Psych250 Exam 3

Front 1

5 developmental tasks of adolescence

Back 1

1. accept full grown body/changes of puberty
2. acquire adult ways of thinking
3. develop more mature ways of relating to peers of both sexes
4. construct/consolidate identity
5. obtain greater emotional and economic independence from parents

Front 2

nature of puberty (definition, timing, nature of body growth)

Back 2

-set of biological processes that change immature child to sexually mature person.
-girls 10 1/2-15, boys 11 1/2-17. occurring earlier now due to improved health care and diet.
-youth progress at diff. rates but follow same sequence. Asynchrony style growth (uneven) which is controlled by hormones secreted by adrenal glands.
cephalocaudal trend reverses so instead hands, legs, and feet accelerate first, followed by torso. explains awkward and out of proportion with long legs and giant feet and hands.

Front 3

sexual maturation (primary v. secondary sexual characteristics, general changes including menarche and spermache in girl vs. boy)

Back 3

-involves reproductive organs directly
-external physical changes that help distinguish male from female.
-girls get more estrogen, causes breasts and uterus to mature, fate to accumulate, regulate menstrual cycle. Menarche occurs late in sequence around age 12.5, but this is based on genetics and body fat in that girl must weight 100 lbs in order for her period to start, takes place after peak of height spurt when body is large enough for childbearing.
-boys get more androgens like testosterone, muscle growth, gains in body size, sex characteristics. spermache is first ejaculation, occurs around 13.5

Front 4

factors affecting pubertal timing Puberty: roles of genes, environment, socioemotional stress

Back 4

-tend to reach puberty at same age our parents did. identical twins have 2 month difference while fraternal twins have 12 month.
-environmental: diet and nutrition, weight, exercise (can inhibit puberty), triggering of fat cell leptin that body is ready for puberty. high income families reach menarche earlier than poor ones.
-psychosocial aspect: girls exposed to stress, divorce, absent father or family conflict reach menarche earlier. this can be seen as evolutionary because in a stressful environment it is adaptive to mature early and individuate from family.
-physical well-being is also important for puberty, because industrialized nations experience earlier ages of maturity for girls

Front 5

growth spurt; girls vs. boys timing and changes.

Back 5

-growth spurt is first outward sign of puberty. great increase in size, strength and weight (40+ lbs). it is opposite of cephalocaudal trend (head and feet grow first) so instead evens out bodies; increased appetite, size and activity of oil-producing glands, and sweat glands change.
-girls hit growth spurt 9-10 and it lasts for 2.5 years. results in more fat for girls
-boys hit growth spurt 12.5 and lasts longer. results in more muscle strength.

Front 6

adolescents' reactions to pubertal timing-effects of early and late maturation

Back 6

-early maturation for boys is viewed as well-adjusted (but report slightly more psychological stress than late maturers) but for girls is negative and results in poorer quality relationships, smaller social network, lower life satisfaction into early adulthood. both hang out with older crowds who can have bad influence, both show depression and decline in academics, but boys show no long term issues
-late bloomer girls are more accepted and better off psychologically than early girls or late boys.

Front 7

adolescent body image as focal point. Jone's results

Back 7

A focal concern- amazing amount of growth- adolecents now aware of changing
body. Adolescents are a marginal group- so within group conformity is really important.
Mass media contribute by presenting one-dimmensional images of attractiveness: boys-
physical strength, girls- thin sexy. No acne, braces, etc do not fit into these images
and makes them feel worse about their image and this leads to increased risks of eating
disorders for girls and steroid abuse for boys.

Front 8

general nature of dating and early sexual experiences, rates of teenage sexual activity.
STDs
Pregnancy

Back 8

13-14 girls, 14-15 boys.
-early dating is based on superficial intimacy rather than genuine closeness, still learning about each other and the rules.
-sexual initiation begins btw 15-19, boys tend to have first sex experience earlier than girls do.
-inconsistent use of protection and contraception, leads to highest STD rate of any age group, and 20% of sexually active teen girls becomes pregnant each year.

