Early adulthood spans ages 20 to 40 and involves key developmental tasks like selecting a mate, starting a family, and developing independence. Young adults separate from their parents through leaving home, attending college, joining the military, or living independently. They develop intimacy through romantic relationships while avoiding isolation. Marriage and parenthood are common, though cohabitation and divorce are also increasing trends. Overall, early adulthood involves establishing social and financial independence while forming long-term relationships.

1. CHAPTER 14CHAPTER 14
Early Adulthood: Social and EmotionalEarly Adulthood: Social and Emotional
DevelopmentDevelopment

2. Early Adulthood
• Spans the decades from ages 20 to 40
• Havighurst tasks* (1972)
– Getting started in occupation
– Selecting and courting a mate
– Learning to live contentedly with one’s partner
– Starting a family and becoming a parent
– Assuming responsibilities of managing a home
– Assuming civic responsibilities
– Finding a congenial social group
*This traditional view ignores some realities of human
diversity and contemporary life.

3. SeparationSeparation

4. Separation
• Young adults leave home at different ages and for
different reasons.
• Healthy for young adults to separate from their parents
• Some young adults may live at home longer to save
money until they can live on their own.
• Young adults who go away to college often have a room
at their parents home.
• Even some college graduates may return home to live
for financial reasons

5. Separation (cont’d)
• Young adults in the military have housing needs taken
care of; rupture from home and neighborhood is sudden
and complete
• Many working young adults live at home for financial
reasons.
• Not uncommon for some young adults to get married
and then move in with one set of parents
– Sometimes tolerant parents will let unmarried child move in with
them along with a boyfriend or girlfriend

6. Separation - Individuation
• Individuation
– Becoming an individual by means of integrating one’s own value
and beliefs with those of one’s parents and one’s society
• Men
– Most men consider separation and individuation key goals to
personality development
– Males more likely to show struggle or fight for independence
• Women
– Most women consider social relationships of primary importance
• Employment and financial independence lessen feelings
of connectedness with parents.
– College maintains these feelings

7. Intimacy versus IsolationIntimacy versus Isolation

8. Intimacy versus Isolation
• Erikson (1963) saw establishment of intimate
relationships key “crisis” of early adulthood
• Young adults with firm identity seek to fuse relationships
into marriage or abiding friendships.
• Erikson believed it is difficult to commit to others until
ego identity is achieved.
• Erikson believed it was normal to develop intimate
relationships and bear children within a generally stable
and nurturing environment during early adulthood.

9. Seasons of LifeSeasons of Life

10. Levinson’s Seasons of Life
• Levinson hypothesize that adults go through certain
periods of life called “seasons”.
• Believed the underlying pattern of a person’s life was his
or her life structure
- Adopt the dream to become someone, leave mark on history
- Women
- Undergo similar development but with social constraints both
from families of origin and society, making it harder for women to
leave home
- More pressure on women to go from parents’ home to husbands’
home

11. Seasons of Life (cont’d)
- Age 30: transition (ages 28 to 33)
- Characterized by reassessment for both men and women
- Later 30s
- Characterized by settling down or planting roots
- Financial and emotional investment in home
- Concerns focus on career advancement, mortgages, and raising
their own families
- Some of Levinson’s views outdated by U.S. standards
- Many women lead independent, single lives as long as they wish
- Most do not care what others think of their status or living
arrangements
- Most will live in cities where others do not frown on their lifestyle

12. Attraction and Love:Attraction and Love:
Forces That Bind?Forces That Bind?

13. Attraction and Love: Forces that Bind?
• In developed nations, young adults are free to choose
with whom they will associate as well as with whom they
will develop romantic relationships.
• Attraction and love
– The emotional forces that fuel these associations

14. Attraction
• Attraction: psychological forces that draw people
together
• Physical appearance is the key factor in consideration
for partners for dates, sex, and long-term relationships.
• Culture is a determinant as to which qualities are
attractive
– In some African tribes, long necks and round, disk-like lips are
signs of feminine beauty.
– In U.S., taller men are considered more attractive by women.
– In U.S., there is pressure for both males and females to be
slender.
– Experiments in which men rated the same woman as being
more attractive when her photograph was shown against a red
background as compared with white, gray, and a variety of other
background colors

