Early Adulthood: Ages 20 through 39 10 Early Adulthood: Ages 20 through 39

Becoming an Adult In the U.S., the law often treats teens as adults when they become 18 years of age The transition from teen to independent adult varies for everyone Social expectations of adulthood vary by culture and are often tied to social clock expectations Social clock: the cultural expectations of when major life milestones should occur. continued

Becoming an Adult There comes a time when young adults must claim responsibility for their own well-being As people transition out of high school, they often become more responsible for making decisions that can affect their lifestyle for years to come continued

Becoming an Adult Early adulthood is often a time of experimentation and new emotions In many cultures, leaving the family home is a mark of independence and adulthood As young adults establish their self-dependence, living situations often change

Physical Qualities and Changes During young adulthood, adults no longer grow physically Young adults are in better physical condition than middle age or older adults By the age of 30, physical abilities often start to decline and weight gain is common continued

Physical Qualities and Changes Young adulthood is the time for strong physical performance Part of the peak performance of this stage relates to skeletal maturity After the age of 30, physical performance and athletic ability begin to decline continued

Physical Qualities and Changes Reducing food intake from the amounts consumed during adolescence is often necessary to avoid unhealthy weight gains Nutrient-dense food choices are important ©Tischenko Inna/Shutterstock.com continued

Physical Qualities and Changes The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend adults participate in 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week Aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities are important for maintaining physical health continued

Physical Qualities and Changes On average, adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night The body needs sleep to relax and revitalize During early adulthood, people may experience insomnia Getting the necessary hours of sleep each night is important to maintaining health continued

Physical Qualities and Changes Medical and dental exams continue to be important during early adulthood Family medical history is important to review with the doctor Healthful lifestyle choices during early adulthood can act as preventive health measures for the future continued

Physical Qualities and Changes Experimentation with alcohol is often more prevalent for young adults Binge drinking is especially common during the transitional years and can lead to alcoholism Alcohol is a toxin and impairs the body’s ability to physically and mentally function continued

Physical Qualities and Changes Alcoholism affects physical health, personal relationships, and work performance Support groups, hotlines, and therapy sessions can help a person struggling with an addiction For others, programs such as rehabilitation may be a necessary intervention

Signs of Cognitive Change Fluid intelligence, the ability to reason abstractly, is at a peak in young adulthood Crystallized intelligence is the focus of much of this stage Many inventions, social movements, and new ways of approaching life have come from young adults continued

Signs of Cognitive Change Piaget’s final stage of cognitive development, or formal operations, emerges in adolescence and continues throughout adulthood Some researchers have proposed that much cognitive development happens after adolescence, which they have termed the postformal stage continued

Signs of Cognitive Change The prefrontal cortex of the brain, which regulates emotions and impulse control, is not fully developed until about age 26 After this age, young adults rely less on emotions in their cognitive reasoning They are able to think deeply and more realistically about many issues continued

Signs of Cognitive Change A transition occurs in communication style from adolescence to early adulthood In adulthood, the expectations for professional conversation and written skills can be a very big change In addition to written language, verbal and nonverbal skills are important continued

Signs of Cognitive Change Kohlberg’s final stage of moral development is postconventional morality During this stage, adults begin to care about the community, environment, and society Values and ethics become factors in making decisions This moral stage is less egocentric and, therefore, differs from earlier stages

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Young adults are establishing their identity, making decisions, and taking responsibility for themselves and others Erikson captured early adulthood as the stage when faced with making social decisions He referred to this as the intimacy versus isolation phase continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Intimacy refers to the self-disclosure and sharing of private thoughts and emotions During the transition to adulthood, young adults alter their relationships with family members Sibling relationships also change as people enter adulthood continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Friendships are an important aspect of young adulthood Friendships in early adulthood differ from earlier stages in life In addition to changing relationships, entirely new friendships form from new environments continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Intimacy can occur in friendships, family relationships, and romantic relationships When forming new relationships, intimacy gradually develops as trust is established Developing trusting and intimate relationships is a key task during early adulthood continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Young adults who show a secure attachment style perceive relationships positively Some young adults exhibit an avoidant attachment style Others show an anxious attachment style continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change There are many different types of love people experience in relationships Friendly love is care and consideration for another Affectionate love involves romantic ways of expressing love for each other, which are not necessarily sexual continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Romantic love creates feelings of security and care and appreciation for each other Consummate love is the combination of affectionate love and a desire to commit to the relationship Love differs from infatuation continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change There are important topics to discuss to determine marriage readiness Finances Career paths Living situation Decision to parent Family expansion continued ©Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Early in marriage, partners often have to adjust to new lifestyle changes All relationships experience conflict, which is a healthy, normal part of relationships When making decisions or arguing, spouses need to learn to compromise continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Choosing to become a parent is a permanent decision that requires careful consideration Parenting carries with it certain roles and responsibilities Parents often have unconditional love for their children continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change The ability to meet some of a child’s needs is related to the family’s financial ability To meet the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional needs of children, parents make personal sacrifices and adjustments Children can offer tremendous, unique rewards continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change When conflicts arise, open communication can help resolve an issue and relieve tension and stress Sometimes, even with counseling and effort from both partners, the relationship is still dysfunctional continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Breakups, separation, and divorce can feel tragic to those involved Children especially feel the impact of divorce About half of divorced adults remarry Stepfamilies present their own challenges in family relationships continued

Signs of Socio-emotional Change Individuals in early adulthood face many cultural influences and expectations Family members and culture may influence young adults’ postsecondary decisions Individuals may deviate from expected timelines or choose not to follow expectations One rising trend in U.S. culture is singlehood

Special Needs For some people, special needs are acquired or discovered in early adulthood One disorder detected in the latter teen years or early adulthood is bipolar disorder One disorder that can be acquired in early adulthood is post traumatic stress disorder Adults with severe cognitive disorders may need frequent help from caregivers