Unit Two

Early Adulthood
Approximately, age 20 is the beginning of early adulthood.
Age alone is not a good criterion for determining when young
adulthood begins. Maturity has been identified as the major
criterion of young adulthood. From the psychosocial
perspective, the time of entry into a new stage is based on a
convergence of experiences-including the accomplishments of
the previous stage, the resolution of the previous crisis, and
the beginning efforts to achieve the tasks of the new stage –
rather than on chronological age.
In contemporary society, one begins to experience adulthood as
several roles emerge, typically, those of worker, committed
partner, and parent. As the age of entry into marriage has
advanced over the past 20 years, the majority of young people
in the United States are unmarried in the age range of 20 to 24.
Students take an average of 5 to 6 years to complete college,
and young people seem to be involved in a longer period for
job experimentation before settling into their occupational
career. All of these factors argue for advancing approximate
age of entry into adulthood.
 2.1 Characteristic of Early Adulthood
A. Early Adulthood is the "Settling-down Age“

B. Early Adulthood is the "Reproductive Age“

C. Early Adulthood is a "Problem Age“

D. Early Adulthood is a Period of Emotional Tension

E. Early Adulthood is a Period of Social Isolation

F. Early Adulthood is a time of commitments

G. Early Adulthood is often a Period of Dependency

H. Early Adulthood is a Time of Value Change

I. Early Adulthood is the Time of Adjustment to New lifestyles

 A. Early Adulthood is the "Settling-down Age"
Childhood and adolescence are the periods of "growing up" and
that adulthood is the time for "settling down:" , this means when
boys and girls reached the age of legal maturity, their days of carefree
freedom were over and the time had come to settle down and assume
the responsibilities of adult life. That meant settling into a line of
work.
B. Early Adulthood is the "Reproductive Age"
Parenthood is one of the most important roles in the lives of most
young adults. Those who were married during the latter years of
adolescence concentrate on the role of parenthood during their
twenties and early thirties; some become grandparents before early
 C. Early Adulthood is a "Problem Age"
The early adult years present many new problems, different in
their major aspects, from the problems experienced in the earlier
years of life. With the lowering of the age of legal maturity to 18
years, young adults have been confronted with many problems
they are totally unprepared to cope with. While they are now able
to vote, to own property, to marry without parental consent,
and to do many things young people could not do when the age of
legal maturity was twenty-one years, there is no question about
the fact that "this new-found freedom is creating unforeseen
problems for the youthful adults, and often for their parents, too".
 why adjustment to the problems of adulthood is so difficult

First, very few young people have had any preparation for meeting the
types of problems they are expected to cope with as adults. Education in
high school and college provides only limited training for jobs, and few
schools or colleges give courses in the common problems of marriage and
parenthood.

Second, just as trying to learn two or more skills simultaneously usually

results in not learning anyone of them well, so trying to adjust to two or
more new roles simultaneously usually results in poor adjustment to all of
them. It is difficult for a young adult to deal with the choice of a career and
the choice of a mate simultaneously. Similarly, adjustment to marriage and
parenthood makes it difficult for young adults to adjust to work if they
Third, and perhaps most serious of all, young adults do not
have the help in meeting and solving their problems that they
had when they were younger. This is partly their own fault and
partly that of their parents and teachers. Most young adults are
too proud of their new status to admit that they cannot cope
with it. So, they do not seek the advice and help in meeting the
problems this new status gives rise to. Similarly, most parents
and teachers, having been rebuffed by adolescents who claimed
they were capable of handling their own affairs, hesitate to
offer help unless they are specifically asked to do so.
D. Early Adulthood is a Period of Emotional Tension

When people are trying to get the lay of a new land in

which they find themselves, they are likely to be
emotionally upset. When adults feel that they have not
been able to cope with the problems in the major areas
of their lives, they are often so emotionally disturbed
that they contemplate or attempt suicide.
 E. Early Adulthood is a Period of Social Isolation

With the end of formal education and the entrance

into the adult life pattern of work and marriage,
associations with the peer groups of adolescence wane
and, with them, opportunities for social contacts
outside the home. As a result, for the first time since
babyhood even the most popular individual is likely
to experience social isolation, or what Erikson has
referred to as an "isolation crisis”.
 F. Early Adulthood is a time of commitments
As young adults change their role from that of student and
dependent, characteristic of adolescence, to that of
independent adult, they
 establish new patterns of living,
 assume new responsibilities, and
 make new commitments.
While these new patterns of living, new responsibilities, and
new commitments may change later, they form the
foundations on which later patterns of living,
responsibilities, and commitments will be established.
 G. Early Adulthood is often a Period of Dependency

