Exam 2: Young Adulthood

• Young Adulthood Physical Changes: What happens when aging?

  physical functioning is high, peak athletic performance has passed (athletic skills peaks between 20 to 35)
• Young Adulthood Physical Changes: What happens to athletic performance when aging?

  speed of limb, explosive, strength, gross motor performance: (sprinting, jumping) peak in early 20s, endurance, aiming, arm hand steadiness: peaks in late 20s to early 30s (long distance running, baseball, golf), sustained training: gradual decline until 60s.
• Young Adulthood Physical Changes: what happens to the immune system?

  declines in T cells (disease fighting)
• Young Adulhood Physical Changes: what are changes of body during changes?

  muscle mass decrease

  hair: thins, turns gray, hairline recedes, baldness begins (men).

  skin: wrinkles begin, lose skin

  thymus: decrease in t cells

  heart: decrease in maximum heart rate; increase in cholesterol and fat build up in arteries.
• Young adulthood physical changes: what are the fertility changes?

  ideal for 20s; declines with age.

  risks for women: problems jump sharply at 35 to 44, reduce number of eggs, quality of eggs.

  risks for men: gradual, starting 35, decreased sperm volume motility.
• Young adulthood physical changes: what happens with overweight and obesity?

  major threat to young adults (72% Americans)[partly due to decrease in basal metabolic rate (BMR) at 25], physical activity declines across developed countries, risk for health problems - high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems.
• Young adulthood: briefly explain the telomeres theory of aging?

  Telomeres shorten with each cell division, leading to cellular aging and eventual cell death.

  Telomeres = DNA at the ends of chromosomes

  Safeguard the stability of cells.

  Shorten with each cell duplication.

  Below critical length, no longer divide, become senescent.

  Positive lifestyle changes = gains in telomere.
• Young adulthood: compare and contrast at the leading cause of death in young to middle adults?

  leading cause of death in 2020 aged 25 to 44

  unintentional injuries

  cancer

  heart disease

  suicide

  Covid-19
• Young adulthood: explain the main change in brain functioning?

  aging brain:

  prefrontal cortex fully develops, declines (minimal) begins.

  brains = shrinking

  brain lose 5% to 10% of its weight between ages 20 to 90.

  decrease in neurotransmitters: acetylcholine, dopamine, GABA
• Young adulthood: how the structures of thought change?

  changes in structure of thought:

  pruning synapses: connection increase in efficiency (frontal & partietal lobes).

  fine-tuning pre frontal cortex: better balance with emotional/social network, planning and reasoning and decision making improvements.
• Young adulthood: how the cognitive- affective complexity relates to young adulthood?

  cognitive changes:

  relativistic thinking: acknowledge there is no absolute truth but rather a collection of answers.

  dialectical thinking: ability to look at the opposing sides of a problem, explore contradictions and accept solution might be in middle adulthood.

  increase in cognitive affective complexity: awareness of conflicting perspective and motivation.
• Socioemotional development of young adulthood: theories of adult psychosocial development?

  theories of adult psychosocial development:

  Erickson: intimacy VS isolation; long term commitments to intimate partner, and close friendships.
• Socioemotional development of young adulthood: the theoretical contribution of Levinson to the current view of young adulthood?

  Levinson's Season of Life (1978):

  development = sequence of seasons.

  dream that guides decision making.

  30 = transition to settling down.
• Socioemotional development of young adulthood: the theoretical contribution of Valliant to the current view of young adulthood?

  Valliant's Adaptation to Life (1977):

  intimacy concerns in 20s

  career consolidation in 30s
• Socioemotional development of young adulthood: the theoretical contribution of Neugarten to the current view of young adulthood?

  The Social Clock (Neugarten, 1979):

  age graded expectations for major life events

  greater deviations

  create intergenerational tensions
• Young adulthood: explain frienships?

  friends are usually similar in age, sex, and SES. value trust, intimacy, loyalty, shared interests. other gender friendships increase; after marriage, decrease for men but contribute to rise for women. siblings become more frequent companions (esp. sisters)
• Young adulthood: explain mate selection/romantic relationships?

  "wish list:"

  mutual attraction/ love

  dependable

  emotional stability

  funny

  mate presences are usually very similar in countries with high gender equally.

  homophile/ consensual validation = important in finding a partner.
• Young adulthood: explain love?

  Sternberg's triangular theory of love: different types of romantic relationships as varying degrees of:

  passion: intense sexual attraction "falling in love" energy.

  Intimacy: warm, trusting, affection and valuing of others (closeness).

  Commitment: decision to support, love, and form a long term bond with someone.
• Young adulthood: identify the trends of marriage in the United States?

  Trends in marriage:

  marrying later, 70% marry at least once, currently = fewer marriages

  staying single, cohabitating not remarrying after divorce.

  Marriage = valued --> public legitimacy, commitment, financial benefits, legal benefits.
• Young adulthood: identify the transition to marital life?

  challenges:

  defining new marital roles

  deciding new, joint family routine, family traditions, rituals

  additional decisions for couple of mixed race/ethnic minority backgrounds.

  more couples cohabitating first --> transition = already made

  age of marriage = most consistent predictor of marital stability.
• Young adulthood: explain how parenthood develops through young adulthood?

  Parenthood: trend toward delaying parenthood and smaller families

  more women dividing time between family and work.

  emerging adulthood

  money

  variety of reasoning for having children: there are concerns with having children such as, loss of freedom, role overload, readiness, financial costs, sacrificing of one's career.
• Young adulthood: explains the transition to parenthood (hetero-cis gender roles)?

  after birth roles = more traditional

  second birth = less traditional as fathers help more.

  mid decline in relationship satisfaction: sharing childcare --> happiness for both parties.

  later parenthood eases transitions: attainment of occupational goals, more life experience, stronger relationship.
• What are the different pathways in parenthood?

  step parents, never married single parents, LGBTQIA+ parents
• In pathways to adulthood: tell me about step parents?

  discipline = often ineffective

  higher levels of tension and disagreement
• In pathways to adulthood: tell me about never married single parents?

  12% = single parents never married, no partner

  increases financial hardships for low SES women
• In pathways to adulthood: tell me about LGBTQIA+ parents?

  no difference in child development

  better division of care giving and household duties
• Understand the different pathways in young adulthood: what is singlehood?

  more single parents -- marrying later, not at all, or divorced.

  10% remain single for life.

  women are more likely to stay single.

  stressful periods in the early and mid 30s. --> lagging behind married friendships or siblings. for women biological clock pressures.
• Understand the different pathways in young adulthood: what is childlessness?

  Not having any children.

  -15% of women.

  involuntary: no parenthood partners, infertile, may be dissatisfied.

  voluntary: usually college educate and committed to job, most = content with their lives.
• Understand the different pathways in young adulthood: what is divorce?

  was declining in U.S due to: rising age at marriage, increase in cohabitation.

  increasing during COVID-19, increasing worldwide

  most common times: first 7 years, transition to midlife -40 ish.

  major predictors: poor communication, age at marriage, family history, SES partner behavior.
• Understand the different pathways in young adulthood: what are the consequences of divorce?

  major change in way of life and self image, immediate consequences = subside within 2 years, disrupted social networks, increased anxiety and depression, finances.