Jamaica Theological Seminary

Developmental Psychology
Early Adulthood

Lecture # 8
Human development is a lifelong process of physical, behavioural, cognitive, and
emotional growth and change. In the early stages of lifefrom babyhood to
childhood, childhood to adolescence, and adolescence to adulthoodenormous
changes take place. Throughout the process, each person develops attitudes and
values that guide choices, relationships, and understanding.
As we get older the Basal Metabolic Rate slows down (i.e. Capacity to burn up
calories will decrease)
Early Adulthood is the period of transition from adolescence to Adulthood.
(Emerging Adult); The age range from 18-35.
The criteria for becoming an adult are different for various cultures. The
adjustment process can be very challenging. Two acceptable criteria in the West
are: economic independence and independent decision-making.
Early adulthood is often seen as a junction with many options to take.
o Education (transition from High School to College, dealing with the stress
of college).
o Relationships
o Responsibilities (transition from high school into the working world)
o Marriage
o Career
Sexuality is important at this stage. Sexuality is also a lifelong process. Infants,
children, teens, and adults are sexual beings. Just as it is important to enhance a
young adult's physical, emotional, and cognitive growth, so it is important to lay
foundations for his/her sexual growth. Adults have a responsibility to help young
people understand and accept their evolving sexuality.
Each stage of development encompasses specific markers.
Each young person is an individual and may reach these stages of development
earlier or later than others the same age.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
The physical changes of aging are very gradual over early adulthood, and the effects are
mediated by exercise, nutrition, health practices, and stress levels. Obesity and substance
abuse have a major impact on health and longevity.
Most young adults aged 18 and over will complete the process of physical maturation,
usually attaining full adult height [Secondary sexual characteristics, such as size of penis
and breasts, are completed.]
Peak physical development is often reached between 18 and 30 years of age. Usually
bad/healthy lifestyles are formed here- beginning from Adolescence .

Nutrition

The saying You are what you eat sums up the importance of nutrition for
physical and mental development.
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables increases the antioxidant capacity of the
blood and lessens the chance of heart disease
Diet high in animal fat is linked with Colon cancer. Increases cardiovascular risk.
Excess cholesterol can narrow blood vessels and cut off blood supply to the heart
causing heart attack.
Many young adults are conscious of their eating habits and are careful about their
diet.

Obesity
W.H.O. refers to obesity as a world wide epidemic. This usually raises its head during
early adulthood. There are many motivating factors including heredity, environmental
influences, dieting, ethnicity and gender and metabolism rate. To combat obesity it is
recommended that changes be made to eating habits as well as a programme of
regular exercise be adapted. (lowers the risk of heart disease and anxiety)
Substance Use and Abuse
Tend to be prevalent at this stage and usually stems from Adolescence. These can be
addictive and sometimes are brought on by anxiety, stressful situations and peer
pressure. Many interventions have been suggested including nicotine for smokers and
support groups.

How can smokers quit?

Using a substitute source of nicotine
Taking an antidepressant
Controlling stimuli associated with smoking
Going cold turkey (acting on a decision to stop)

Addiction
A pattern of behaviour characterized by an over helming involvement with using a
drug and securing its supply. Is addiction a disease?
Disease model of addiction: addictions are biologically based, lifelong disease
that involves a loss of control over behaviour and require medical and/spiritual
treatment for recovery.
Life-process model of addiction: not a disease but a habitual response and a
source of gratification and security that can be understood only in the context of
social relationships and experiences.
Sexuality
Sex is not necessary for survival, as we need food and water. However Sexual and
reproductive activity can bring pleasure and sometimes parenthood. A survey in USA
proves that Americans are more conservative about sex now than was previously
perceived. Most men think about sex several times per day while most women think
about sex few times per week or per month.
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Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual Attitudes and behaviour
Homosexuality
This orientation is becoming/has become acceptable. Some psychologists believe
that this sexual preference is a combination of many factors including
environmental, heredity, hormonal and cognitive influences. Studies however to
prove that heredity and hormonal factors are conclusive influences have been
inconsistent.
Sexually Transmitted Infections

Are common during this time

The risk of unprotected sexual activity with multiple partner results in a number of young
adults becoming infected.
However some may contract STI through blood transfusions, sexual abuse
Some include: AIDS, Gonorrhoea, Genital Herpes, Syphilis, Chlamydia and Genital
Warts

Strategies to protect against them include

Abstinence; Protected sex; One sexual partner; Know partners sex risk
Rape
Is a forcible sexual intercourse with a person who does not give consent;
Usually a traumatic experience.
Male victims are fewer than female victims.
Should a Christian who has been raped do an abortion?
Sexual Harassment
Occurs when one person uses his/her power over another individual in a sexual
manner.
Takes different form subtle, patting to brushing against bodies to blatant
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Piaget describes this stage as the FORMAL OPERATIONAL STAGE. Some
developmental scientists maintain that changes in cognition extend beyond that stage.
Some suggest that mature thinking may be far richer and complex than the Piagets
advanced qualitative thinking.
K. Warner Schaie and Sherry Willis suggest that it is unlikely that adults go beyond
the formal operational stage suggested by Piaget. Schaie however argues that they do
progress beyond the adolescents in the use of their intellect. (Switch from acquiring
knowledge to applying knowledge field of work) (Santrock 2006).
According to William Perry adolescents often engage in dualistic, absolute thinking
which gives way to the development during early adulthood to reflective, relativistic
thinking.Adulthood thinking is usually flexible, open, adaptive and individualistic.
(Santrock 2006).

