - Big increase in number of roles must be capable of functioning effectively in:

• Associated stress

• Opportunities for personal growth

• Early adulthood has lots of roles needed for young adults to transfer in

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

_________________ - Stage: intimacy vs. isolation – individual must find a life partner or supportive friends to avoid social isolation

• Intimacy

  • Marriage or sexual relationship not necessary for resolution

  • Dependent on successfully resolving the identity vs. role confusion stage

• Barriers to intimacy: societal pressure to favour romantic relationships, poor sense of identity, interactions between individuals and societal beliefs

Relates to secure attachment style characteristics. Self-disclosure can be an issue in hetero relationships, where men feel satisfied in intimacy while female partner is isolated.

Intimacy

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

________________ - capacity to engage in (a) supportive, affectionate relationship(s) without losing one’s own sense of self

• Marriage or sexual relationship not necessary for resolution

• Dependent on successfully resolving the identity vs. role confusion stage

Levinson’s Life Structures

________________ - Life structures. Model of adult development AKA eras of adulthood:

• Era of Early Adulthood: Transitional (17-22 years); New life structure (22-28 years); Age 30 transition (28-33 years); Settling down (33-40 years)

• Era of Middle Adulthood: Transitional (40-45 years); Midlife entry structure (45-50 years); Age 50 transition (55-60 years)

• Era of Late Adulthood: Transitional structure (60-65 years); Late adulthood

Each period presents new developmental tasks and conflicts; psychological responses create new life structures. Adults cycle thru periods of stability vs. instability.

Life structure

Levinson’s Life Structures

_____________ - underlying pattern or design of a person’s life at a given time, including roles, relationships, and behaviour patterns

• Ex: Marriage requires a new life structure, as newlyweds do not yet know eachother in the roles of husband and wife

3 Phases of Life Structures (NMC)

Levinson’s Life Structures

______________ - Each period requiring new life structure has three phases:

1. Novice phase

2. Mid-era phase

3. Culmination phase

1) Novice phase

Levinson’s Life Structures → 3 phases (NMC)

______________ - period of adjustment

2) Mid-era phase

Levinson’s Life Structures → 3 phases (NMC)

______________ - increasing competence in face of new challenges through reassessment and reorganization of life structure

• Adults become competent at meeting new challenges

3) Culmination phase

Levinson’s Life Structures → 3 phases (NMC)

________________ - success in life structure creation allows management of demands with more confidence and less distress

Emerging adulthood

______________ - The periods from late teens to early 20s when ppl explore options prior to committing to adult roles.

Developmentalists agree that 17-22 years is a transitional period

• May not be universal, arising in cultures where individuals in late teens face many choices in adult occupational and social roles

• Neuroimaging suggests it is a unique period: maturation of brain areas underlying rational decision-making, impulse control, and self-regulation

Developmental tasks across 5 domains

Developmental tasks: 5 domains

Emerging adulthood

_______________ - academic, friendship, conduct, work, romantic

• Skills in academic, friendship, and conduct transfer easily from adolescence → skills you learned longer can be somewhat learned earlier

Must approach work and romantic differently due to cultural expectations and decisions about individual priorities

Marriage vs. common-law

Relationships

_________________ - Increasing acceptance of nonmarital relationships— Most young adults are not living in an intimate partnered relationship

• Marriages are starting to mirror Canada’s sociodemographic diversity

• Common-law

Common-law

Relationships

_________________ - legal concept that provides legal rights as a married couple even if not actually married

Theories of mate selection

____________- different ideas on romance/sex

• Evolutionary theories

  • Parental investment theory

• Social role theories

• Neuroscience of human attachment

Evolutionary theories

Theories of mate selection

_______________ - focus on survival value

• Males prefer physically attractive, younger females;

• Females prefer males with a higher SES who offer earning potential and stability

  • Parental investment theory

Criticism: sexism masquerading as science → founded on patriarchal norms

Parental investment theory

Theories of mate selection → evolutionary theories

________________ - sex differences in mate preferences are explained by the different amounts of time and effort males and females must invest in child-rearing and the certainty that the child is their genetic offspring

