Week 7: Young Adulthood

Young adulthood age range in Week 7

Approximately 18-40 years; some slides describe it as 20-40.

Major developmental tasks of young adulthood

Making educational and career choices, working, establishing an independent home, and possibly forming a partnership or becoming a parent.

Why are health behaviors important in young adulthood?

Habits established now can influence health throughout the rest of life.

When does physiological performance peak in the lecture?

Approximately ages 20-30.

Physical characteristics of young adulthood

Physical maturation is largely complete; muscular strength, motor coordination, and heart and lung performance are near their peak.

Body composition changes around age 30 in the lecture

Muscle mass and body water begin decreasing while fatty tissue increases.

Benefits of regular physical activity

Supports cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, muscle and bone mass, energy, mood, and weight management.

How does exercise affect mood?

It can reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Moderate aerobic activity target stated in the lecture

About 2.5-5 hours per week.

Vigorous aerobic activity target stated in the lecture

About 1.25-2.5 hours per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activity.

Muscle-strengthening activity target stated in the lecture

At least 2 days per week.

How should physical activity be individualized?

Match activity to the person's fitness level and health status.

How can communities support physical activity?

Provide features such as sidewalks and bike lanes.

Why is physical fitness important for later life?

It can help preserve functioning and health as people age.

Young-adult health-promotion topics

Physical activity, nutrition, preventive visits, oral health, substance-use prevention, sexual health, and sun protection.

Why encourage regular dental care in young adulthood?

Wisdom teeth and other dental problems may arise; preventive care supports oral health.

Vision change emphasized in the lecture

Visual acuity can decline, especially approaching age 40.

Purpose of preventive care

Identify health risks, assess chronic conditions, and promote healthier behavior before problems progress.

What influences an appropriate preventive-care plan?

Age, health history, risk factors, and applicable screening and immunization recommendations.

Healthy People 2030 goals for men discussed in Week 7

Reduce prostate cancer deaths and rates of infections such as syphilis and gonorrhea.

Healthy People 2030 goals for women discussed in Week 7

Reduce iron deficiency and breast cancer deaths; improve appropriate cancer screening, genetic counseling, and reproductive health.

Why is cultural competence important in young-adult care?

Health teaching and care should respect the person's culture, values, and circumstances.

Women's reproductive-health topics in the lecture

Family planning, contraception, prenatal care, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, and sexually transmitted infections.

Ectopic pregnancy

A pregnancy implanted outside the uterine cavity, commonly in a fallopian tube.

Pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility

Inflammation can cause scarring or blockage of the fallopian tubes, interfering with fertilization.

Hysterectomy

Surgical removal of the uterus.

Men's health-care pattern emphasized in the lecture

Men may seek preventive medical care less often, making outreach and health education important.

Infertility definition used in the lecture

Inability to conceive after at least a year of trying; this is the lecture's general definition rather than an individualized evaluation rule.

Primary infertility

Difficulty conceiving when there has been no previous pregnancy.

Secondary infertility

Difficulty conceiving after a previous pregnancy.

Male fertility problems discussed in the lecture

Low sperm count and problems with sperm shape or motility.

Sperm motility

The ability of sperm to move.

Factors that can impair male fertility in the lecture

Illness or fever, radiation, certain medications, substance use, alcohol misuse, and smoking.

Factors that can impair female fertility in the lecture

Certain diseases, smoking, extreme dieting, obesity, and pelvic inflammatory disease.

Assisted reproductive technology or ART

Medical procedures used to assist reproduction and overcome certain fertility barriers.

In vitro fertilization or IVF

Eggs are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory; resulting embryos may then be transferred to the uterus.

IVF versus natural fertilization

IVF involves fertilization outside the body in a laboratory.

Food desert

An area where access to affordable, nutritious food is limited.

Why assess food access when teaching nutrition?

Food availability and financial resources affect a person's ability to follow nutrition recommendations.

Why is folic acid emphasized for childbearing women?

It helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects.

Why is iron discussed in pregnancy nutrition?

Iron supports red blood cell production and helps address increased iron needs.

Calcium concern emphasized in the lecture

Many adult women do not meet their calcium needs; calcium supports bone health.

Body mass index or BMI

Weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

Common elimination complaints in young adulthood

Constipation, hemorrhoids, and occasional diarrhea.

Elimination teaching emphasized in Week 7

Adequate fluids, fruits and vegetables, and reporting changes in usual elimination patterns.

Sleep amounts stated in the lecture

About 8 hours for ages 18-21 and 7 hours for ages 22 and older; these are the slide's simplified figures.

Factors contributing to fatigue in young adulthood

Work demands, stress, inactivity, and insufficient sleep.

Sleep-habit recommendations in the lecture

Maintain a consistent schedule, limit alcohol and caffeine before bed, reduce bedtime device use, and stay physically active.

Constructive risk taking in young adulthood

Taking on growth opportunities, such as moving away or starting college.

