Chapter 14 - Social and Personality Development in Early Adulthood Psych 223

Psychoanalytic theorists view on adult development 

result of a struggle between a person’s inner thoughts, feelings, and motives and society’s demands 

intimacy vs isolation

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

intimacy

• capacity to engage in a supportive, affectionate relationship without losing one’s own sense of self

• allows each other some degree of independence without feeling threatened

what does the successful resolution of the intimacy vs isolation depend on?

a good resolution of the identity vs role confusion crisis in Adolescence 

What did Erikson predict would happen if an individual reached early adulthood without having established a sense of identity?

• they would be incapable of intimacy

• predestined to social isolation

what does women see as essential in intimacy?

• self disclosure

  • revealing intimate information not normally known by others 

life structure

• key concept in Levinson’s theory

• underlying pattern or design of a person’s life at a given time

  • includes roles, relationships, and behaviour patterns 

what did Levinson believe? 

• that individuals respond psychologically to tasks and conflicts by creating new life structures 

  • consequently, adults cycle through periods of stability and instability 

Phases for a new life structure

1. novice phase

2. mid era phase

3. culmination phase

novice phase

• adjusting to adulthood

mid era phase

• increase in competence at meeting the new challenges through reassessment and reorganization of the life structure they created during the novice phase 

culmination phase

• when adults have succeeded in creating a life structure that allows them to manage the demands of the new developmental challenges with more confidence and less distress 

Emerging adulthood 

• period from the late teens to early 20s when individuals explore options prior to committing to adult toles 

• NOT universal. Arises in cultures where individuals in their late teens face a wide array of choices about occupational and social roles they will occupy in adulthood 

what did Arnett believe?

• educational, social and economic demands that modern cultures make on its individuals given rise to a new developmental period 

what develops in emerging adulthood? 

• parts of the brain that underlie rational decision making, impulse control, and self regulation mature 

five domains that emerging adults must address

• academic

• friendship

• contact 

• work

• romantic 

characteristics of emerging adulthood

• age of identity exploration

• age of instability 

• age of self focus 

• age of feeling in between adolescence and adulthood 

• age of possibilities 

intimate relationship

• form the secure base from which most young adults move out into the adult world

  • for a lot, marriage

what happened in Canada after legalization of same sex marriage?

• drastic increase i mixed unions among those wit differing sociodemographic and cultural characteristics

  • characteristics such as 

    • age 

    • education 

    • religion 

    • ethnic origin 

theories of mate selection

• evolutionary theories

• Social role theory

• neuroscience of human attachment

evolutionary theory

• explains that behaviour is focused on survival value 

• parental investment theory

• cross cultural

what do men prefer in terms of evolutionary theory

• physically attractive younger women

  • mother can live long enough to raise his children 

what do women prefer in terms of evolutionary theory

• look for men with higher socioeconomic status

  • offers potential and stability 

parental investment theory

• theory that sex differences in mate preferences and mating behaviour are based on the different amount of time and effort men and women must invest in child rearing

what do men value in parental investment theory?

• health and availability in their mate

• less selective because their minimum investment in parenting offspring 

how does men seek to maximize the likelihood of the survival of the species in parental investment theory?

• by maximizing the number of their offspring

• women aim to minimize the number of offspring because their investment is so much greater 

what do men value in their mates from evolutionary theorists perspective?

• value health and youth

  • not only suggests fertility but also will likely can nurture children into adulthood 

what do women value in their mates from evolutionary theorists perspective? 

• an economic provider so that they will be able to invest the time needed to raise offspring 

social role theory

• idea that sex differences in mate preferences and mating behaviour are adaptations to gender roles

• assortative mating (homogamy) 

what happens to mate preferences as women gain economic power in relation to social role theory?

• women’s emphasis on potential mates’ earning power declines 

• men’s focus on potential mates’ domestic skills increases 

assortative mating (homogamy)

• tendency to mate with someone who has traits similar to one’s own 

  • people are drawn to those who are of similar age, education, education, social class, ethnic group membership, religion, attitudes, interests , and temperament 

psychological factors important for quality of relationships

• attachment 

• love 

• conflict management 

what does higher levels of extraversion predict? 

• mutual martial satisfaction in both partners 

what does higher levels of conscientiousness predict? 

• higher levels of satisfaction in husbands 

what does similar levels of openness to experience predict?

• higher levels of satisfaction in husbands

what does similar levels of agreeableness predict?

• higher levels of satisfaction in wives

what are some important things for relationship quality? 

• intimacy issues

  • mutually shared interests and expectations, trust, and a satisfactory sexual relationship 

  • more important than material aspect of marriage such as adequate income 

• personality 

• attitudes toward marriage 

what happens if a couple does not believe that marriage is important for them to be happy?

• are at a greater risk of martial breakdown

  • 170% higher risk

3 components of love (sternberg’s role of love)

• intimacy 

• passion

• commitment 

intimacy

• feelings that promote closeness and connectedness 

passion

• feeling of intense longing for union with other person 

  • includes sexual union 

commitment 

• to a particular other, often over a long period of time 

conflict management 

• how a couple manages conflict 

  • predictor of relationship quality 

couple types of stable or enduring marriages

• validating 

• volatile 

• avoidant 

validating couples

• partners express mutual respect even in disagreements

• have disagreements but rarely escalates

• are good listeners 

Volatile couples

• partners who argue a lot and don’t listen well but still have more positive and negative interactions 

• high level of laughter and affection

Avoidant couple

• conflict minimizers

  • don’t try to persuade each other and minimize conflict by avoiding each other

  • agree to disagree

couple types of unsuccessful marriages

• hostile/engaged

• hostile/detached

Hostile/engaged

• frequent hot arguments but lack the balancing effect of humor and affection 

hostile/detached

• fights regularly

• rarely look at each other 

• lack affection and support  

what is the psychological effect of divorce?

• increase in health problems especially in depression

  • men are 3 times more likely

  • women are 2 ½ more likely

what is the economic effect of divorce?

• most men commonly leave with far greater earning power than women 

  • women are strongly affected with an average decline in income to below average and will recover very slowly if they ever do 

  • men generally increase their economic positions to above average 

• women usually retain custody of the children 

what is one thing that’s the same in both same sex and opposite sex relationship?

• attachment security 

  • higher level of insecurity is linked with lower satisfaction, commitment, trust, communication and higher problem intensity 

• also higher quality if the two partners share similar backgrounds and are equally committed to the relationship 

what are some different things about same sex relationship?

• more egalitarian and less specific role prescriptions 

• gay men don’t necessarily regard sexual fidelity as essential to their relationship 

continuous singlehood

• associated with greater individual autonomy and capacity for personal growth than a life path that has included divorce or loss of a spouse 

why does single people prefer staying single?

• less conventional view about importance of love, marriage, and family

  • don’t value being part of a couple or a family as highly as singles who do expect to marry 

three dominant attachment patterns among long term singles 

• avoidance 

• anxiety 

• security

avoidance in singlehood

• discomfort with intimacy and closeness with others so they actively avoid relationships and cope by being overly self reliant 

anxiety in singlehood

• fear or intense distress when attachment needs are not met leading to low satisfaction with being single 

security in singlehood

• satisfying personal choice and form trustworthy long term stable friendships to meet their attachment needs