• Criticism: sexism masquerading as science → founded on patriarchal norms

Social role theories

Theories of mate selection

________________ - Men and women’s mate preferences changed as women gained economic power

• The more a woman expects to earn herself, the higher her income requirements for a prospective mate → women want to be able to have children without lowering quality of life

• Homogamy

Homogamy

Theories of mate selection → social role theories

______________ - members of both sexes prefer mates who are like them in SES, beliefs, religion, etc.

Neuroscience of human attachment

Theories of mate selection

________________ - Endocrine and neural processes underlie adult attachment bonds— these processes are shaped by early life experiences

• Romantic-couple and parent-infant bonds have similar neural architecture and physiology

• Greater socioemotional closeness, social synchrony, and neuro-imaging synchrony among couples and close friends evidenced in neuroimaging studies

Psychological aspects of marriage

Marriage

__________________ - Intention to marry decreases with age. Relationship quality prioritized across sociocultural groups in terms of what makes marriage work

• Personality characteristics influence satisfaction

  • OCEAN influences, plus gender differences

• Attitudes toward marriage affect longevity

  • Extraversion = higher satisfaction

• Security of attachment to origin family impacts marital satisfaction

• Emotional affection influences relationship quality

• Three components of love

• Conflict management

3 Components of Love (IPC)

Psychological aspects of marriage

_______________- intimacy, passion, and commitment to a particular other

5 types of couples (VV And HH)

Psychological aspects of marriage

_________________- validating, volatile, avoidant, hostile/engaged, and hostile/detached

4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Psychological aspects of marriage

______________ - of poor communication → criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling

Conflict management

Psychological aspects of marriage

_______________ - also a predictor of relationship quality

• Five types of couples

• Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

• Criticism

Divorce

__________________ - Frequency misrepresented. Likelihood of divorce lower for a first marriage than a remarriage

• 50% ppl who get married divorced is misrepresented, rate of divorce over time is 38% over 30 wks

• Psychological effects:

  • Major stressor

  • Associated with increased mental health problems

• Economic effects…

Economic effects of divorce

Divorce

_________________ - Women have higher child-rearing responsibilities and don’t recover as easily, esp. low SES

Psychological effects often compounded by economic effects, especially for women

• Divorced men’s economic position slightly improves whereas women’s significantly worsens

Women who were earning above-average pre-divorce are more likely to recover financially, even without remarrying.

For lower SES women, they never recover

Cohabitating heterosexual couples

__________________ - Variety of reasons that young adults may choose cohabitation over marriage

• Adults who cohabitate before marriage are less satisfied with their subsequent marriage

  • The two relationships are fundamentally different, and cohabiting leads to life structure for cohabitating, not for marriage

  • Adults who cohabitate before marriage differ in key ways from those who marry without first cohabitating → maybe marriage causes a higher sense of commitment

• Interaction effect

• Housework differences

Housework w/ hetero couples

Cohabitating heterosexual couples

_________________ - Cohabitating women do 5-6 hours less of housework per week vs married women

• Women do more housework when they move in with a man & vice versa

Interaction effect

Cohabitating heterosexual couples

_____________ - firm intentions to marry

Same-sex couples

_________________ - 1/3 cohabitating same-sex couples are married. High attachment security linked to happiness and satisfaction in the relationship

Higher attachment more associated with negotiation of non-monogamy than heterosexual couples

• Gay men report higher levels of autonomy in their relationships than straight men; lesbian women report more autonomy, intimacy, and equality than straight women

• More…

  • Relationship dissolution

  • Egalitarian; less-specific role prescription, more likely to have equal parenting and chores

• Women in lesbian partnerships have significantly greater sexual satisfaction and orgasms compared to women in heterosexual partnerships

Bisexuals in relationships

______________ - Most bisexual individuals are in heterosexual relationships

• More mental health challenges due to minority stigma and lack of acceptance in heterosexual and lesbian and gay spaces

Intimate partnerships w/o cohabitation

Other relationship commitments

_________________ - 1/3 Canadians aged 25-34 years live apart together: are in an intimate partnership without cohabitation