In spite of achieving the status of legal adulthood at age

eighteen, with the independence this status carries,
many young adults are partially or totally dependent
on others for varying lengths of time. This dependency
may be on parents; on the educational institution they
attend on part or total scholarship, or on the government
for loans to finance their education. . As a result, their
state of dependency is often prolonged into the late
 H. Early Adulthood is a Time of Value Change
Many of the values developed during childhood and adolescence
change as experience and social contact with people of different
ages broaden and as values are considered from a more mature
standpoint. Adults who used to consider school a necessary evil
may now recognize the value of education as a stepping-stone
to social and vocational success and to personal fulfillment.
As a result of such changed values, many adults who dropped out
of school or college decide to finish their education. Some find
studying so stimulating that they continue to take courses even
after receiving high school or college degrees.
 I. Early Adulthood is the Time of Adjustment to New lifestyles

•While lifestyles have been in a state of flux since

the turn of the present century, at no period in the
life span is this truer than in early adulthood. And
in no area of early adult life are new lifestyles
more prevalent than in the areas of marriage
and parenthood.
 2.2 Developmental Tasks of Early Adulthood

 Selecting a mate

 Achieving a masculine or feminine social role

 Learning to live with a marriage partner

 Starting a family

 Rearing children

 Managing a home

 Getting started in an occupation

 Taking on civic responsibility

 Finding a congenial (pleasant and best suited to own interest)

 2.3 Diversity of Adult Lifestyles
•Today, non- traditional family options have penetrated.
Many adults experience not just one, but several options.
Some adults make a deliberate decision to adopt a lifestyle,
whereas others drift into it. The lifestyle may be imposed
by society, as is the case for cohabiting homosexual
couples, who cannot marry legally. Or people may decide
on a certain lifestyle because they feel pushed away from
another, such as a marriage gone sour. In sum, the adoption
of a lifestyle can be within or beyond the person's control.
 Singlehood
 Singlehood-not living with an intimate partner-has increased in
recent years, especially among young adults. Besides more people
marrying later or not at all, divorce has added to the numbers of
single adults. In view of these trends, it is likely that most will
spend a substantial part of their adult lives single.
 Because they marry later, more young adult men than women are
single. But women are far more likely than men to remain single
for many years or their entire life. With age, fewer men are
available with characteristics that most women seek in a mate-the
same age or older, equally or better educated, and professionally
successful
 Singlehood cont…
 Of the various advantages of singlehood, those mentioned most
are freedom and mobility. But singles also recognize
drawbacks-loneliness, the dating grind, limited sexual and
social life, reduced sense of security, and feelings of exclusion
from the world of married couples.
 Single men have more physical and mental health problems
than single women, who usually come to terms with their lifestyle.
The greater social support available to women through
intimate same-sex friendships is partly responsible. In
addition, never-married men are more likely to have conflict-
ridden family backgrounds and personal characteristics that
contribute to both their singlehood and their adjustment difficulties.
 Cohabitation
 Cohabitation refers to the lifestyle of unmarried couples who have an
intimate, sexual relationship and share a residence.
 Until the 1960s, cohabitation in Western nations was largely limited to low-
SES adults. Since then, it has increased in all groups, with an especially
dramatic rise among well-educated, economically advantaged young people.
 Like singlehood, cohabitation has different meanings. For some, it serves
as preparation for marriage-a time to test the relationship and get used to
living together. For others, it is an alternative to marriage--an arrangement
that offers the rewards of sexual intimacy and companionship along with the
possibility of easy departure if satisfaction declines. In view of this
variation, it is not surprising that cohabiters differ greatly in the extent to
which they share money and possessions and take responsibility for each
 Childlessness

 Some people are involuntarily childless because they did not

find a partner with whom to share parenthood or their efforts
at fertility treatments did not succeed.
 There are couples who choose not to have children as a matter
of fact that voluntary childlessness is not always a
permanent condition. A few people decide early that they do
not want to be parents and stick to these plans. But most make
their decision after they are married and have developed a
lifestyle they do not want to give up. Later, some change their
minds.
 Besides marital satisfaction and freedom from
child-care responsibilities, common reasons for not
having children include the woman's career and
economic security. Consistent with these motives, the
voluntarily childless are usually college educated, have
prestigious occupations, and are highly committed to
their work.
 Many were only or first-born children whose parents
encouraged achievement and independence. In cultures
that negatively stereotype childlessness, it is not
surprising that voluntarily childless women are more
self-reliant and assertive.
 Divorce and Remarriage

 Divorce rates have increased as financial instability

increased and marital satisfaction has decreased.
 Divorces are also common during the transition to
midlife, when people have teenage children-a period
of low marital satisfaction. About three-fourths of
divorced people remarry. But marital failure is even
greater during the first few years of second marriages.
 Factors Related to Divorce

