Chapter 11

1. Chapter 11 Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood PowerPoints developed by Nicholas Greco IV, College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

2. Emerging Adulthood • Emerging adulthood -- transition from adolescence to adulthood • 18–25 years of age • Five key features characterize emerging adulthood: • Identity exploration, especially in love and work • Instability • Self-focused • Feeling in-between • The age of possibilities when individuals have an opportunity to transform their lives (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

3. Markers of Becoming an Adult • Most widely recognized marker: holding a permanent, full-time job • Economic independence is often a long process • Taking responsibility for oneself • Developing emotional control (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

4. From High School to College • Replays the top-dog phenomenon of transferring from the oldest/most powerful group of students to the youngest/least powerful • It involves movement to a larger, more impersonal school structure • Includes interaction with peers from more diverse geographical and ethnic backgrounds • Has an increased focus on achievement and its assessment (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

5. Physical Performance and Development • Most of us reach our peak physical performance before the age of 30, often between the ages of 19 and 26 • During this age period we also begin to decline in physical performance • Signs of decline around age 30 • Sagging chins and protruding abdomens • Lessening of physical abilities • Sensory systems show little change in early adulthood (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

6. Health • Emerging adults have more than twice the mortality rate of adolescents • Few chronic health problems • Fewer colds and respiratory problems than when they were children • Few stop to think about how their personal lifestyles will affect their health later (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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8. Obesity   • Obesity -- having a body mass index of 30 or more • Obesity is linked to increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease • Overweight and obesity are also associated with mental health problems (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

9. Dieting and Exercise • Dieting has become an obsession with many Americans • Few are successful in keeping weight off long-term • The most effective programs include exercise • Aerobic exercise -- sustained exercise that stimulates heart and lung activity (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

10. Substance Abuse • By mid-twenties, many young adults have reduced their use of alcohol and drugs • Binge drinking • more common among college men than women • problems include missing classes, physical injuries, troubles with police, having unprotected sex • Pregaming (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

11. Substance Abuse • By mid-twenties, many young adults have reduced their use of alcohol and drugs • Binge drinking • more common among college men than women • problems include missing classes, physical injuries, troubles with police, having unprotected sex • Pregaming (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

12. Binge Drinking in the Adolescence – Early Childhood Transition • INSERT FIGURE 11.3 HERE (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

13. Sexual Activity in Emerging Adulthood • Emerging adulthood is a time when most individuals are “both sexually active and unmarried” • Males have more casual sexual partners • Casual sex is more common in emerging adulthood than in young adulthood (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

14. Heterosexual Attitudes and Behavior • Americans tend to fall into three categories: • One-third have sex twice a week or more • One-third a few times a month • One-third a few times a year or not at all • Married and cohabiting couples have sex more often • Most Americans do not engage in kinky sexual acts • Adultery is the exception not the rule • Men think about sex more than women do (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

15. Sources of Sexual Orientation • Sexual orientation is likely a continuum from exclusive male-female relations to exclusive same-sex relations • An individual’s sexual orientation—same-sex, heterosexual, or bisexual—is determined by a combination of genetic, hormonal, cognitive, and environmental factors (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

16. Attitudes and Behavior of Lesbians and Gay Males • Many gender differences that appear in heterosexual relationships occur in same-sex relationships • Brown believes that lesbians and gay males • Develop a bicultural identity to create new ways of defining themselves • Adapt best when they don’t define themselves in polarities (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

17. Sexually Transmitted Infections • Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) -- diseases that are primarily contracted through intercourse and/or oral-genital and anal-genital sex • Most prevalent STIs • bacterial infections -- gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia • viruses -- genital herpes, genital warts, and HIV, which can lead to AIDS (National Center for Health Statistics, 2010) (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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19. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) • Has changed sexual behavior and has created significant public fear • HIV -- a sexually transmitted infection that destroys the body’s immune system • The virus breaks down and overpowers the immune system, which leads to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) • For an individual sick with AIDS, a common cold can be life-threatening (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

20. Protecting Yourself from STIs • Strategies for protecting against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections include: • Know your risk status as well as your partner’s • Obtain medical examinations • Have protected, not unprotected, sex • Avoid having sex with multiple partners (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