Front 9

gender differences in sexual scripts and early sexual experiences.
-reasons for first sexual intercourse

Back 9

-male script:expected to be interested in sex, part of being a man, expected to take initiative, acceptance/idealization of non-relational sex. first experience tied to 'scoring'.
-female script: expected to be less interested in sex, more interested in love and relationships (good vs. bad girl), responsible ones and limit-setters, little emphasis on own desire but rather goal is to be desired (sexually attractive but not active). first sexual experience tied to feelings of love and closeness.
-reasons for first intercourse: peer pressure and curiousity equal for both genders. men had more sex drive, women more likely to say they were ready and emotionally connected

Front 10

-sexual socialization as multidimensional process
-common sources of sexual communication

Back 10

-dominant sources: parents seen as initial sexuality educators, peers, school, media often cited as important. source of into varies by topic (body parts from parents, details from friends)
-living in US and in hazardous neighborhood increases likelihood of sexual activity. same with early and prolonged father absence for girls.

Front 11

• nature of parental sexual communication – general findings from Miller et al (1998) and lecture

Back 11

american parents typically give minimal direct verbal info, try to convey values in more subtle ways, focus of communication on biology, physical development, sexual safety, minimal discussion of pleasure and feelings. 2/3 of young people have talked to parents about sexuality. quantities vary by topic, usually mothers discuss issues more than fathers, and parents believe they are more communicative than children perceive them to be.
-Miller surveyed latino and black adolescents 14-16 and at least one parent. found that for 10 topics mothers discussed topic more than father, but students reported less involvement, and reported talking to dad less too.

Front 12

• impact of parental communication on early sexual behavior – why mixed findings?

Back 12

-expect that parental input will be beneficial, but studies found that parent/child communication is associated with a delay of sex and safer sex practices. but some also report parental input as negative or not affective. potential reason for mixed feelings is that researchers look at parental communication to simplistically and dont look at timing of communication. also have a vague definition of sexual info and focus on amount over content. many different concepts they could talk about, and each have different effect.

Front 13

• comparison of the nature of sexual communication from parents, peers, and the media (Ward lab findings)

Back 13

peers are leading source of sexual info, followed by media (sexual freedom, stereotypes)
parents are 3rd and coach that sex is for marriage and love.
3 sources were equal on communication of love to relationships.

Front 14

• nature of sexual content on TV - general findings from Ward (1995) content analysis

Back 14

29% of interactions contained references to sexual issues. varied by program, but top themes were: sexual/romantic relations as competition, men value and select women based on physical appearance, and sex is defining act of masculinity (w/ female)
-correlation between more TV watching and college women accepting more traditional gender roles
-H.S students watch tv because with their friends, the more TV they watched the more they induced sexual themes or women as objects.
-had 3 groups watch clips and attitude was measured. found that TV exposure does appear to play role in shaping students. stronger acceptance of recreational attitude about sex, related to holding stereotypical notions about female/male sexual roles, contributes to sense that everyone is doing it.

Front 15

• general findings about connections between TV viewing and adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behavior (Strasburger, 1995) & Ward lab - effects of sexualized media ideal (Ward lab)

Back 15

-greater media use associated with stronger endorsement of traditional gender ideologies that sexualize women's bodies and support sexual double standard.
-learning motive, perceived realism, magazines
-endorsing these notions linked to more negative attitudes about breast feeding and childbirth and less comfortable with reproductive functions of women's bodies.

Front 16

• teenage pregnancy - rates, consequences;
-adolescent substance use and abuse
-STD rates

Back 16

-early pregnancy related to poor academics, engagement in alc and drugs, aggressive and antisocial behavior, depression, deviant peers, low income minority teens.
-consequences of educational attainment reduction, reduction in marriage, and poor economic circumstances. high rates of prenatal and birth complications. 20% teen pregnancy, US has highest rate.
-ads and parental use of cigs, alc, caffeine influence high rates. minimal experimenters more healthy than any group. poverty is linked to family and peer contexts that promote illegal drug use. low SES, genetics, family mental helath problems, parental and older sibling drug abuse, lack of parental warmth/involvement, physical/sexual abuse, poor school performance
-1/6 teens contracts STDs each year. 3Xs as high as any other country.

