Psych Ch 17-19 Vocab

emerging adulthood

emerging adulthood

period of life between 18-25, now widely thought of as a distinct developmental stage

WEIRD

people from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich Democracies, namely North American college students

organ reserve

capacity of organs to allow the body to cope with stress via extra, unused functioning ability; very highly active in emerging adulthood

homeostasis

adjustment of all of the body’s systems to keep physiological function in a state of equilibrium; rapid in early/emerging adulthood

allostasis

dynamic body adjustment, related to homeostasis, that affects overall physiology over time

allostatic load

stresses of basic body systems that burden overall functioning, like hypertension; shows why early-adulthood conditions affect later life

set point

particular body weight that an individual’s homeostatic process strive to maintain

body mass index

ratio between weight (kg) and height (meters)

drug abuse

condition of harmful drug dependence in which the absence of a given drug produces a drive to ingest more of the drug

postformal thought

proposed adult stage of cognitive development, following Piaget’s stages, that goes beyond adolescent thinking by being more practical, flexible, and dialectical

stereotype threat

thought in a person’s mind that one’s appearance or behavior will be misread to confirm another person’s oversimplified, prejudiced attitudes

dialectical thought

most advanced cognitive process, characterized by the ability to consider a thesis and its antithesis simultaneously and arrive at a synthesis; it makes an ongoing awareness of pros and cons possible

thesis

proposition or statement of belief; first stage of dialectical thinking

antithesis

proposition or statement of belief that opposes the thesis; second stage of the dialectical thinking process

synthesis

new idea that integrates the thesis and antithesis, representing a new and more comprehensive level of truth; third stage of the process of dialectical thinking

Defining Issues Test

series of questions developed by James Rest and designed to assess respondents’ level of moral development by having them rank possible solutions to moral dilemmas

massification

idea that establishing institutions of higher learning and encouraging college enrollment can benefit everyone (the masses)

massive open online course

course that is offered solely online for college credit; typically has low tuition and high enrollment numbers

intimacy versus isolation

Erikson’s developmental stage of emerging adulthood where adults seek someone with whom to share their lives in an enduring and self-sacrificing commitment; without such commitment, they risk profound aloneness and isolation

linked lives

lives in which the success, health, and well-being of each family member are connected to those of other members, including those of another generation, as in the relationship between parents and children

helicopter parents

label used for parents who hover over their emerging adult children; pejorative term but sometimes can be helpful

snowplow parents

parents who try to remove any impediments in the way of their children; pejorative term as it implies that parents do not allow children to learn how to overcome obstacles on their own

hookup

sexual interaction between two people not in a romantic relationship, not expecting intimacy or commitment

choice overload

having so many possibilities that a thoughtful choice becomes difficult; this is particularly apparent when social networking and other tech make many potential romantic partners available

cohabitation

arrangement in which a couple lives together in a commitment romantic relationship but are not formally married

situational couple violence

fighting between romantic partners that is brought on by the situation rather than the deep personality problems of the individuals where both people are victims and abusers

intimate terrorism

violent and demeaning form of abuse in a romantic relationship, in which the victim is frightened to fight back, seek help, or withdraw; victim is in danger of physical or psychological harm