Early Adulthood
A Look at the 20s and 30s
Developmental Tasks in
Young Adulthood include
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Achieving autonomy & establishing identity
Establish a career & emotional stability
Find intimacy & establish my own residence
Become a member of a group/ community
Become a parent & begin raising kids
Physical Endurance
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Physiological peak during the early 20s
Maxed out strength, motor skills and
reproductive capabilities
30s: slow, gradual decline in lung
reserve capacity and immune system
Some declines are due to lack of
exercise. Some due to more stress.
What else is going on with
Young Adults?
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Risky behavior declines. Leading causes of death
are homicide, suicide, injury, cancer, heart disease.
Substance abuse levels peak, which increases risky
behavior due to bad judgment / lower inhibitions
Men are most sexually responsive in their late
teens and early 20s
Women become more sexually responsive in their
late 30s on
Both sexes delay starting a family to finish school
Sexual Reproduction
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10% of reproductive population: infertility
Males-low sperm count or unhealthy sperm
Females-failure to ovulate; pelvic
inflammatory disease
One-third of couples conceive without
treatment
Half with treatment still don’t conceive
Fertility Treatments
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85-90% fertility drugs
In vitro fertilization (5% cases)
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GIFT (gamete intra-fallopian transfer)
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5-30% success rate
Sperm and ova into fallopian tube
ZIFT (zygote intra-fallopian transfer)
Cognitive Development
During Early Adulthood
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Postformal Thinking: how is a 30 year old’s
thinking different from a 15 year old’s?
Postformal Thinking is both abstract,
realistic, and personal
It takes advantage of more experience
It tends to be more practical, based on
remembering previous outcomes
It is associated with viable long term goals
Dialectical Thought
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Adolescents: likely to be dichotomous
thinkers; good or evil, right or wrong
Adults: using Dialectical thought are more
flexible and balanced
Education helps to promote this
Leads to greater tolerance and less rigidity
Educational Concerns
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What is the relationship between higher
education and the workplace?
Bok: the two should be more closely aligned
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Global awareness & communication skills
Moral reasoning and critical thinking
Lack of rigor in higher education?
Employers need workers who know how to
interact with, and get along with others
More Developmental Tasks
of Early Adulthood
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Future focus: a hurried schedule now will
pay off later
Emphasis on age/experience, even if the age
difference is modest
Decision-making based on what others think
Goal is to be seen as an adult, but earning
the respect of older workers can be a
challenge
Theories of Early
Adulthood: Levinson
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Both sexes have ‘dreams’. Women’s dreams are
often ‘split’
Dreams need to be re-evaluated and recreated, and
are rarely/never completely fulfilled.
Early adult transition
Entering the adult world
Age 30 transition
Settling down
Midlife transition
Theories of Early
Adulthood: Erikson
Intimacy vs. Isolation
● If young adults have a fairly clear sense of
identity that really helps with
● A strong focus on intimate relationships
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Friendships As A Source of
Intimacy
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Opposite sexed friendships, some potential
for sexual tension or jealousy
Friendships between males focus on sharing
information, problem solving, and activities
Friendships between females focus on
sharing emotions, issues or problems, and
relationships
Partners As A Source of
Intimacy: Cohabitation
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How many cohabiting couples?
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7.5 million; 800,000 same-sex couples
10 times higher than in the 1960s
How long do these typically last?
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Half end within a year; longer in Europe
Shorter for younger partners
Rates are changing in the United States
Why Cohabit?
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Premarital cohabitation
Dating cohabitation
Trial marriage
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Testing ‘marriage’ not a partner
Substitute marriage
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40% of these last 5-7 years
Same-Sex Couples
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Marriage legal in the United States, Spain,
Canada, Belgium, Argentina, Norway,
Iceland, the Netherlands, South Africa, and
Denmark
Couple issues no different
Greater equality between partners
Break-up and continued contact
Still some social disapproval & discrimination
Mate Selection
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Median Age of 1st Marriage: 25 females; 27 males
Females postponing to complete education
Social Exchange Theory: The Marriage Market and
social currency
A Fair Exchange, not necessarily a ‘good deal’.
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The Principle of Least Interest and most power
Homogamy: shared social characteristics
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Endogamy (rules), exogamy (groups), propinquity
(proximity)
Sternberg’s Triangular
Approach to Love
Love has three elements:
■ Intimacy is the emotional component
of a relationship.
■ Passion is the motivational piece of the
relationship, (arousal and attraction).
■ Commitment represents the cognitive
dimension of a relationship.
Sternberg’s Types of Love
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Liking
Infatuation
Empty Love
Romantic Love
Companionate Love
Fatuous Love
Consummate Love
John Lee’s Six Styles of Love
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Pragma - down-to-earth (pragmatic)
style of love.
Agape - altruistic, partners are
completely selfless, always giving without
expecting something in return.
Mania - characterized as possessive and
obsessive; demanding, insecure, volatile
John Lee’s Six Styles of Love
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Eros-overpowering, erotic love in which
a person feels consumed
Ludus-carefree and nonpossessive;
more fun than commitment
Storge-love that develops slowly over
time; begins as friendships; (if they
break up, they remain friends)
Davidson’s Dependency:
Frames of Relationships
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In this type of
relationship,
partners lean on
one another and
have little sense of
self
Considered
dependent
If one partner
changes, the other
will fall
Frames of Relationships
Continued
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In this type of
relationship,
partners lives are
parallel
Considered
independent
If one leaves, the
other is minimally
affected
Frames of Relationships
Continued One More Time
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In this type of
relationship,
partners have a
strong life as a
couple, but also are
able to stand alone
Considered
interdependent
If one leaves, the
other will hurt, but
can survive
Social Psychological Theories
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Reiss’s Wheel
Theory of Love
Rapport
Need
fulfillment
Self-revelat
ion
Mutual
dependency
Process of Disaffection:
Breaking Up
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Before: “Little Fictions” Everything is great
when you first fall in love. Flaws?
Beginning Phase: Psychological Breakup.
Maybe I can change my partner?
Middle Phase: Disappointment and reduced
communication
End Phase: Trust is eroded and
hopelessness ensues