1. Psychology 2314 Emerging Adulthood: Body, Mind, and Social World Chapter 11 Emerging adulthood Influence of egocentrism Changing trends and attitudes BMI Physical, sexual, psychological development Effects of edgework Psychoanalytic theory Drug use, abuse, addiction Senescence Social norms Behavioral theory Cognitive development Epigenetic theory Self-concept and the effects Set point weight

2. The years from 18 to 25 are considered to be the prime of life according to terms of physiological development. Any difficulties that young adults experience in biosocial development are not related to aging Emerging adults no longer have to be married and have children by age 20, technology, globalization, and medicine have created an emerging new stage of life span…emerging adulthood...characterized by later marriage, more education, more choices in vocation, and later parenthood…just more freedom Emerging adulthood is influenced by economic, ethnic, and cultural factors

3. The sexual reproductive system is at its strongest during emerging adulthood. Young adults have a strong sex drive, are more fertile, and have more frequent orgasms…fewer diseases Emerging adults are healthier…lifestyle choices, higher SES…by age 20 the immune system has developed to fight of most illnesses Most emerging adults lead active lifestyles and the body will return to homeostasis following a disruption in the system Homeostasis may also prevent young people from realizing that they are ill, or from taking better care of themselves…over eating, lack of sleep, starving, drugs Homeostasis keeps the body weight at the set point weight With regards to weight everyone has a weight that is most comfortable for them…the set point. The set point is affected by genes, diet, age, hormones, and exercise. To assess whether a person is too thin or too fat, clinicians calculate a body mass index (BMI), which is body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

4. A normal weight is between 20 and 25 BMI, above 25 is overweight, and above 30 is obese. The average woman during early adulthood would like to weigh 8 pounds less, and the average man, 5 pounds more. Homeostasis is the adjustment of the body’s system to keep the physiological functions in a state of equilibrium. Many homeostatic resources are regulated in the brain by the pituitary. It is most efficient during emerging adulthood. Although the average maximum heart rate declines steadily with age, the resting heart rate remains stable. During this time, most visits to the doctor are prompted by injuries and pregnancy.

5. Attitudes towards sex also changes during this time (and has over the past 50 years). Most emerging adults today condone premarital sex. Most are sexually active and have 1 steady partner at a time, a pattern of sexual activity called serial monogamy. Most people in the United States believe that the primary purpose of sex is to strengthen relationships. This attitude is especially common among women…social & cultural norms Emerging adults engage in serial monogamy About one-fourth of all people in the United States believe that the primary purpose of sex is reproduction. This attitude is more common among women and older adults. The remainder believes that the primary purpose of sex is recreation. This attitude is more common among men.

6. Emerging adults are having fewer babies; this may also be a consequence of social construct (large families were the norm), technology, and contraception The fertility rate is below the replacement rate…the number of births per woman that would be required to maintain a nation’s population with no increases or decreases Emerging adults rarely get seriously ill is because of the organ reserve, the extra capacity that each organ has for responding to unusually stressful events or prolonged effort. The body also has a muscle reserve, but muscle capacity begins to decline at about age 30, though change is so gradual that the functioning required for daily life is largely unaffected until late adulthood. One consequence of sexual patterns among today’s young adults is that the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is higher today than ever before.

7. At every age, exercise protects against serious illness. Exercise reduces blood pressure, strengthens the heart and lungs, and makes depression, osteoporosis, heart disease, arthritis, and some cancers less likely. Engaging, excessively, in unhealthy behaviors will have a negative impact on health in older adulthood. Emerging adults take risks, a behavior that is not only age- related but also genetic and hormonal. For example, many emerging adults are drawn to activities that include danger and excitement (edgework). Other manifestations of the risk-taking impulses are competitive extreme sports, such as motocross. The impulses that lead to edgework along with a tendency to downplay the future (negative) consequences of destructive behaviors (invincibility fable) in favor of the more pleasurable immediate consequences (delay discounting) are probably factors in drug use.

8. Drug abuse is defined as using a drug in a manner that is harmful to the individual’s physical, cognitive, or psychosocial well-being. Drug addiction is measure by the need for more of a drug. Withdrawal symptoms are the telltale indication of addiction. Drugs do account for many deaths during emerging adulthood, and may vary according to country and culture…suicidal rates are higher for males than females To decrease excessive drug use many encourage the increase of supervision during emerging adulthood…emerging adults who live with parents, partners, or spouses are less likely to engage in drug use The social norms approach suggests publicizing the results of college surveys regarding alcohol use…a method of reducing risky behavior among emerging adults that is based on their desire to follow social norms…egocentrism, social comparison College students tend to overestimate how much their peers drink, smoke, or use other drugs…why? They brag, etc. The adolescent limbic system develops before the prefrontal cortex matures, adolescents are more likely to switch between intuitive and logical thought

9. In emerging adulthood, these two modes become better aligned, new experiences will merge with the maturing prefrontal cortex to form new dendrites while unused neurons disappear…pruning Making connections between emotion and logic is developing in emerging adulthood Emerging adults are coming out of egocentrism, and start contemplating the perspectives of many people and lessons learned from experience, using intuition and logic (wisdom) Emerging adolescents see themselves as… Self-protective (high in self-involvement, low in self-doubt) Deregulated (fragmented, overwhelmed by emotions or problems) Complex (valuing openness and independence above all else) Integrated (able to regulate emotions and logic) not reachable until at least 20 yrs Young adults can be subjective and objective, unlike adolescents…egocentrism Because of this emerging adults show cognitive flexibility…change in social constructs

10. Full height is reached at about age 16 in females, and 18 in males. Senescence, or age-related physical decline, begins as soon as full growth is reached. Muscle growth and fat accumulation continue into the early 20’s. For both sexes, physical strength increases into the early 20’s then decreases. As the demands of life (marriage, work, children) increases, formerly active adults often quit exercising. There are many factors that could account for this… like…? People tend to exercise more if they are part of a social network that exercises (the buddy system helps people to maintain accountability) People who live in a community that provides convenient exercise facilities or opportunities for exercising tends to exercise more. Excessive concern with eight can become pathological, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, both of which can become life threatening.

11. According to psychoanalytic theory, women with eating disorders have a conflict with their mothers, who provided their first nourishment. According to behaviorism, disordered eating may set up a stimulus-response chain in which self-starvation and binging and purging relieve emotional stress and tension. One cognitive theory suggests that as women enter the workplace they try to project a strong, self-controlled, masculine image. Sociocultural explanations focus on the contemporary cultural pressures to be model-like in appearance. Epigenetic theory suggests that because self-starvation may cause menstruation to cease and sexual hormones to decrease, girls who are genetically susceptible to depression or addition may resort to this self-destructive behavior to relieve pressures to reproduce.

12. Identity achievement…stereotype threat…judgment based on the race, sex, age, or some other characteristic Mental health & Illness Emerging adults feel quite pleased with themselves, because added responsibilities add stress; most psychopathologies emerge during this time Stressors….being a single parent, living with one’s parents decreases happiness Diathesis-stress model…views psychopathology as the consequence of stress interacting with an underlying predisposition that produces a specific disorder (biological, psychological, or sociocultural) Mood disorders…begins in adolescence → emerging adulthood (drugs?) Anxiety disorders…ocd, could be cultural, hikikomori, very anxious because of academic and social pressures; may stay in room 6 months at a time Schizophrenia (genetic/environment interaction) the diagnosis is between 18- 24 years Family can be very important…reduce stress, grandparents may be very financially well off