Harmful risk taking in young adulthood

Examples include unprotected sex, substance misuse, driving without a seat belt, and dangerous sports behavior.

Why can risk taking be both beneficial and harmful?

Some risks support independence and growth, while others expose a person to avoidable injury or illness.

Piaget's stage relevant to young adulthood

Formal operational thought: abstract, hypothetical, and future-oriented reasoning.

Formal operational thinking example

Considering possible outcomes of several career choices before deciding.

Postformal thought as presented in Week 7

A proposed extension of adult thinking that integrates different perspectives; it is not an established fifth stage in Piaget's original theory.

Dialectical thought

Considering an idea and its opposing idea together, then developing a synthesis that integrates them.

Thesis

The initial proposition or statement of belief in dialectical thought.

Antithesis

A proposition or belief that opposes the thesis.

Synthesis

A new idea that integrates the thesis and antithesis into a more comprehensive understanding.

Order of dialectical thought

Thesis → antithesis → synthesis.

A person weighs career ambition against family needs and develops a plan incorporating both. Which thinking process?

Dialectical thought: integrating opposing viewpoints into a synthesis.

Formal operational versus dialectical thought

Formal operational thought supports abstract and hypothetical reasoning; dialectical thought specifically integrates opposing perspectives.

Levinson's theory

Life has four seasons with relatively stable structures separated by transition periods.

Levinson's structure phase

A period when a person establishes major life arrangements, such as a career or partnership.

Levinson's transitional phase

A period when earlier choices are reassessed and may change.

A young adult reconsiders a career and partnership after several years. Which Levinson concept?

A transitional phase.

Midlife crisis in Levinson's framework

Reassessment of life direction that may involve dissatisfaction and major changes; it does not happen to every adult.

Kohlberg's moral level emphasized in Week 7

Postconventional reasoning based on self-chosen principles, rights, and responsibilities.

Postconventional moral reasoning

Evaluating right and wrong using examined ethical principles while considering individual and societal needs.

Does every adult automatically reach postconventional reasoning?

No. Moral reasoning varies; adult age alone does not establish the level.

Reasoning ability linked to postconventional morality in the lecture

Formal operational reasoning, including abstract thought and consideration of different viewpoints.

What influences adult moral reasoning?

Responsibilities, life experiences, education, and awareness of how actions affect others.

A person challenges a rule because it violates a considered principle of human rights. Which moral level?

Postconventional reasoning.

Erikson's young-adult stage

Intimacy versus isolation.

Intimacy in Erikson's theory

The ability to form reciprocal, trusting, close relationships and share important aspects of life.

Isolation in Erikson's theory

Difficulty developing close, mutually supportive relationships.

Does Erikson's intimacy mean only sexual relationships?

No. It also includes close emotional relationships and mutual sharing.

Why is identity important before intimacy?

A clearer sense of self can support commitment and closeness without losing one's identity.

How can earlier trust development affect adult relationships?

Trust can support openness, mutual reliance, and commitment in close relationships.

A young adult forms a close friendship involving trust and mutual support. Which Erikson concept?

Intimacy, even without a romantic or sexual relationship.

Factors influencing young-adult sexuality in the lecture

Culture, religion, personal values, trust, compromise, and commitment.

Self-concept concerns in young adulthood

Exploring possibilities or making firm commitments while developing an adult identity and sense of independence.

What can a full-time job represent for a young adult?

Financial independence and a stronger sense of personal identity.

Independent housing as a milestone

Establishing a home separate from one's parents can reflect growing independence; timing varies with circumstances.

Linked lives

The idea that family members' lives remain interconnected and influence one another.

How may parents support emerging adults?

Financial help, housing, tuition, food, medical care, and emotional support.

Helicopter parenting

Hovering closely and being ready to intervene when the emerging adult encounters a problem.

Snowplow parenting

Clearing obstacles from the emerging adult's path before the adult has to face them.

Helicopter versus snowplow parenting

Helicopter parents hover and intervene; snowplow parents remove obstacles in advance.

Benefits of friendship in young adulthood

Companionship, joy, emotional support, and protection against stress.

Platonic friendship

A close relationship that is not romantic or sexual.

How should gender patterns in friendships be interpreted?

The lecture describes group tendencies influenced by culture, not rules that apply to every individual.

Sternberg's three components of love

Passion, intimacy, and commitment.

Passion in Sternberg's theory

Intense attraction, excitement, and emotional or physical arousal.

Intimacy in Sternberg's theory

Closeness, mutual understanding, and sharing personal experiences or feelings.

Commitment in Sternberg's theory

The decision to maintain a relationship and invest in its continuity.

A partner describes excitement and intense attraction. Which love component?

Passion.

Partners share private concerns and understand one another deeply. Which love component?

Intimacy.

Partners decide to stay together and provide ongoing care. Which love component?

Commitment.

Choice overload

Having so many possibilities that thoughtful decision-making becomes difficult.

A person cannot choose among many potential dating partners. Which concept?

Choice overload.