•The most obvious reason for failure of marriage is a disrupted husband-wife

relationship. The problem-solving style could be ineffective. Another typical
style involves little conflict, but partners increasingly lead separate lives because
they have different expectations of family life and few shared interests,
activities, or friends.
•Wives reported more problems than husbands, with the gender difference
largely involving the wife's emotions, such as anger, hurt feelings, and
moodiness. Husbands seemed to have difficulty sensing their wife's distress,
which contributed to her view of the marriage as unhappy.
•Regardless of which spouse reported the problem or was judged responsible for
it, the strongest predictors of divorce were infidelity, spending money
foolishly, drinking or using drugs, expressing jealousy, engaging in irritating
 Consequences of Divorce

•Immediately after separation, both men and women are depressed

and anxious and display impulsive behavior. For most, these
reactions subside within 2 years. Women who were in traditional
marriages and who organized their identities around their husbands have
an especially hard time.
•A few women-- especially those who are anxious and fearful or who
remain strongly attached to their ex-spouses-show a drop in self-
esteem, become depressed, and tend to form repeated unsuccessful
relationships. Job training, continued education, career advancement,
and social support from family and friends play vital roles in the
economic and psychological wellbeing of divorced women.
 Remarriage
•On average, people remarry within 4 years of divorce, men somewhat faster
than women. For several reasons, remarriages are especially vulnerable to
breakup.
First, although people often remarry for love, practical matters-financial security,
help in rearing children, relief from loneliness, and social acceptance-figure more
heavily into a second marriage than a first. These concerns do not provide a
sound footing for a lasting partnership.
Second, some people transfer the negative patterns of interaction and problem
solving learned in their first marriage to the second.
Third, people who have already had a failed marriage are more likely to view
divorce as an acceptable solution when marital difficulties resurface.
And finally, remarried couples experience more stress from step family
 Variant Styles of Parenthood
•Diverse family forms result in varied styles of
parenthood. Among these are a growing number of
cohabiting and remarried parents, never-married parents,
and gay and lesbian parents. Each type of family presents
unique challenges to parenting competence and adult
psychological well-being.
A. Stepparents: Whether stepchildren live in the
household or visit only occasionally, stepparents are in a
difficult position. Since the parent-child tie predates the
blended family, the stepparent enters as an outsider
Stepparents frequently criticize the biological parent for
being too lenient. The parent, in turn, tends to view the
stepparent as too harsh. These differences can divide the
couple. Remarried parents typically report higher levels of
tension and disagreement than first marriage parents, most
centering on child-rearing issues. Because of more
opportunities for conflict, relationship quality is poorer when
both adults have children from prior marriages than when only
one does.
Stepmothers, especially, are likely to experience conflict.
Expected to be in charge of family relationships, they quickly
find that stepparent-stepchild ties do not develop instantly.
Often mothers are jealous, uncooperative, and possessive of
 B. Never-Married Single Parents:

•Single adults occasionally decide to become parents on their own.

Births to women in high-status occupations who have not married by
their thirties have increased. However, they are still few in number,
and little is known about how these mothers and their children fare.
•Children of never-married mothers who lack the involvement of a
father are poor in school and display more antisocial behavior than
children in low-SES, first-marriage families. These adjustment
problems make life more difficult for mothers. Strengthening social
support, education, and employment opportunities for low-SES
parents would encourage marriage as well as help unmarried-mother
 C. Gay and lesbian Parents:
•Several million American gay men and lesbians are parents, most
through previous heterosexual marriages, a few through adoption or
reproductive technologies. In the past, laws assuming that
homosexuals could not be adequate parents led those who divorced a
heterosexual partner to lose custody of their children.

•Gay and lesbian parents are as committed to and effective at

child rearing as heterosexual parents. Some evidence suggests that
gay fathers are more consistent in setting limits and more responsive
to their children's needs than heterosexual fathers, perhaps because
gay men's less traditional gender identity fosters involvement with
•In lesbian families, quality of mother-child interaction is as positive
as in heterosexual families. And children of lesbian mothers regard their
mother's partner as very much a parent. Whether born to or adopted by
their parents or conceived through donor insemination, children in
homosexual families are as well-adjusted as other children. Also, the large
majority are heterosexual. When extended-family members have
difficulty accepting them, homosexual mothers and fathers often build
"families of choice" through friends, who assume the roles of relatives.
But most of the time, parents of gays and lesbians cannot endure a
permanent rift. With time, interactions between homosexual parents and
their families of origin become more positive and supportive.
2.4 Physical, Cognitive, Psychosocial Changes in Early
Adulthood

2.4.1 Physical changes

•Early adulthood is, for most people, the time of peak
physical capacity. The body reaches full height by the
late teens, and physical strength increases into the late 20s
and early 30s.

