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
