Lifespan Psychology Module 14: Early Adulthood – Social and Personality Development

Key Terms:

 Intimacy versus isolation: Erikson’s early adulthood stage, in which an individual must

find a life partner or supportive friends in order to avoid social isolation

 Intimacy: the capacity to engage in a supportive, affectionate relationship without losing

one’s own sense of self

 Life structure: in Levinson’s theory, the underlying pattern or design of a person’s life

at a given time, which includes roles, relationships, and behavior patterns

 Emerging adulthood: the period from the late teens to early 20s when individuals

explore options prior to committing to adult roles

 Parental investment theory: the theory that sex differences in mate preferences and

mating behavior are based on the different amounts of time and effort men and women must

invest in child rearing

 Social role theory: the idea that sex differences in mate preferences and mating behavior

are adaptations to gender roles

 Assortative mating (homogamy) : sociologists’ term for the tendency to mate with

someone who has traits similar to one’s own

 Validating couples: partners who express mutual respect, even in disagreements, and are

good listeners

 Volatile couples: partners who argue a lot and don’t listen well but still have more

positive than negative interactions

 Avoidant couples: partners who agree to disagree and who minimize conflict by

avoiding each other

 Hostile/engaged couples: partners who have frequent arguments and lack the balancing

effect of humor and affection

 Hostile/detached couples: partners who fight regularly, rarely look at each other, and

lack affection and support

 Kin keeper: a family role, usually occupied by a woman, which includes responsibility

for maintaining family and friendship relationships

 Career development the: process of adapting to the workplace, managing career

transitions, and pursuing goals through employment

 Work–life balance: the interactive influences among employees’ work and nonwork

roles

 Quality of work–life (QWL): movement an approach to enhancing job satisfaction by

basing job and workplace design on analyses of the quality of employee experiences in an

organization
I) Theories of Social and Personality Development

a) Erikson’s Stage of Intimacy versus Isolation

 Intimacy versus isolation: Erikson’s early adulthood stage, in which an individual

must find a life partner or supportive friends in order to avoid social isolation.

 Intimacy: the capacity to engage in a supportive, affectionate relationship without

losing one’s own sense of self.

b) Levinson’s Life Structures

 Life structure: in Levinson’s theory, the underlying pattern or design of a person’s

life at a given time, which includes roles, relationships, and behavior patterns.

c) Emerging Adulthood

 Emerging adulthood: the period from the late teens to early 20s when individuals

explore options prior to committing to adult roles.

II) Intimate Relationships

a) Theories of Mate Selection

 Parental investment theory: the theory that sex differences in mate preferences and

mating behavior are based on the different amounts of time and effort men and

women must invest in child rearing.

 Social role theory: the idea that sex differences in mate preferences and mating

behavior are adaptations to gender roles.

 Assortative mating (homogamy) : sociologists’ term for the tendency to mate with

someone who has traits similar to one’s own.

b) Marriage
  Validating couples: partners who express mutual respect, even in disagreements, and

are good listeners.

 Volatile couples: partners who argue a lot and don’t listen well but still have more

positive than negative interactions.

 Avoidant couples: partners who agree to disagree and who minimize conflict by

avoiding each other.

 Hostile/engaged couples: partners who have frequent arguments and lack the

balancing effect of humor and affection.

 Hostile/detached couples: partners who fight regularly, rarely look at each other, and

lack affection and support.

III) Parenthood and Other Relationships

IV)