Front 17

cognitive development is formal operational thought:

Back 17

around age 11-15, can now deal with abstract and
hypothetical , thinking is now more enlightened, imaginative, idealisitic, and rational.
Reason like a scientist- research has shown that growth of formal reasoning abilities is
slower and less complete than piaget believed

Front 18

4 specific advances in adolescent thinking include:
1. thinking about possibilities
2. thinking through hypotheses (hypothetico-deductive reasoning
3. thinking about abstract concepts
4. second-order thinking

Back 18

1. what if. propositional thought, able to evaluate logic of propositions w/o referencing to real-world circumstances. can better handle abstract and hypothetical, allows adolescence to fantasize and speculate on a grand scale. able to consider a range of alternatives in problem solving. 2. Thinking through hypotheses (?If, then?) ? hypothetico deductive reasoning. Able to
formulate, test, and evaluate hypotheses, ex: what makes a pendulum swing more: weight,
string, both? Younger chn random, adolescents solve this problem more systematically
3. thinking about abstract concepts- love, faith, greed
4. thinking about thoughts- ?second order thinking?- thinking about relationships

Front 19

• Role of brain development in adolescents’ changing thinking – why we see more “what were they thinking” moments

Back 19

-improvements in rational thinking fostered by growth spurt in production of gray matter,
chiefly in frontal lobes- improves reasoning, judgement and planning. But adolescents
still do not fully resemeble adults in their decision making- they have the same
reasoning in lab, but adolesencts still have risk taking behavior and ? what were they
thinking moments?-
-decision making in the real world is a product of both logical reasoning and
psychosocial factors such as impulse control, and future orientation- these mature at dif
rates

Front 20

– sources of psychosocial immaturity

Back 20

gap in the maturation of brain
networks, socioemotional networks develop early- highlight emotion, rewards, sensation
seeking, positive interactions, cognitive control systems develop later and more
gradually, responsible for: impulse control, emotional regulation, delay of
gratification, resistance to peer influence

Front 21

side effects of new thinking:
-2 distortions in the relation btw self and others

Back 21

1. Two distortions in the relation between self and others
a. heightened self-consciousness - imaginary audience- erroneous belief that one’s
behavior is the subject of constant public attention
b. specialness - personal fable- erroneous belief that one’s thoughts, feelings, and
experiences are totally unique
2. Sensitive to hypocrisy
3. Indecisiveness - difficulty with everyday decision-making

Front 22

academic achievement: role of child-rearing practices, peers, classroom learning

Back 22

-authoritative parenting style produces best results, uninvolved style is the worst. parents in frequent contact with the school send message to teenager of value of education and they model constructive solutions to academic problems.
-peers with similar values stick together. while some minorities face discrimination from teachers and that could result in stereotype threat, case study of 6 inner city poor black kids showed they were aware of oppression but were determined to succeed.
-tracking into low track of courses makes it difficult to break out. also teachers and counselors often can not pay special attention, so individuals get overlooked, especially those in low SESs. lack of stimulation, general education and vocational tracks, impersonal schools, and unsupportive teachers are more likely to drop out, and inner city schools. 11% don't complete HS of americans.

Front 23

changes in self-concept and self-esteem in adolescence

Back 23

-generalize separate personality traits into more abstract descriptions (but in beginning descriptions can be contradictory) and place more emphasis on social virtues, and later personal and moral values are key themes. realize qualities change situationally.
-add dimensions of close friendship, romantic appeal, and job competence to self-evaluation. authoritative parenting and encouragement from teachers predicts high self-esteem. negative feedback only triggers uncertainty about self's capacity or at worst sense of incompetency. individual differences in self-esteem tend to stabilize and overall self-esteem is strengthened.

Front 24

Erikson's definition of identity
-psychosocial conflict of identity vs. identity confusion – crisis or exploration?

Back 24

identity=well organized conception of the self made up of values, beliefs, and goals to which individual is solidly committed. involves peer and peer-network rehearsal and exploration of career, political beliefs, religious beliefs, sexual identity, gender role beliefs, cultural identity, personality and interests.
must integrate various components of one's self-understanding into a coherent identity. realize that you are changing and becoming someone else.
-psychological conflict of adolescence is identity vs. role confusion, and a failure in identity formation is marked by lack of an adult path and inability for intimate relationship
-Erikson believed adolescents went through identity crisis, which is a temporary period of confusion and distress experienced while experimenting with alternatives. however current researchers do not see this as a crisis but rather exploration.

Front 25

•identity development issues among ethnic minority adolescents: ethnic identity

Back 25

Defined as feelings of belonging to a specific ethnic group. Achieving a ethnic identity occurs in stages-disinterest, exploration, achievement. May be challenging for ethnic minority youth to negotiate stereotypes of their group held by mainstream culture. May be challenging to confront conflicting values. Research indicates benefits of having a strong ethnic identity-self esteem, academic achievement.

