Developmental Psychology
Lecture 18
11-27-00
Early Adulthood: Outline
Intelligence in Adulthood
Changes in Adult Cognition
Loneliness & Friendships
Love & Marriage
Single Life Style
Family & Sibling Relationships in Adulthood
How Do We Assess Intelligence
in Adults?
IQ tests
Everyday problem-solving
Job skills
Adaptation to environment
Domains of expertise
Two Views of Intelligence
Psychometric - measured by IQ tests
Practical - assessed in everyday problem-solving
Dual Process Model of Intelligence
Mechanics
Attention
Learning
Memory
Fluid Intelligence
Pragmatics
Experiences
Knowledge
Wisdom
Crystallized Intelligence
Intellectual Development During Adulthood
2 changes in the dual process model
Mechanics of intelligence decline with age
Pragmatics of intelligence increase with age
Adult Cognition
Postformal Thought (Labouvie-Vief)
Relativism & Subjective Experience
Cognitive Flexibility & Synthesis
Dialectical Operations (Riegel)
understands inherent contradictions and both sides of dilemmas
Understanding Declines in IQ with Increasing Age
Cohort effects
Speed demands of tasks
Lack of practice
Poor health
Terminal drop
Positive Features of
Intellectual Development
Selective optimization of skills
Learn compensatory strategies
Maintain active life style
Young Adulthood Relationships
Outline
Loneliness & Friendships
Love & Marriage
Single Life Style
Family & Sibling Relationships in Adulthood
Young Adults - Recap
Transitions & Choices in the 20s culminate in feelings of:
Generativity & Productivity
Competence & Self-esteem
Intimacy & Social Supports
Satisfaction & Optimism
Friendships Involve Consensual Validation Through
Enjoyment
Acceptance
Trust
Respect
Mutual assistance
Confiding
Understanding
Spontaneity
Levels of Relationships
Self-focused - personal benefits
Role-focused - shallow commitment
Individuated-connected - mutual concern & caring
Last level usually reached in young adulthood
Loving = Friendship Plus
Mutual dependency
Selfless orientation to partner
Fascination
Exclusiveness
Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Love
Intimacy = emotional warmth
Passion = sexuality
Commitment = cognitive decisions
Patterns of Love: Marriage Phases
Blending - merging lives, mutual discoveries, honeymoon
Nesting - potential disillusionment, testing compatibility, threatened breakup
Redefining Roles - re-assert individuality & commitment
Benefits of Marriage
Better health & lifestyles, live longer
Provide emotional comfort
Provide financial partnership
Shared adventures, memories
Connections across generations, continuity
Keys to Successful Marriage
Renew intimacy, passion, & commitment
Open, ongoing communication
Display emotions
Respect each others’ differences
Resolve conflicts
Delaying Marriage
Historical trend for delayed marriages
in USA
Men still marry at older ages than women
Cultural & religious differences in expectations about marriage
Advantages of Single Life
career flexibility
mobility
self-sufficiency
sexual freedom
adventurous life style
Disadvantages of Marriage
monogamy
limited mobility
fewer friends
constraints of children
family obligations
The Family Life Cycle
Leaving home - accepting responsibility
New couple - mutual commitment
Becoming parents - realignment of relationships
Family with adolescents - intergenerational responsibilities
Family at midlife -multiple adult relationships
Family at later life - re-negotiation of roles
Gender Differences in Families
Intimacy - women disclose more than men
Family work - women do more repetitive domestic chores
Gender differences are greater when women have young children and do not work outside the home OR when men do not accept family responsibilities
Roles of Mothers & Fathers
Perpetuated habits from our own experiences in families
Myths, illusions, and erroneous expectations can make parenting difficult
Motherhood - one source of fulfillment but balanced with others
Fatherhood - shifting roles of domestic responsibilities & emotional support for family
Child-Parent Relationships During Young Adulthood
Young adults reunite with parents over shared activities and develop adult friendships
Young adults receive emotional support and resources from parents
By middle age, adult children provide support and resources to parents
Sibling Relationships
Sibling rivalry more intense between pairs of brothers than sisters: attachment stronger between sisters
Dominance decreases during adolescence
Majority of adults report feeling closer to sibs during adulthood
Ambivalence between love & rivalry persists during adulthood
Conclusions
Avoid loneliness and find intimacy
Love = intimacy+passion+commitment
Love & marriage require continuous redefinition
Adult children & families can become closer emotionally to each other