Pysch Definitions Early Adulthood

Front 1

• Primary aging (senescence)

Back 1

age-related physical changes that have a biological basis and are universally shared and inevitable

Front 2

• Secondary aging

Back 2

age-related changes that are due to environmental influences, poor health habits, or disease.

Front 3

• Limbic system

Back 3

the part of the brain that regulates emotional responses

Front 4

• maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max)

Back 4

a measure of the body’s ability to take in and transport oxygen to various body organs.

Front 5

• Locus of control

Back 5

a set of beliefs about the causes of events

Front 6

• pelvic inflammatory disease

Back 6

an infection of the female reproductive tract that may result from a STD and can lead to infertility

Front 7

• Intimate partner abuse

Back 7

physical acts or other behavior intended to intimidate or harm an intimate partner

Front 8

• Sexual violence

Back 8

the use of physical coercion to force a person to engage in a sexual act against his or her will

Front 9

• phobia

Back 9

an irrational fear of an object, a person, a place, or a situation

Front 10

• Personality disorder

Back 10

an inflexible pattern of behavior that leads to difficulty in social, educational, and occupational functioning

Front 11

• Schizophrenia

Back 11

a serious mental disorder characterized by disturbances of thought such as delusions and hallucinations

Front 12

• Substance abuse

Back 12

a pattern of behavior in which a person continues to use a substance even though it interferes with psychological, occupational, educational, and social functioning.

Front 13

• Postformal thought

Back 13

types of thinking that are associated with a hypothesized fifth degree of cognitive development

Front 14

• Relativism

Back 14

the idea that some propositions cannot be adequately described as either true or false

Front 15

• Dialectical thought

Back 15

a form of thought involving recognition and acceptance of paradox and uncertainty

Front 16

• Reflective judgment

Back 16

the ability to identify the underlying assumptions of differing perspectives on controversial issues.

Front 17

• Crystallized intelligence

Back 17

knowledge and skills acquired through education and experience

Front 18

• Fluid intelligence

Back 18

the aspect of intelligence that reflects fundamental biological diseases and does not depend on specific experiences

Front 19

• Post-secondary education

Back 19

any kind of formal educational experience that follows high school

Front 20

• Traditional post-secondary student

Back 20

a student who attends college full time immediately after graduating from high school

Front 21

• Nontraditional post-secondary student

Back 21

a student who either attends college part time or delays enrollment after high school graduation

Front 22

• Intimacy versus isolation

Back 22

Erikson’s early adulthood stage, in which an individual must find a life partner or supportive friends in order to avoid social isolation

Front 23

• Intimacy

Back 23

the capacity to engage in a supportive, affectionate relationship without losing one’s own sense of self

Front 24

• Life structure

Back 24

in Levinson’s theory, the underlying pattern or design of a person’s life at a given time, which includes roles, relationships, and behavior patterns

Front 25

• Emerging adulthood

Back 25

the period from the late teens to early twenties when individuals explore options prior to committing to adult roles.

Front 26

• Parental investment theory

Back 26

the theory that sex differences in mate preferences and dating behavior are based on the different amounts of time and effort men and women must invest in child rearing

Front 27

• Social role theory

Back 27

the idea that sex differences in mate preferences and mating behavior are adaptations to gender roles

Front 28

• Assortative mating (homogamy)

Back 28

sociologists’ term for the tendency to mate with someone who has traits similar to one’s own

Front 29

• Validating couples

Back 29

partners who express mutual respect, even in disagreements, and are good listeners

Front 30

• Volatile couples

Back 30

partners who argue a lot, disagree, don’t listen will, but still have more positive than negative interactions

Front 31

• Avoidant couples

Back 31

partners who agree to disagree and who minimize conflict by avoiding each other

Front 32

• Hostile/engaged couples

Back 32

partners which have frequent arguments and lack the balancing effect of humor and affection

Front 33

• Hostile/detached couples

Back 33

partners who fight regularly, rarely look at each other, and also lack affection and support

Front 34

• Kin keeper

Back 34

a family role, usually occupied by a woman, which includes responsibility for maintaining family and friendship relationships

Front 35

• Career development

Back 35

the process of adapting to the workplace, managing career transitions, and pursuing goals through employment

Front 36

• Work-life balance

Back 36

the interactive influences among employees’ work and nonwork roles

Front 37

• Quality of work-life (QWL) movement

Back 37

an approach to enhancing job satisfaction by basing job and workplace design on analysis of the quality of employee experiences in an organization