Front 26

• four stages in identity formation: identity achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, diffusion

Back 26

•Identity achievement=completed the struggle, committed to a set of self-chosen values and goals.
•Identity moratorium=holding pattern, midst of exploration, not yet made commitments.
•Identity foreclosure=pursuing goals chosen by others, commitment without expiration.
•Identity diffusion=not committed to particular values and goals, not actively exploring. Lack of clear direction.
•Other issues and characteristics=these are not static states. Adolescents often shift from one status to another until identity is achieved- college often trigger increased exploration.

Front 27

•Kohlberg’s assessment. 3 broad levels of moral reasoning
(preconventional, conventional, postconventional)

Back 27

Heinz dilemma. clinical interview procedure with hypothetical moral dilemma. only boys 10-16 years old, reinterviewed them for following 20 years so longitudinal study. reasons that it is the way a person answers, not the content of the response, that determines moral maturity. he took into consideration actively grappling with moral issues and noticing weaknesses in one's current reasoning, and gains in perspective taking.
•Preconventional=morality is externally controlled and is governed by external rewards and punishments. (no the law will be mad at you, yes because otherwise your wife will be mad at you). behaviors that result in punishment are bad, those that lead to rewards are good.

•Conventional=societal rules are important, abide by internal standards, but they are the rules of others. Actively maintain positive relationships and social order.

•Postconventional=move beyond an unquestioning support for laws to define morality in terms of abstract principles and values.

Front 28

criticisms of Kohlberg’s moral reasoning approach

Back 28

1.focuses solely on moral thought without testing behavior.
2.cultural biases, age biases?
3. Gilligan-justice perspective does not fully reflect relationships and concern for others (care perspective)

Front 29

how striving for autonomy and individuation plays out in adolescence.

Back 29

• Definition of individuation=process of becoming an individual, separate emotionally from one’s parents
• Autonomy-a sense of oneself as a separate, self-governing individual, aim to rely more on themselves than their parents.

Front 30

•parent-child conflict in adolescence - timing, typical topics, oppositional goals of parent and child

Back 30

• Changing parent-child dynamics: An increase in parent-child conflict. Conflict is often most frequent in early adolescence (11-12) and most intense in mid-adolescence. Conflicts tend to focus on issues of self-discipline and self-control-usually involve repeated, petty arguments about cleanliness, leisure time, chores. Represents teen’s desire for independence. Conflicts are bidirectional in that both parents and adolescents are dealing with their own developmental issues. Continual turmoil is rare. Most teens admire and love parents, rely on them for advice, embrace their values, and feel loved by parents. 20% say top concern is not enough time with parents.

Front 31

•adolescent friendships, peer groups, cliques, crowds,

Back 31

-seek intimacy and loyalty in friendships. emotional closeness common among girls, achievement and status among boys.
-clique is 5-7 members who are good friends and resemble one another in family background, attitudes, and values. a crowd is larger/looser version of a clique. linked to strengths in adolescents' self-concepts that reflect their interests and abilities. also peer group values are extensions of values acquired at home. as interest in dating increases boys and girls cliques come together so they can interact without being intimate, but eventually couples date and mixed sex clique disappears back to segregated ones. 10-12 grade 50% people switch crowds in favorable direction associated with rewarding friendships and gains in self-esteem. as teens settle on personal values and goals, crowds decline in importance. and brain and normal crowds grow while deviant crowds lose members.

Front 32

dating and developmental changes, dating scripts

Back 32

-dating: hormonal changes of puberty increase sexual interest, but cultural expectations determine when and how dating starts. early dating, because shallow and stereotyped, is related to drug use, delinquency, and poor academics. because still forming identities, find they have little in common later on. dating is hard for homos, fear peer harassment and rejection.

Front 33

adolescent depression and suicide

Back 33

most common psychological problem of adolescence
-symptoms increase sharply btw 13 and 15
-depression is characterized by pervasive feelings of sadness, irritability, low self-esteem, boredom, inability to experience pleasure
-occurs twice as likely in girls than boys. Theories include: females are more likely to ruminate, biological changes of puberty, gender role socialization and self –image.
-also linked to both biological factors (heredity and NT levels) and environmental factors (loss, stress).
-suicide is third leading cause of death in america’s young people
-10% have attempted (aprox 1 million each year), 25-30% have seriously thought about it at some point.
-suicide tends to occur among two groups (highly intelligent, solitary and withdrawn) or (shows antisocial tendencies such as bullying, fighting, risk taking, stealing, and drug use).
-universal risk factor features=inability to synthesize solutions to problems and lack of coping strategies to deal with immediate stressors-a narrow view of available options.
-gender differences in suicidal behavior: boys who kill themselves outnumber girls 5 to 1. But girls make more threats and unsuccessful attempts.

