Early Adulthood: 24-34

Developmental Tasks

Taking action on the psychological commitments of later adolescence:

• Intimate relationships

• Decisions re: kids

• Work/career

• Lifestyle

• Describe her/his life as far the developmental tasks.– Is he/she “committed?”– Is he/she in transition?– Is she/he “stable?”– How would she/he describe this stage of life?• What are one or two major influences on

where he/she is right now?• Briefly discuss with the person next to you.

Consider someone you know well and…

Theories of influence: Why do we make the decisions we make?

• Personality Trait Theory-– Outofservice.com

• Fulfillment Theories

• Social Role Theory

Trait theory of personality

• A definition: The consistent pattern of behavior, thought and emotion a person exhibits across situations.

• The Big 5– Extraversion….Intraversion– Emotional stability….Neuroticism– Openness to experience….Closed to exp.– Agreeableness….Contentiousness– Conscientiousness….Carelessness*** Which of your observations reflect personality?

Personality and burnout

• 80 volunteers-75 women, 5 men

• Working with terminal patients

• Burnout defined: – Emotional exhaustion– Depersonalization– Reduced feeling of personal accomplishment

Some correlations

• High neuroticism linked with more depersonalization and emotional exhaustion

• High neuroticism linked with avoidance (as opposed to approach) as a coping mechanism

• High extraversion linked with less burnout• Agreeableness linked with feeling personal

accomplishment when under stress

Fulfillment Theories

• Competence-motivated by desire to achieve mastery.

• Self-acceptance-motivated to fully accept and value oneself and others.

• Self actualization-motivated by the desire to fulfill one’s potential.

**What observations about your person fit with these theories?

Questions to consider…

• What is a significant role your person is fulfilling?

• Why is she in the role?

• In what ways do the role expectations fit you or conflict with him?

• How do others respond to how she fulfills the role?

Social Role Theory-Basic Concepts

1. Social role

2. Role enactment

3. Role expectations

4. Role gain

5. Role strain

6. Role conflict

7. Role loss

Developmental research

1. Discuss the “fixed or flexible” nature of personality in adulthood.

2. Identify several hypotheses that reflect this topic; choose one.

3. Discuss how you might go about studying your hypothesis.

4. Report back: • Your hypothesis• Ideal subjects• Your method

Role analysis-in stage groups

• What roles are lost as one enters adulthood?

• What is a prominent role for early adults?• What are the expectations of you in this

new role?• What are the behaviors (enactments) of

someone filling this role?• How are role gain, role strain and role

conflict evident in this role?

Traits defined in the workplace

• Extraversion– Enthusiasm-expression of feelings– Sociability– Energy level– Taking charge– Trust of others– Tact

• Emotional stability– Sensitiveness– Intensity– Interpretation– Rebound time

• Openness to experience– Imagination– Complexity– Comfort with change– Scope-level of attention to detail

• Agreeableness– Service-self vs. other– Agreement– Deference– Reserve– Reticence

• Conscientious– Perfectionism– Organization– Drive– Concentration– Methodicalness

Some patterns

• Conscientiousness and agreeableness increase in adulthood

• Neuroticism decreases in women

• Openness shows mixed results

• Extraversion tends to stay the same

Focus on consummate love relationships

• Operationally define a satisfying, committed, romantic relationship.

• What are the “deal breakers” that might end a budding relationship?

• What is it about the people or the circumstances that make a healthy relationship possible? Consider personality, social roles, fulfillment theory, attachment…

After jotting down your own notes, join with others in your age group and discuss. List on newsprint:1. An operational definition of a “healthy” relationship.2. Conditions required for a “healthy” relationship.

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

• Intimacy

• Passion

• Commitment

Consider the Radius of Significant Relationships

• The individual

• The family, e.g. parents, kids

• Siblings, close relatives

• Peer groups

• Leaders, models for identification

• Co-workers

• Subculture

• Humankind

Bronfenbrenner’s Systems theory

• Microsystem

• Mesosystem

• Exosystem

• Macrosystem

Back in your small groups…

• Place the different influences on relationship quality in the correct part of the radius.

• Then, someone in the group volunteer to be the model to fill in as much detail in the radii of influence as possible.

Individual factors

• Attachment in adulthood– Secure-50+%

• Happy and confident about future of relationship

– Avoidant-25%• Less invested in relationships, higher break-up

rates, loneliness

– Ambivalent-20%• Over invested, repeated break-ups with same

person, low s-e

Personality, sort of

• According to Gottman, it doesn’t.

• Some research shows that people high on neuroticism have more difficulty in relationships.

• Family/relationship characteristics– Division of labor– Relationship maintenance behavior– Support from extended family

Gottman research

• Focuses on marriage• Has identified patterns for success and

failure• Challenges some long-held beliefs

– Communication is key– Personality problems block successful

marriages– Avoiding conflict is bad– Reciprocity is key

Research Question

• Is secure attachment necessary for a satisfying relationship?

• How can we build on what we know about relationships to help support relationship stability?

Developmental research

1. Discuss the “fixed or flexible” nature of personality in adulthood.

2. Identify several hypotheses that reflect this topic; choose one.

3. Discuss how you might go about studying your hypothesis.

4. Report back: • Your hypothesis• Ideal subjects• Your method

Small group activity

1. Take 5 minutes and write your desired lifestyle.

2. Then consider the dimensions and their relevance to you (5 minutes).

3. Then in mixed age groups, discuss the relevance of the dimensions:

• How strong an influence is each?• To what extent can they be modified?• How can they be modified?• Interesting research questions?

Report back

• Strongest influences? Negligible influences?

• Best ways to be intentional?

Video and small group debrief

1. Watch the video clips, focusing on Edie and Terry.

2. In small groups, briefly discuss the assigned theory to make sure you understand it.

3. Analyze the main characters according to the theory.

4. Report back to the class three examples that illustrate the theory.

Write your age expectation; then society’s expectation.

1. Best age for a man to marry.2. A young woman.3. Best age for most men to have children.4. Best age for most people to finish school and go to work.5. Best age for a woman to marry.6. A young man.7. Best age for most women to have children.8. A middle-aged man.9. When most men hold their top jobs.10. When a woman has the most responsibilities.11. When most men should settle on a career.12. A middle-aged woman.13. When a woman accomplishes the most.14. When a man has the most responsibilities.15. An old man16. When most women should be settled on their careers.17. When a man accomplishes the most.18. When most women hold their top jobs.19. The prime of life for a man.20. An old woman.21. The prime of life for a woman