APPSYCHUnit9.5SocialDevelopmentofAdulthood&ReflectionsonDevelopment

1. Isdivorceahorriblething?WHY?2. Doyouhavetobemarriedtobehappy?WHY?3. Doyouhavetolikeyourjobinordertobehappy

inlife?WHY?4. Howisyourfamilyhandlingyougoingoffto

universityandleavingthem?5. Doyouthinkoldpeopleareokaywithdying

soon?WHY?6. Areyouokaywithdying?WHY?7. Areyouthesamepersonyouwereasa3year

old?8yearold?12yearold?WHY?

Adulthood’sAges&Stages• 40s=middleadulthood.Peoplerealizethattheirlifehasbeenmostlylived.

• Popularbeliefisthatthisstageistroublingandmaytriggera“midlifecrisis”ortimeofgreatstruggleorregret.– False!– Nottriggeredbyagebutratheramajor lifeeventorchange.

Adulthood’sAges&Stages• Socialclock=culturallypreferredtimingofsocialevents,suchasmarriage,parenthood,andretirement.– Changesfromculturetoculture– Changesfromeratoera– Peoplearegettingmarriedmuchlaterinlifenowthenbefore

– Peopleworkuntilolderages

Adulthood’sCommitments

• Review– Erikson’sStagesofPsychologicalDevelopment

• Intimacy– formingcloserelationships

• Generativity – Beingproductiveandsupportingfuturegenerations

Love• We mostly make monogamous pairs –

evolution – 2 parents working together make offspring more likely to have babies

• Similar interests & values

• Commitment

• Why is divorce more common these days?

• Cohabitation before marriage is more likely to lead to divorce?

• Are married people more happy?– 5:1 ratio of positive to negative

• Having children is positive and negative

• Empty nest or post-launch honeymoon?

Work• Adultidentitycanbelinkedtowhattheydoforaliving• Notforalladults

Well-Being Across the Life Span• Looking back at life regrets – focus on what we failed to do

rather than mistakes

• Happiness doesn’t get lower over life, we actually get happier

• But highs become less high, lows become less low, average feeling remains stable – life becomes less of an emotional roller coaster

Death&Dying

• Grievingcanbeshort-livedorunbearableandneverending• Howearlyorlatewasthedeath?

• 5stagesofdying:– Denial- Refusingtobelieve theindividual issick.

– Anger- Displaysangerthatindividual issick.

– Bargaining- Makingadeal,inreturn foracure,theywillfulfill apromise.

– Depression- General depressionaffectingsleepingandeatingpatterns.

– Acceptance-The realizationthatdeathisinevitable.

Reflectionsof3MajorDevelopmentalIssues1– Naturevs.Nurture•Bothinfluence development2– Continuity vs.Stages•Passthrough theminthesameorder3– Stabilityvs.Change•Both,personality graduallystabilizes•Butcan’tpredict fromonlylookingatfirst2yearsoflife•Andweallstillchangewithage