Roommate households

Other relationship commitments

_______________- fastest growing household type

Singlehood

Other relationship commitments

________________ - Impact depends on the reason for single status and attachment style

• Continuous singlehood: associated with greater autonomy and capacity for personal growth

• Number of years single impacts the influence of singlehood on development

Parenthood

________________ - Mixed emotional experience – fulfilling an intense desire while also bringing a number of stressful changes

Most young people expect to have at least one child though there is a decline

• 92% of parents believe that being a parent is the most important thing they can do; 94% enjoy being a parent most of the time

• Parenting work is still primarily done by women; 10% of men are stay-at-home dads

• Other aspects:

  • Transition to parenthood

  • PPD

  • Developmental impacts

Transitioning to parenthood

Parenthood

_______________ - Can be very stressful and contentious

• Couple has less time for each other

• Pre-child conflict management and communication problems can be intensified

• Strong pre-existing relationship can moderate new parenting stress

Postpartum depression

Parenthood

_________________ - Affects 10-15% of new moms, can last up to a year or more

• Risk factors:

  • PPD with previous birth;

  • major life stressors during pregnancy or immediately after birth;

  • fatigue;

  • difficult infant temperament;

  • and depression during pregnancy

Developmental impact of parenthood

Parenthood

____________________ - Sensation-seeking and risky behaviour decline. Marital satisfaction declines

• Having a parenting partner is a protective factor in managing the stressful transition to parenthood

Life w/o children

_________________ - Having no children impacts marriage and employment patterns

• Couples without children: marital satisfaction doesn’t fluctuate much

• Having children affects earning and employment patterns

• Motherhood earnings gap

Motherhood earnings gap

Life without children

________________ - the earnings of women with children are significantly below those of women without children

• Earnings nearly halve in the year after birth – and don’t rebound, with a 14% loss of earnings in the five years after birth

• For men, having a child is associated with an increase in earnings

Family

Social networks

______________- Spouses or partners are the most significant person in life

Most adults still feel emotionally close to parents and communicate with them regularly

• Amount and kind of contact with kin is influenced by proximity

• Even without physical contact, can still provide important support in times of need

Friends

Social networks

_________________ - In-person and exclusively online friends are important— Homogamy important

• Cross-sex friendships more common but still the minority

Sex differences in relationship styles

Social networks

___________________ - Differences:

Women have more close friends, and friendships are more intimate

Men's friendships are more competitive, with less agreement or emotional support

• Kin-keeper

Kin-keeper

Social networks → sex differences in relationship styles

_________________ - family role which includes responsibility for maintaining family and friendship relationships; usually performed by women

• Women also tend to perform caretaking for parents in old age

The Role of the Worker

_________________ - Satisfying work important for good mental health and life satisfaction

Variables determining occupation selection are varied

• Family influence:

  • Tend to choose occupations at same general social class level as their parents

  • Education and value systems influence

• Gender:

  • Shifting, slowly

  • Slight majority of women occupy feminized labour positions

  • Gendered pay gap continues

• Personality plays a major part

The Role of the Worker + Work preferences (RIA-SEC)

_______________ - RIA-SEC… six types of “personality types”

1. Realistic

2. Investigative

3. Artistic

4. Social

5. Enterprising

6. Conventional

1) Realistic

The Role of the Worker + Work preferences (RIA-SEC)

________________ - Aggressive, masculine, physically strong, often with low verbal or interpersonal skills

• Prefer mechanical activities and tool use, choosing jobs such as mechanic, electrician, or surveyor

2) Investigative

The Role of the Worker + Work preferences (RIA-SEC)

_______________ - Oriented toward thinking (particularly abstract thinking), organizing and planning; prefer ambiguous, challenging tasks, but are low in social skills

• Are often scientists or engineers

3) Artistic

The Role of the Worker + Work preferences (RIA-SEC)

______________ - Asocial; prefer unstructured, highly individual activities; are often artists

4) Social

The Role of the Worker + Work preferences (RIA-SEC)

_____________ - Extraverts; people-oriented and sociable need attention; avoids intellectual activity and dislikes highly ordered activity