The higher stage of thinking is referred to as Post-formal Thought which is a mature

type of thinking which relies on subjective experiences and intuition as well as logic
and is useful in dealing with ambiguity, uncertainty, inconsistency, contradictions,
imperfections and compromise.(Santrock 2006).
Creativity
Creativity Peaks in adulthood, often in the forties and then decline. This however
may vary from individual to individual. (at 30 Thomas Edison invented the
phonograph, Hans Christian Anderson wrote his first volume. Of fairy tales)
Creativity declines in the fifties and later. However accomplishments have been
seen during this period. (Benjamin Franklin invented the Bifocal lens at 78,
Henri Chevreul published his last research at 103)
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi ( ME-high CHICH-sent-me-high-ee) forwarded ideas
after extensive interviews with various individuals. He claims that creative
people continues to live creative lives by engaging in creative activities. One
such is spending time in settings which stimulate their creativity. They experience
a state of flow (heighten state of pleasure one experience when they are engaged
in physical and mental challenges that absorbs them)
Career and Work
During adulthood many young adult would have completed or near completion of
studies in their career choice and would have started to work in the path. The
remainder of the adult years would find most seeking to move up the ladder of the
respective career.
James Holland proposed that it is important for individuals to choose a career
that is compatible with their personality type. He proposed six basic career
related personality types
o Realistic (Doing things)
o Investigative (Thinking/ideas)
o Artistic (Creating Ideas and things)
o Social (Helping People)
o Enterprising (Managing People)
o Conventional (Conforming/data)
It is important to match career choice with our values ranging from the importance of
money to working in a new environment etc.Career counselling can provide guidance in
this regard.

The Impact of Work

o Work is an important function of an individual in any society. Most
persons spend a great deal of time at work. Women are now involved in
dual career as they often have to juggle their family responsibilities and
their career.
o Work during College Unemployment
o Dual career couples

SOCIOEMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

o Freud and a number of other psychologists contend that the formative years of
development have an impact on development of the personality through to the
adult years. The challenges of adulthood require a considerable degree of
maturity.
o Maturity refers to a state that promotes physical and psychological
well-being. Gordon Allport (1961) postulated that maturity is an ongoing process
and is best characterized by a series of attainments on the part of the individual
(Turner & Helm, 2000)
Allports Seven Dimensions of Maturity
o Extension of the self
o Relating warmly to others
o Emotional security
o Realistic perception
o Profession of skills and competence
o Knowledge of the self
o Establishing a unifying philosophy of life
Temperament
o Is temperament in childhood link to personality in adulthood?
o Young adults show less mood swings, are more responsible and are less
risk taking. In some instances, temperament in childhood can be linked
with adjustment problems in early adulthood. Some adults may be
classified as having an easy or difficult temperament, inhibited
temperament or are able to control their emotions. Longitudinal studies
revealed that the easy children were likely to be well adjusted unlike the
difficult children who were not well adjusted.
Attachment
Attachment styles are often linked with the individuals attachment history, although
in some cases these styles change during adulthood. The concept of secure and
insecure attachment is also used to describe attachment relationships in adulthood.
o Securely attached: understand how past experience affects their current
live as adults.
o Insecure-dismissing: dont wish to discuss their relationships. Memories
are usually negative
o Insecure- preoccupied: readily talks about relationships but tend to be
incoherent and disorganized. Appear unable to move beyond childhood
issues and express anger towards parents or ongoing effort to please them.
o Researchers have attempted to measure adult attachment in two
dimensions;
1. Attachment-related anxiety: - extent to which one feels secure
about the availability, responsiveness an attention of a partner.
2. Attachment-related avoidance- extent to which on feels secure to
self disclose, develop intimacy and place reliance on others.
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Attraction
o Familiarity and proximity, Similarity can play a role in friendship
development and formation of attraction.
o Consensual Validation provides an explanation of why people are attracted
to others who are similar to them.
o Physical attraction is usually more important during the early period of a
relationship; this however seems to change over the year and among
culture.
o What are some of the factors that influence our attraction to others?
o Erik Erikson proposes that Intimacy vs. Isolation is a key developmental
issue during early adulthood.
o Description: In this stage, the most important events are love relationships.
No matter how successful you are with your work, said Erikson, you are
not developmentally complete until you are capable of intimacy. An
individual who has not developed a sense of identity usually will fear a
committed relationship and may retreat into isolation.
Positive outcome: Adult individuals can form close relationships and share
with others if they have achieved a sense of identity.
Negative outcome: If not, they will fear commitment, feel isolated and
unable to depend on anybody in the world.
Types of Intimacy
o Spatial roommate, house mate
o Psychological emotional side. Share and care about peoples
psychological and emotional needs.
o Physical sex, touch, embrace
o Sociological- have fortunes and life experiences bound up with another
person
o Spiritual- intimacy with God.
Components of Intimacy
o Caring and sharing
o Self disclosure
o Trust dependability & Understanding
o Commitment -in actions
o Honesty
o Empathy
o Tenderness
o Vulnerability letting down your guard
Barriers to intimacy
o Shyness; Aggressiveness; Lack of empathy; Selfishness
Dishonesty; Conflicting and unrealistic expectations; Depression
Illness; Drug abuse; Lack of trust; Sexual Abuse; uncaring
Ira Reiss Wheel Model of Love
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o
o
o
o

