This chapter discusses socioemotional development in early adulthood. It covers how experiences during this period influence personality later in life. Attachment styles formed in childhood impact relationships. The chapter also examines love, relationships, and different lifestyles like single, married, divorced adults. Challenges like making marriages work and parenting are addressed.

1. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
SOCIOEMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY ADULTHOOD
12
ESSENTIALS OF LIFE-SPAN
DEVELOPMENT
JOHN W. SANTROCK
3e

2. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-2
CHAPTER OUTLINE
• Stability and change from childhood to adulthood
• Love and close relationships
• Adult lifestyles
• Challenges in marriage, parenting, and divorce
• Gender, communication, and relationships

3. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-3
STABILITY AND CHANGE FROM
CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD
• Experiences in the early adult years important in
determining what the individual is like later in
adulthood
• Unfolding of social relationships and emotions not to be
ignored
• Attachment appears during infancy and plays an
important part in socioemotional development

4. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-4
STABILITY AND CHANGE FROM
CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD
• Attachment
• Secure attachment style: Have a positive view of
relationships and find it easy to get close to others
• Avoidant attachment style: Are hesitant about getting
involved in romantic relationships
• Anxious attachment style: Demand closeness, are less
trusting, more emotional, jealous, and possessive

5. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-5
LOVE AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS
• Intimacy
• Friendship
• Romantic and affectionate love
• Consummate love

6. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-6
LOVE AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS
• Intimacy
• Self-disclosure and the sharing of private thoughts
• Erikson’s stage: Intimacy versus isolation
• Intimacy is finding oneself while losing oneself in another person
• Failure to achieve intimacy results in social isolation
• Intimacy and independence
• Balance between intimacy and commitment, and
independence and freedom
• Friendship
• Gender differences in friendships
• Friendships between women and men

7. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-7
LOVE AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS
• Romantic and affectionate love
• Romantic love: Passionate love, or eros
• Strong components of sexuality and infatuation
• Affectionate love: Companionate love
• Desires to have the other person near
• Based on a deep and caring affection
• Consummate love: Strongest form of love

8. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-8
FIGURE 12.1 - STERNBERG’S TRIANGLE
OF LOVE

9. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-9
ADULT LIFESTYLES
• Single adults
• Cohabiting adults
• Married adults
• Divorced adults
• Remarried adults
• Gay and lesbian adults

10. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-10
ADULT LIFESTYLES
• Single adults
• Stereotypes associated with being single range from:
• “Swinging single” to the “desperately lonely, suicidal” single
• Common problems
• Forming intimate relationships with other adults
• Confronting loneliness
• Finding a place in a society that is marriage-oriented

11. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-11
ADULT LIFESTYLES
• Advantages
• Having time to make decisions about one’s life course
• Time to develop personal resources to meet goals
• Freedom to make autonomous decisions
• Pursue one’s own schedule and interests
• Opportunities to explore new places and try out new things
• Privacy

12. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-12
ADULT LIFESTYLES
• Cohabiting adults
• Living together in a sexual relationship without being
married
• Reasons for cohabiting
• Spend time together
• Share expenses
• Evaluate compatibility
• Lower marital satisfaction and increased likelihood of
divorce

13. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-13
FIGURE 12.2 - THE INCREASE IN
COHABITATION IN THE UNITED
STATES

14. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-14
ADULT LIFESTYLES
• Married adults
• Marital trends
• Marriage rates in the U.S. have declined in recent years
• In 2011, the U.S. average age for a first marriage climbed to 28.7
years for men and 26.5 years for women
• Marriage in adolescence is more likely to end in divorce
• Benefits of a good marriage
• Happily married people live longer, healthier lives
• Feel less physical and emotional stress

15. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-15
FIGURE 12.3 - PERCENTAGE OF MARRIED PERSONS
AGE 18 AND OLDER WITH “VERY HAPPY”
MARRIAGES

16. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-16
ADULT LIFESTYLES
• Divorced adults
• Factors
• Youthful marriage
• Low educational level
• Low income level
• Not having a religious affiliation
• Having divorced parents
• Having a baby before marriage

17. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-17
FIGURE 12.4 - THE DIVORCE RATE IN
RELATION TO NUMBER OF YEARS MARRIED

18. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-18
ADULT LIFESTYLES
• Remarried adults
• Remarriage occurs sooner for partners who initiate a
divorce
• More unstable than first marriages
• Have higher rates of depression but improved financial
status

19. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-19
ADULT LIFESTYLES
• Gay and lesbian adults
• Are similar to heterosexual relationships in satisfactions and
conflicts
• Misconceptions:
• Masculine/feminine roles are relatively uncommon
• Small segment of the gay male population has a large number
of sexual partners
• Gay male couples have an open relationship while lesbian
couples usually do not

20. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-20
CHALLENGES IN MARRIAGE,
PARENTING, AND DIVORCE
• Making marriage work
• Becoming a parent
• Dealing with divorce

21. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-21
CHALLENGES IN MARRIAGE,
PARENTING, AND DIVORCE
• Making marriage work
• 7 principles of a working marriage
• Establishing love maps
• Nurturing fondness and admiration
• Turning toward each other instead of away
• Letting your partner influence you
• Creating shared meaning

22. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-22
CHALLENGES IN MARRIAGE,
PARENTING, AND DIVORCE
• Becoming a parent
• For many young adults, parental roles are:
• Well planned
• Coordinated with other roles in life
• Developed with the individual’s economic situation in mind
• For others, the discovery that they are about to become
parents is a startling surprise

23. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-23
CHALLENGES IN MARRIAGE,
PARENTING, AND DIVORCE
• Becoming a parent
• Trends in childbearing
• By giving birth to fewer children and reducing the demands of
child care, women free up a significant portion of their life spans
for other endeavors
• As working women increase in number, they invest less actual
time in the child’s development
• Men are apt to invest a greater amount of time in fathering
• Parental care is often supplemented by institutional care

24. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-24
CHALLENGES IN MARRIAGE,
PARENTING, AND DIVORCE
• Dealing with divorce
• Divorced adults:
• Difficulty in trusting someone else in a romantic relationship

25. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-25
CHALLENGES IN MARRIAGE,
PARENTING, AND DIVORCE
• Strategies for divorced adults
• Thinking of divorce as a chance to grow personally and to
develop more positive relationships
• Making decisions carefully
• Focusing more on the future than the past
• Using your strengths and resources to cope with difficulties
• Not expecting to be successful and happy in everything you do

26. © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12-26
GENDER, COMMUNICATION, AND
RELATIONSHIPS
• Two ways of communications
• Rapport talk: Language of conversation
• Way of establishing connections and negotiating relationships
• Report talk: Talk that is designed to give information
• Includes public speaking