Front 34

2 theories of physical changes of aging in functioning of internal body systems
1. programmed effects of specific genes
2. cummulative effects of random events

Back 34

1. genetic programming proposes 'aging genes' that control certain biological changes. evidence that with aging/cell duplication, special type of DNA called telomeres located at the end of chromosomes, shorten and eventually so little remains that cells cant duplicate. increase in these short telomeres called senescent cells contributes to loss of function and disease.
2. random events believes free radicals (highly reactive naturally occurring chemicals that form in presence of oxygen) destroy DNA and the essentials for cell functioning.

Front 35

•peak of physical development and health - how this is manifested; body reaching its full form

Back 35

-prime of life concerning physiological development
-physical strength gradually increases during the 20, reaches a peal around 30, and then declines
-athletic skill peaks between 20 and 30
-all body systems function at optimum level-overall healthy state
-death from disease is rare
-body has reached full form in 20s: growth in muscle, increases in fat, weight typically increases

Front 36

biological aging-general nature and causes

Back 36

•Definition of biological aging: genetically influenced declines in the functioning of organs and systems that are universal among humans• General nature of biological aging
-process of decline is asynchronous
-large differences across individuals in rate and course of aging due to many factors: genetics, lifestyle choices, living environment, historical period
-wear and tear theory, but parts of the body usually replace or repair themselves.

Front 37

physical changes of aging in physical appearance

Back 37

-gradual loss of collagen-thinner, less flexible skin, wrinkles, sagging
-other parts of body wrinkle and sag
-gray and sometimes thinning hair begins to emerge around 30
-decrease in number of pigment producing cells

Front 38

physical changes of aging in functioning of internal body systems

Back 38

-gradual changes in functioning of internal body systems, examples:
-failure of endocrine system to produce and regulate hormones
-decline in immune system function
-heart and lung functioning decline due to stiffening of connective tissue
-reproductive capacity declines, especially after 35
-takes longer to adapt and recover

Front 39

cross-linkage theory of aging

Back 39

over time, protein fibers that make up the body's connective tissue form bonds with one another. when these normally separate fibers cross-link, tissue becomes less elastic, leading to many negative outcomes, including loss of flexibility in skin and other organs, clouding of lens of eye, clogging of arteries, damage to kidneys.

Front 40

nature & impact of smoking & binge drinking. schulenberg findings

Back 40

• Consequences of Smoking
-single biggest contributor to health problems
-related to 440,000 deaths each year
-related to over half of all cancers
-approx. 90% of smokers start before age 21
-quitting at any point can have enormous health benefits
• Binge Drinking Definitions
-Men: 5 or more drinks in a 2-hour period
-Women: 4 or more drinks in a 2-hour period
Prevalence- both frequent binge drinkers and non-drinkers have increased in numbers. of 17,500 undergrads surveyed, 44% reported to be binge drinkers
Potential Problems resulting from binge drinking are that it is health-compromising behavior, and once a binge drinker always a binge drinker
• Patterns in drinking (work of Schulenberg et al.)
-followed 6.852 youths from age 18 to 24
-identified 6 trajectories of binge drinking and found that Chronic (6.8%) and Decreased (11.7%)
Decreased were more likely to: have relatively more concrete plans for the future, express more dissatisfaction with the present, express a lower desire to drink to get drunk

Front 41

•heterosexual and homosexual attitudes and behavior

Back 41

-later marriage, higher divorce rates create more opportunities for new sex partners. higher number of sex partners (but low frequency in general) does not vary across social groups of different education, SES or ethnicity.
-as number of sexual partners increases, satisfaction declines. and married couples are more satisfied sexually
-sexual difficulties are linked to low SES and psychological stress, history of unfavorable personal relationships and experiences sexually.
-55-65% US say its okay to be homo. gays live in large cities where others share their sexual orientation or in college towns were attitudes are more accepting.