• Prefers to work with people and choose service jobs like nursing and education

5) Enterprising

The Role of the Worker + Work preferences (RIA-SEC)

__________________- Highly verbal and dominating; enjoys organizing and directing others; are persuasive and strong leaders, often choosing careers in sales

6) Conventional

The Role of the Worker + Work preferences (RIA-SEC)

_______________ - Prefers structured activities and subordinate roles; likes clear guidelines and see themselves as accurate and precise

• May choose occupations such as bookkeeping or filing

Career development

________________ - Process of adapting to the workplace, managing career transitions, & pursuing goals through employment

Super’s Stages

Career development

________________ -

• Growth stage: Developing interests, skills, and values; forming initial career ideas

  • Ages 4-12

• Exploratory stage: Exploring different career options, setting short-term goals, and gaining experience

  • Ages 15-20s

• Establishment stage: Establishing a career, gaining experience, and building a reputation

  • Ages 25-40

• Maintenance stage: Focusing on career advancement, building expertise, and making long-term plans

  • Ages 45-60s

Job satisfaction

Career development

_____________ - lowest at mid-career, likely due to reduced job security

• Alignment of career w/ personality predicts satisfaction

• Work-life balance

Work-life balance

Career development → Job satisfaction

_________________ - balance between employee's work and non-work roles

Gender differences in work patterns

Career development

___________________ - Young men economically worse off than young men of previous generations; opposite for young women

• Key difference: most women transition in and out of the workforce at least once to have and raise children

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial development (textbook)

_________________ - Erikson’s early adulthood stage, in which an individual must find a life partner or supportive friends to avoid social isolation

Relationship quality and OCEAN

Psychological aspects of marriage (textbook)

• High extraversion = mutual marital satisfaction

• High conscientiousness = high satisfaction 4 husbands

• Similar openness to experience = high satisfaction 4 husbands

• Similar agreeableness = high satisfaction 4 wives

1) Intimacy

Psychological aspects of marriage → 3 Components of Love (IPC - textbook)

___________________ - includes feelings that promote closeness and connectedness

2) Passion

Psychological aspects of marriage → 3 Components of Love (IPC - textbook)

_______________ - a feeling of intense longing for union w/ the other person— including sexual union

3) Commitment

Psychological aspects of marriage → 3 Components of Love (IPC - textbook)

________________ - to a particular other over a long period of time

1) Validating couples (VV)

Psychological aspects of marriage → 5 types of couples (VV And HH - Textbook)

________________ - partners who express mutual respect (even in arguments) and are good listeners

• Disagreements rarely escalate— listen even in arguments

2) Volatile couples (VV)

Psychological aspects of marriage → 5 types of couples (VV And HH - Textbook)

________________ - partners who squabble a lot and don’t listen well— BUT overall have more positive interactions than neg.

• Show high levels of laughter and affection still

3) Avoidant couples (And)

Psychological aspects of marriage → 5 types of couples (VV And HH - Textbook)

________________ - Partners who agree to disagree and minimize conflict by avoiding e/o

• Conflict minimizers

• Don’t try to persuade… AKA devitalized

4) Hostile/engaged couples (HH)

Psychological aspects of marriage → 5 types of couples (VV And HH - Textbook)

________________ - partners who have frequent heated arguments, but LACK humour and affection

• Unsuccessful

• Ratio of pos. to neg. interactions gets out of balance, and marriage spirals to dissolving

5) Hostile/detached couples (HH)

Psychological aspects of marriage → 5 types of couples (VV And HH - Textbook)

________________ - partners who fight regularly, rarely look at each other and lack affection + support

• Unsuccessful

• Ratio of pos. to neg. interactions gets out of balance, and marriage spirals to dissolving

Quality of work-life (QWL) movement

Career development → job satisfaction (textbook)

_______________ - an approach to enhancing job satisfaction by basing job and workplace design on analyses of the quality of employee experiences in an organization

• Workers are more satisfied w/ their jobs when they believe supervisors share their views of work-life balance

Idea is: when ppl are happy at work, they are more productive

• Telecommuting: working in their homes

• Flextime: employees free to come and go, as long as they get their required amount of hours