15. Sex Differences in Perceptions of
Attractiveness
• Women more attracted to socially dominant men than
men are attracted to socially dominant women.
• Outgoing men found to be more attractive
• Men put off by outgoing, self-expressive women
• Tall women not seen as attractive; opposite true for tall
men
• Women more likely to marry an unattractive male
– Not likely to marry an unemployed male (Sprecher, 1994)

16. Are Preferences Concerning Attractiveness
Inborn?
• Evolutionary psychologists maintain certain traits more
attractive due to reproductive advantage
• Cleanliness, good complexion, clear eyes, good teeth,
good hair, firm muscle tone, and a steady gait
universally appealing to both sexes
– Possibly markers of reproductive potential
• Biological clock limits females’ reproductive potential
• Physical characteristics associated with women
• Ability to provide for family associated with men

17. Table 14-1, p. 293

18. The Attraction-Similarity Hypothesis: Do
“Opposites Attract” or “Do Birds of a Feather
Flock Together”?
• Attraction-similarity hypothesis
– People develop romantic relationships with others who are
similar to themselves in attractiveness and other traits.
• Opposites do not attract
– People in committed relationships are most likely to be similar to
their partners in attitude and cultural attributes.
– Partners are like us in race and ethnicity, age, level of
education, and religion

19. Reciprocity: If You Like Me, You Must Have
Excellent Judgment
• Reciprocity
– When we feel admired and complimented, we tend to
return these feelings and behaviors.
– Important determinant of attraction

20. Love
• Romantic love occurs within a cultural context in which
the concept is idealized.
• Concept of love in Western culture is transmitted through
romantic fairy tales that are passed down through the
generations.

21. Love as Appraisal of Arousal
• Love
– State of intense physiological arousal
– The cognitive appraisal of that arousal
• Perception of being in love consists of
– 1) state of intense arousal that is connected with an appropriate
love object
– 2) cultural setting that idealizes romantic love
– 3) attribution of arousal to feeling of love for the person

22. Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love
• Sternberg’s (2006) “triangular love” theory consists of
three building blocks
– 1) Intimacy — the experience of warmth toward another person
that arises from feelings of closeness and connectedness, and
the desire to share one’s innermost thoughts
– 2) Passion — intense romantic or sexual desire, accompanied
by physiological arousal
– 3) Commitment — desire to maintain the relationship through
good times and bad
• In this theory, couples are well matched if they possess
corresponding levels of passion, intimacy, and
commitment

23. Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love (cont’d)
• Being in love
– Refers to states of passion; friendship is based on shared
interests, liking, and respect; do not necessarily overlap
• Romantic love
– Has passion and intimacy but lacks commitment
• Fatuous love
– Has passion and commitment but lacks intimacy; usually dies
down when couple realize they’re not well matched
• Consummate love
– Relationship with passion, intimacy, and commitment

24. Fig. 14-3, p. 295

25. Jealousy
• Partners become jealous when others show sexual
interest in their partners or when their partners show
interest in another.
• Jealousy can contribute to a relationship failing.
– Can cause feelings of insecurity and rejection, anxiety and loss
of self-esteem, and feelings of mistrust
• Milder forms of jealousy can show that the partner cares.
• Young adults have been known to play jealousy games.

26. LonelinessLoneliness

27. Loneliness
• Loneliness
– Increases during adolescence when peer relationships replace
family ties and teens are more aware of other adolescents
becoming more successful at making friends and earning the
admiration of others
– Associated with low self-confidence, introversion, unhappiness,
depression; social support helps people to cope with stress
– Social isolation contributes to health problems such as obesity
and high blood pressure.
– Lonely people may have poor social skills or lack empathy.

28. The Single LifeThe Single Life

29. The Single Life
• Young adults
– More are choosing to remain single longer than young adults
from previous eras
– Many are postponing marriage to pursue educational and career
goals
– More are living together
• More families are headed by single mothers.
• There is less stigma today associated with being single
than in the past.
• Singles report loneliness and a desire for a steady,
permanent relationship.