Rapport
Self- Revelation
Mutual dependency
Personality need fulfilment

John Lees Typology of Love

John Lee develop a typology of love that consisted of three primary types and three
secondary types:
o Eros love (romantic Love)
o Ludus love (playful type)
o Storge Love (affectionate love)
o Manic Love ( obsessive)
o Agape (altruistic love, gentle)
o Pragma (practical and realistic)
Robert Sternberg Triangular Model of Love
o Romantic Love: Passionate love or eros. Has strong sexual and infatuation
components and often predominates in the early period of relationships.
o Affectionate love: Companionate love. An individual desires to have the
other person near and has a deep, caring affection for the other person
o Consummate love; the strongest fullest type of love involving intimacy,
commitment and passion
Friendship
o Close relationship that involves enjoyment, acceptance, trust, respect,
mutual assistance, confiding, understanding and spontaneity.
o Friendship between women
o Friendship between men
o Friendship between women and men
o Male and female friendships are more common than male/male.
o Cross sex friendship can be problematic and is often not readily acceptable
in most culture.
o Men more often than women seek to add intimacy to these friendships.
Is it possible to have true non-sexual relationships with the opposite sex?
Loneliness
Erikson talks about intimacy vs. isolation. Society claims self-fulfilment,
achievement, stable close relationships are linked to loneliness in adulthood.
Loneliness can be seen as interwoven with how people manage themselves as
they pass through lifes transition. Men who are lonely blame themselves while
women like to blame external factors
How to deal with Loneliness
o Participate in activities that you can do with others.
o Be aware of the early warning signs of loneliness.
o Draw a diagram of four social net work
o Engage positive behaviour when you meet people.
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o Seek counseling or read literature which aims at helping.

Marriage and the Family - The family Life Cycle
o Leaving home and becoming a single adult accepting emotional and
financial responsibility for self
o The joining of families through marriage- commitment to new system
o Becoming parents and families with children- Accepting new members
into the system
o The family with adolescents- increasing flexibility of family boundaries to
include childrens independence and grandparents frailties
o The Family at Midlife accepting a multitude of exits and entries into the
family system.
o The family in later life - accepting the shifting of generational roles.
Motivations for Marriage
Love; Companionship; Conformity; Legitimization of sex; Legitimization of
children; Sense of readiness; Legal benefits (Discuss Jamaica culture)
Myths about Marriage
o Avoiding conflict will ruin your marriage
o Affairs are the main cause of divorce
o Men are biologically made for marriage
o Men and women are from different planets
(Gottman & Silver,1999)
What Makes a Marriage Work
John Gottman proposed some principles
o Establish love maps
o Nurturing fondness and admiration
o Turning toward each other instead of away
o Letting your partner influence you
o Solving solvable conflicts
o Overcoming gridlock
o Creating shared meaning
What are the benefits of a good marriage?(discuss)
Diversity of Lifestyle
o Single Adults- life can be traumatic, a choice, lonely, void of intimacy,
find alternatives to intimacy.
o Cohabitation adults (living together not married) void of commitment
o Divorced can be traumatic in the adjustment process; children often
suffer; same persons enter too early into other relationships.

o Remarriage- Step families (can be problematic if not managed) e.g. step

fathers relating to step daughters
o Gay and Lesbian Families: recently emerging; not widely accepted; can
be confusing for children
Self Development
o Experts encourage women to place energies in relationship but focus also
on self-development. (Example of a wife whose husband did every thing
in home died)
o Men have traditionally been successful- often comes with stress and strain.
o Men need to reconstruct their masculinity in more positive ways. E.g.
Health (mentally and physically), male/female relationship (they should
not dominate so much).
o Male relationships can be healthy and males should seek to establish this
with their sons
Gender Communication
Communication is key for successful relationships. Deborah Tannen (1990) distinguished
between two preferred ways of communicating -Rapport Talks vs. Report talk. Women
engage in rapport talk for establishing and negotiating relationships. Men engage report
talk. They take the centre stage in story telling to get attention in groups.