21. Forcible Sexual Behavior and Sexual Harassment • Sex often involves the exercise of power • Rape -- forcible sexual intercourse with a person who does not give consent • Male rapists share the following characteristics: • aggression enhances their sense of power or masculinity • they are angry at women in general • they want to hurt and humiliate their victims (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

22. Rape Victims • Rape is a traumatic experience • Victims initially feel shock and numbness and often are acutely disorganized • As victims strive to get their lives back to normal, they may experience depression, fear, anxiety, and increased substance use and/or sexual dysfunctions for months or years (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

23. Date Rape • Date or acquaintance rape -- coercive sexual activity directed at someone with whom the victim is at least casually acquainted • Two-thirds of college freshman women report having been date-raped or experienced attempted date rape at least once • Two-thirds of college men admit that they fondle women against their will • Half admit to forcing sexual activity (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

24. Sexual Harassment • Sexual harassment -- manifestation of power of one person over another • ranges from inappropriate sexual remarks and physical contact to blatant propositions and sexual assaults • may result in psychological consequences for the victim • Prevention -- to provide equal opportunities to develop a career and obtain education in a climate free of sexual harassment (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

25. Cognitive Stages • Piaget concluded adolescents and adults think qualitatively in the same way   • formal operational thought is the final stage in cognitive development; characterizes adults as well as adolescents • Piaget believed that adults increased their knowledge in a specific area • Many adults do not think in formal operational ways at all (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

26. Realistic and Pragmatic Thinking • As young adults face the constraints of reality, which work promotes, their idealism decreases • Schaie proposed that in early adulthood individuals often switch from acquiring knowledge to applying knowledge as they pursue success in their work (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

27. Reflective and Relativistic Thinking • In Perry’s view, the absolutist, dualistic thinking of adolescence gives way to the reflective, relativistic thinking of adulthood • Others believe that reflective thinking is an important indicator of cognitive change in young adults (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

28. Postformal Thought • Postformal thought -- understanding that the correct answer to a problem requires reflective thinking and can vary situationally • includes the belief that solutions to problems need to be realistic and that emotion and subjective factors can influence thinking (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

29. Creativity • Early adulthood is a time of great creativity for some people • Although a decline in creativity is often found in the fifties and later, the decline is not as great as commonly thought • There is extensive individual variation in the lifetime output of creative individuals (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

30. Stimulating Adults’ Creativity • Steps toward a more creative life include cultivating your curiosity and interest • Try to be surprised by something every day • Try to surprise at least one person every day • Each day write what surprised you and how you surprised others; keep a journal • When something sparks your interest, follow it • Wake up in the morning with a specific goal • Spend time in settings that stimulate your creativity (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

31. Careers and Work • Important themes of early adulthood: earning a living, choosing an occupation, establishing a career, and developing in a career • by mid-twenties, many individuals have completed their education or training and started to enter a full-time occupation • through the remainder of early adulthood, individuals often seek to establish their emerging career in a particular field and improve their financial standing (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

32. The Impact of Work • Work defines people in fundamental ways • Influences financial standing, housing, the way they spend their time, where they live, their friendships, and their health • Work creates a structure and rhythm to life that is often missed when individuals do not work for an extended period • Most individuals spend one-third of their lives at work (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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34. Unemployment • Unemployment produces stress regardless of whether the job loss is temporary, cyclical, or permanent • Stress comes not only from a loss of income and the resulting financial hardships but also from decreased self-esteem (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

35. Dual-Career Couples • Dual-career couples may have particular problems finding a balance between work and the rest of life • division of responsibility for work and family has changed • husbands are taking increased responsibility and showing greater interest in families and parenting • women are taking increased responsibility for breadwinning (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

36. Diversity in the Workplace • Ethnic and gender diversity is increasing in the workplace in nearly every developed country and in many professions • Latinos are projected to constitute a larger percentage of the labor force than African Americans by 2018 • Glass ceiling -- invisible barrier to career advancement preventing women and ethnic minorities from holding managerial or executive jobs (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.