Front 42

Arnett- what/when is stage of emerging adulthood

Back 42

18-25. change and exploration is common. many different potential futures remain possible and personal freedom and exploration are higher for most people than at any other time. industrialized societies.

Front 43

• Riegel’s view of adult cognition - dialectical thought and its characteristics

Back 43

-Dialectical operations or postformal thought
-accept contradiction and integrate differing viewpoints into a larger conceptual understanding-understand pros and cons
-involves reasoning that is adapted to subjective, real-life contexts

Front 44

• Labouvie-Vief’s view of adult cognition - integration of objective, analytic thought and subjective thought

Back 44

-employing only traditional models may be maladaptive
-subjective feelings and personal experiences must be integrated with objective, analytic thought
-during adulthood, people gain in cognitive-affective complexity, which is awareness of positive and negative feelings and coordination of them into a complex, organized structure. this helps people regulate intense emotions and think rationally about real-world dilemmas.
-movement from hypothetical to pragmatic thought which is a structural, advancement in which logic becomes a tool for solving real-world problems. the need to specialize motivates this.

Front 45

•general characteristics of postformal thought - relativism, contradiction, synthesis

Back 45

-relativism-awareness of multiple truths
-contradiction-weighing pros and cons, taking into account benefits and consequences
-synthesis-synthesizing contradictory thoughts, emotions, and experiences
-thinking and reasoning change during course of adulthood but more slowly and in a less predictable age-specific manner.

Front 46

3 stages of vocational choices (fantasy period, tentative period, realistic period)

Back 46

1. fantasy period- early/middle childhood, children gain first insight into career options by fantasizing. preferences are guided by familiarity, glamour, and excitement and bear little relation to future decision
2. tentative period-11-16, adolescents think about careers in more complex ways, at first in terms of their interests and then in terms of their abilities and values.
3. realistic period-by late teens and early twenties, with the economic and practical realities of adulthood nearing, start to narrow options. begin with further explanation by gathering more info about possibilities that blend with their personal characteristics, and in final stage called crystallization, they focus on general vocational category and experiment for a time before settling on one occupation.
*low SES have inhibited choices, family, personality, teachers, gender stereotypes all have influence.

Front 47

•cognitive & psychological impact of college experience

Back 47

-set back in grades has a greater impact on women than men
-improves verbal and quantitative skills and knowledge of specific subject areas
-improves oral and written communication skills
-improves various aspects of problem-solving
-applying reason and evidence
-identifying strengths and weaknesses
-aware of multiple perspectives and truths-relativism
-see revisions in attitudes and values
-foster concern with individual rights and human welfare-enlightenment
-develop a greater self-understanding, enhanced self-esteem, and a firmer sense of identity
-prepares students to be lifelong learners

Front 48

Levinson's Seasons of Life Overview

Back 48

Levinson’s Season’s of Life
• Overview of the Theory- based on 40 in depth interviews of white and black men aged 35-45- reviewed biographies of famous men
• Wrote “seasons on a man’s life (1978).”
• Then interviewed women age 35-45 years of life he wrote “seasons of a woman’s life” (1996).
• Central concept is the life structure= underlying pattern or design of a person’s life at a given time- consists of relationships with significant others
• Sees development as a sequence of stable and transitional phases
• Stable-pursue goals- at ease with self
• Transitional phases- question one’s life and explore new possibilities

Front 49

the social clock

Back 49

age-graded expectations for major life events. all societies have such timetables, and being too early or late can profoundly affect self-esteem because adults make social comparisons, measuring their progress against that of agemates. following social clock of some kind (whether feminine in marriage by 30, or masculine in high end career by 30) fosters confidence because it guarentees they will engage in work of society, develop skills, and increase in understanding of self and others. stability of society is dependent on this clock.

Front 50

the family life cycle

Back 50

a sequence of phases characterizing the development of most families around the world.
-when young adults are prepared for independence and feel securely attached to their parents, departure from the home is linked to more satisfying parent-child interaction and successful transition to adult roles. non-college-bound youth who move out in late 20s have less successful marriages and work lives.

