1. Psychosocial Development in Young Adulthood
Chapter 14
Psychosocial Development in Young Adulthood

2. Four approaches to adult psychosocial development:
These models find considerable stability in personality
Normative Stage Models
age-related development that continues through the lifespan

3. Erikson- Intimacy vs. Isolation (early adulthood)
If cannot make deep personal commitments to others, risk becoming overly isolated and self-absorbed.
Prepared and willing to unite their identity with others
Seek relationships of intimacy, partnerships, and affiliations.
Prepared to develop necessary strengths to fulfill these commitments despite the sacrifices that may have to make

4. Erikson- Intimacy vs. Isolation (early adulthood)
Hazard of this stage is isolation, which is the avoidance of relationships because one is unwilling to commit oneself to intimacy.
Virtue of Love comes into being.
The development of true intimacy transpires only AFTER the age of adolescence.

5. Timing-of-events models
Change is not related to age as much as to the expected or unexpected occurrence and timing of important life events.
Marriage, parenthood, grandparenthood, retirement
Aware of own social clock: their societies norms for life events

6. Trait models
Focus on mental, emotional, temperamental and behavioral traits. Typically change through emerging adulthood and more slowly after that.
Five-factor models
Personality factors that seem to underlie five groups of associated traits (Big Five)

7. Trait Models: Five Factors of Personality

8. Five-factor models
Neuroticism (emotional stability- anxiety, hostility, depression, self-consciousness, impulsiveness, vulnerability)
Extraversion (warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity, excitement-seeking, positive emotions)
Openness to experience (willing to try new things and embrace new ideas)
Conscientiousness (achievers, competent, orderly, dutiful, deliberate, disciplined)
Agreeableness (trusting, straightforward, altruistic, compliant, modest, easily swayed)

9. Summary of Big Five:
Continuity in all five domains
40-66% heredity of these factors
Agreeableness- identified in childhood
No noticeable changes between adolescence and age 30, slower changes thereafter
Age-related and universal
Women score higher on neuroticism and agreeableness; certain facets of extraversion and openness to experience- warmth, openness to aesthetic experience.
Men score higher on assertiveness and openness to ideas

10. Summary of Big Five:
The Big Five are associated with feelings of health and well-being
Major limitation: based on subjective ratings. Simply assigns traits, not explaining personality or development

11. Typology models
Broader personality types/styles, that represent how personality traits are organized
Personality types:
Ego-resilient: adaptability under stress; well adjusted, self-confident, confident, helpful.
Ego-control- self-control;
 Overcontrolled people: shy, anxious, dependable, withdrawn
Undercontrolled people: active, energetic, impulsive, stubborn.

12. Intimate Relationships
Friendships during young and middle adulthood tend to center on work and parenting activities- sharing confidence and advice.
Women typically have more intimate friendships than men and may find relationships with other women more satisfying than with men.
Love
May be addictive, a game for some, abusive, journey.

13. Sternberg’s Triangular subtheory of Love
There elements:
Intimacy: the emotional element, involves self-disclosure, leads to connection, warmth, trust.
Passion: the motivational element; based on inner drives that translate into physiological arousal into sexual desire.
Commitment: the cognitive element; decision to love and stay with someone.
Similarities or differences in personality traits had little to no correlation with marital satisfaction or choice of partner.

14. Sexuality
4 differences between mens/womens sexual appetites:
men tend to show greater sexual desire than women; want sex more, more likely to masturbate.
Men seek primarily physical pleasure; women want sex with intimate, committed relationships.
Aggression more strongly linked to sexuality for men.
Women’s sexuality tends to show more plasticity.

15. Sexuality
Three main attitudes about sex:
Reproductive (30%): sex permissible only for reproductive purposes within marriage
Recreational (25%): whatever feels good and doesn’t hurt anyone is fine
Relational (45%): sex accompanied by love/affection, not necessarily marriage
Men more permissive about sex
Date rape a problem, high on college campuses. 

16. Lifestyles
Single life
Some choose to be single; others seek to marry
Sexual preference had no impact on quality of relationships, marriages, or raising children.
Factors predictive of quality and stability of relationships:
Psychological adjustment
Personality traits
Perceptions of equality between partners
Problem solving techniques
Satisfaction with social support

17. Cohabitation
Living together without legal commitment of marriage
½ married couples lived together prior to marriage
Cohabitating tends to be less satisfying and less stable than marriage
50% end within first year

18. Cohabitation
cohabitating couples who marry tend to have unhappier marriages and greater likelihood of divorce than those who wait until marriage to live together
couples who cohabitate after engagement have less problems than those who cohabitated prior to the engagement
couples who conceive during cohabitation are more likely to marry and remain together
couples who bear a child during cohabitation are more likely to break-up after marriage

19. Cohabitation
cohabitants tend to have unconventional attitudes which tend to interfere with committed relationships;
the cohabitating itself is probably less the issue; also more likely to have family backgrounds positive for divorce and problematic relationships- which predict unstable marriages.

20. Marriage
Offers division of labor, intimacy, commitment, friendship, affection, sexual fulfillment, companionship, emotional growth opportunities, new sources for self-esteem and identity.
Average age for first marriage: mid to late 20’s
Sexual activity tends to occur far less than media depicts; but more emotional satisfaction from sex

21. Marital satisfaction
Married people tend to be happier than unmarried or divorced
Marital satisfaction related to: increased economic resources, equal decision making, nontraditional gender attitudes, support for norm of long marriage, husband sharing of housework; negatively affected by premarital cohabitation, extramarital affairs, wife’s job demands, wife’s long working hours.
Cohesiveness of marriage based on rewards- lasted longer: love, respect, trust, communication, compatibility, commitment to partner

22. 1/5 women abused by partner- probably much higher
Divorce
Top three reasons cited:
Incompatibility and lack of emotional support
Lack of career support for the women
Spousal abuse
Spousal Abuse
1/5 women abused by partner- probably much higher

23. Parenthood
Positive and negative impact. Marital satisfaction typically declines during child raising years.
New stressors
Budgeting
Sacrifices
Making time for intimacy
Adaptive

24. Divorce
Approximately 20-50%.
Later age of marriage and higher education helps marriages last
Reasons for divorce:
Lack of perception of marriage as a sacred union
Loss of families traditional function as producer/team
Sexual infidelity
Values for autonomy
Free choice
Romantic love

25. Staying together for the sake of the child does far more harm than divorce could ever cause!