30. The Single Life (cont’d)
• Most singles are well adjusted.
• Many singles obtain emotional and psychological
security through a network of intimate relationships.
• Many singles practice serial monogamy.
• Some have primary sexual partner and occasional flings
• Some choose celibacy for religious reasons, to focus on
work, to keep from getting an STI, or because they find
sex unalluring

32. Cohabitation: Darling, Would You Be MyCohabitation: Darling, Would You Be My
POSSLQ?POSSLQ?

33. Cohabitation: Darling, Would You Be My
POSSLQ?
• POSSLQ
– People of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters
– Applies to unmarried couples who live together
• Less stigma for couples living together
• Cohabitating partners tend to marry
– Have a 40% chance of divorce later on
• Reasons for cohabitating vary
• Cohabitating couples less committed than married
couples
– Less religious

34. Figure 14-4 p299

35. Figure 14-5 p299

36. Figure 14-6 p300

37. Marriage: Tying the KnotMarriage: Tying the Knot

38. Marriage: Tying the Knot
• Marriage most common lifestyle among young adults
entering midlife
• Marriage
– Legitimizes sexual relations
– Provides an institution in which children can be supported and
socialized
– With marriage, one can assume the children had within the
marriage are theirs
– Marriage transmits wealth from one family to another and one
generation to another
– Provides sense of security and opportunities to share feelings,
experiences

39. Figure 14-7 p301

40. Figure 14-8 p301

41. Types of Marriage
• Monogamy
– Marriage between one person and another person
• Polygamy
– Person has more than one spouse (of the other sex) and is
permitted sexual access to each of them
• Polygyny
– Males are permitted to have multiple wives as in Islamic
societies
• Arranged marriage
– Families of the bride and groom more or less arrange the union
of their children; found in traditional societies such as modern-
day India
• Gay marriage and Civil Unions
– Marriage between two males or two females

42. Figure 14-9 p302

43. Whom Do We Marry: Are Marriages Made in
Heaven or in the Neighborhood?
• Young adults tend to marry others from the same area
and social class.
– Cinderella’s story is an exception to the rule
• Young adults marry others similar in physical
attractiveness, background, and interests.
– Similar in height, intelligence, educational level, religion, even
similar in alcohol and tobacco use
• Homogamy
– “Like marrying like”
– These marriages tend to be more stable
• Age similarity prevalent in young adulthood
– People marrying late or remarrying tend not to select partners
so close in age

44. Marital Satisfaction
• Quality of the marriage affects physical and
psychological health
• Satisfaction with career associated with satisfaction with
marriage
– Both related to general life satisfaction
• Heavy drinking leads to decreased marital satisfaction
• Marital satisfaction decreased with the birth of a child

45. ParenthoodParenthood

46. Parenthood
• Parenthood is being delayed until late 20’s
• Most people choose to have children for personal
happiness or well-being.
• People in traditional societies report having children to
– strengthen marital bonds
– provide social security
– assist with labor (as in having more hands to help on a farm)
– maintain family lineage; secure property rights and inheritance
– improve odds of reincarnation
– care for one in old age

47. Parenthood and Role Overload
• In developed nations, conflict and depression may occur
when the mother has to return to work shortly after the
birth of the baby.
• Mother is still primary caregiver
– Encounters role overload
• Not as much stress when parents agree on beliefs about
parenting, role assignment

48. Parenthood in Dual-Earner Families
• Mothers in dual-earning families encounter more stress
than fathers.
• Dual-earning mothers show a decline in well-being,
while men show an increase.
• Dual-earning mothers with flexible work schedules have
less stress than women with fixed schedules.
• Problems in the workplace translate to problems at
home.
• Mother typically cuts back on work or drops out of
workforce

49. Divorce: Breaking BondsDivorce: Breaking Bonds

50. Divorce: Breaking Bonds
• Divorce rates in U.S. between 40% and 50%
• Divorced men more likely to remarry than divorced
women
• No-fault divorce laws have helped to aid in the increase
in divorce.
• Americans today expect more from marriage than past
generations.

51. The Cost of Divorce
• Divorce tends to affect women more than it affects men.
• Women’s household income drops by 24%
– Men’s household income drops by 6%
• Formerly non-career-oriented women often compete for
jobs against younger, more experienced women.
• Divorced women tend to have sole responsibility for the
children.
• Divorced fathers may find paying alimony and child
support difficult while establishing a new lifestyle.

52. The Cost of Divorce (cont’d)
• Divorce may cause feelings of failure as a spouse and a
parent; children do suffer from divorce.
• May increase loneliness and uncertainty about the
future
• Divorced and separated people have the highest rates
of physical and mental illness.
• Benefits of divorce
– May permit personal growth and renewal
– Can be an opportunity to take stock of oneself and establish a
new, more rewarding life