Front 51

•Erikson’s psychosocial conflict - intimacy vs. isolation; characteristics of this conflict and of each outcome

Back 51

this conflict is reflected in the young person's thoughts and feelings about making a permanent commitment to an intimate partner. a. intimacy involves a mutually satisfying, close relationship with another person
b. Must balance needs for independence and intimacy- without independence you define yourself only in terms of your partner which causes you to sacrifice self-respect & initiative, without intimacy you face isolation, loneliness, and self-absorption
c. Positive relationship= intimacy- able to commit to a love relationship and sacrifice and compromise
d. Negative resolution= isolation- involves an inability or failure to achieve mutuality

Front 52

Criticisms of Levinson's theory

Back 52

. relevance of patterns to today’s youth- cohort effects?
2. absence of low-income men and women in samples

Front 53

Levinson's Seasons of Life: Sequence for early Adulthood, areas of sex differences, and 2 organizing factors (dream and mentory)

Back 53

• Sequence for Early Adulthood:
- 17-22 = transition phase to early adulthood. Task is to become psychologically independent from parents
- 22-28 stable phase. Become autonomous, establish self in adult world. Work on developing intimacy
- 28-33= age 30 transition- reevaluate life structure.
- 33-40- stable phase- “settling down”- career consolidation is a major goal. Sex differences- men are settling down, often see continued instability for women – still making decisions and choices maybe going back to work etc after the kids are old enough
• Two Organizing Factors
o Dream- an image of the self in the adult world that guides decision making—inspires a person in his present endeavors. Gender differences-men more individualistic, women have split dreams. Refine and update dreams throughout adulthood
o Mentor- facilitates realization of the dream, provides a transition from parent-child relationships to world of adult peers

Front 54

Schaie’s Stages of Adult Cognitive Development – First Three Stages (of 5)

Back 54

1. Acquisitive Stage- childhood and adolescence- acquire info- what should I know? During adult years ask “How should I use what I know?”
2. Achieving Stage- young adulthood- apply knowledge to one’s major life decisions
3. Responsibility Stage- middle adulthood- cognitions extend to social obligations and responsibilities

Front 55

•transition to marriage - what people look for in partners, role of childhood attachment patterns

Back 55

Transition = changes in which we restructure our lives or reorder our goals in responses to changing experiences
-nearly 90% marry at least once in their lives. Age at which people marry is getting later for both sexes
-we tend to select mates similar to ourselves- compatibility
Men and women emphasize different qualities as important
Women think intelligence, ambition, financials, and commitment are important women like same age or slightly older partner
- Men think physical attractiveness and domestic skills are important – men tend to prefer slightly younger partner
-There are cultural differences as well.
-childhood attachment patterns serve as good indicators of adult internal working models and relationship experiences (secure are supportive to partner, healthy, avoidant are unrealistic about relationship, resistant are jealous and emotional)

Front 56

types of marriages/marital roles

Back 56

o Traditional marriage- clear division of husband and wife’s roles. Man as head of household, breadwinner and woman as caregiver.
o Egalitarian marriage- relate as equals- power and authority are shared
o Division of Power – factors affecting it- income of partner, views of male as provider, degree of love each other equally- the person who loves more often has less power

Front 57

predictors of marital satisfaction

Back 57

1. communication of emotion
2. homogeny- similarity of values and interests
3. age of marriage
4. length of courtship
5. timing of first pregnancy – if you have baby in first year of marriage makes it less stable
6. warm and positive relationships to extended family
7. stable marital patterns in extended family
8. financial and employment security- if finances are ok there is less to argue about
9. personality characteristics- being more emotionally positive is helpful, and having good set of conflict resolution skills
10. expectations and myths about marriage

Front 58

•typical problems and conflicts in transition to parenthood (from text & panel); gay and lesbian parenting

Back 58

-worries: loss of freedom, financial strain, role overload, interference with job, worries about well-being, world is so unsafe, reduced time with partner, loss of privacy, fear children will turn out badly

Front 59

•other young adult lifestyles: singlehood, cohabitation, divorce and remarriage, dual-earner marriage

Back 59

-singlehood-increased in recent years, women more likely than men to remain single because men can choose partners from large pool of young unmarried women, tendency for women to marry up and men to marry down; SES issue with black men. drawbacks include loneliness, dating grind, limited sex/social life, reduced sense of security, feelings of exclusion from married couple world.
-cohabitation-highest among adults with failed marriages. as a result, cohabitation lasts longer so are less likely to move toward marriage. this has also curtailed divorce
-divorce&remarried-often occur during midlife when children are adolescent and experience dissatisfaction. women twice as likely as men to initiate divorce proceedings. remarriage is faster for men than women (4 years for women), weary. takes 3-5 years for blended families to equal biological families.