•In general, people in early adulthood feel robust and

energetic, although it is not unusual to see
fluctuations around deadlines and exam periods.
•On the other hand, people in this age group are also legally able to
use damaging substances, such as alcohol and tobacco. Young adults
also have increasing responsibility for organizing their own eating
habits and exercise regimes. The young adult years are often referred
to as the peak years. Young adults experience excellent health,
vigor, and physical functioning. Young adults have not yet been
subjected to age-related physical deterioration, such as wrinkles,
weakened body systems, and reduced lung and heart capacities.
•Their strength, coordination, reaction time, sensation, fine motor
skills, and sexual response are at a maximum.

•Additionally, both young men and women enjoy the benefits of

society’s emphasis on youthfulness. They typically look and feel
attractive and sexually appealing. Young men may have healthy skin,
all or most of their hair, and well-defined muscles. Young women
may have soft and supple skin, a small waistline, and toned legs,
thighs, and buttocks. Health and physical fitness during young
adulthood are excellent.
 Cont…

•People in their 20s and 30s perform at exceedingly high

levels on tests of endurance and stamina. They generally
are at their best in terms of physical conditioning and
overall sense of well-being.
•Death rates during young adulthood are lower than
during any other period of the life span. Except for HIV
/AIDS in males and malignancies in females, the leading
cause of death during the 20s and 30s is accidents. Death
rates, however, double during each decade after age 35.
 2.4.2 Cognitive changes
•By the end of adolescence, most people are capable of the
levels of reasoning that we would expect for normal
functioning in adult society. Although there are wide
individual differences in attainment, most young adults
are able to deal with cognitive tasks in a more abstract way
than before, and to attain solutions to problems by
comparing possible explanations.
•Many young adults—particularly those who have attended college
—develop the ability to reason logically, solve theoretical problems,
and think abstractly. They have reached Piaget’s formal operations
stage of cognitive development. During this stage, individuals can
also classify and compare objects and ideas, systematically seek
solutions to problems, and consider future possibilities. As young
adults confront and work through the gray areas of life, some may go
on to develop post formal thinking, or practical street smarts.
Developing the wisdom associated with post formal thinking is a
lifelong process, which begins in the teenage years and is fully
realized in the older adult years
 Most young adults aged 18 and over will :

 Move into adult roles and responsibilities and may

learn a trade, work, and/or pursue higher education
 Fully understand abstract concepts and be aware of
consequences and personal limitations
 Identify career goals and prepare to achieve them
 Secure their autonomy and build and test their
decision making skills
 Develop new skills, hobbies, and adult interests
 2.4.3 Psychosocial development

•Young adulthood is a time when many difficult

decisions need to made. These decisions will affect the
person for the rest of his life they make decision for
themselves, which influence their life-style in their
future. They must make choices about: Education,
occupation, to marry or remain single, starting a
home, children rearing, forming new friendships,

& assuming certain community activities.

•Psychosocial development in adulthood consists of changes
in lifestyles and relationships. According to Erikson, the
primary task of early adulthood is to establish identity and
intimacy (sharing one’s total self with someone else) after
wrestling with the intimacy versus isolation psychosocial crisis,
which poses commitment to others opposite the possibility of
self-absorption. Much psychosocial development occurring
during this period is in conjunction with significant life changes,
such as leaving home, finding a long-term romantic relationship,
beginning a career, and starting a family.
•An important aspect of establishing intimacy with a
partner is first being able to separate from the family of
origin, or family of procreation. Most young adults have
familial attachments from which they are separating. This
process normally begins during Daniel Levinson’s early
adult transition (ages 17–22), when many young adults
first leave home to attend college or to take a job in
another city.
 2.5 Personal and Social Hazards in Early Adulthood

A. Physical Hazards: refers to physical defects and poor health. Individual

with such problems cannot achieve what they aspire. This is usually
followed by stress. Unattractive physical appearance also hurts the
individual social competence.

B. Social Hazards: They also face social adjustment problems. The most
common one include difficulty in associating oneself, inability to develop
friendly relationships and dissatisfaction with the roles the social group
expects the individual to play.

C. Social Mobility: is also another hazard of adjustment. That is, one who
moves either side faces new social norms and values to adjust with.
He/she is expected to do so. Inability to adjust is often followed by stress.
 2.6 Vocational and Family Adjustments in Early Adulthood

•Early adulthood is a period of adjustments to new patterns of life and new

social expectations. The young adult is expected to play new roles, such as
that of spouse, parent, and breadwinner, and to develop new attitudes,
interests, and values in keeping with these new roles. These adjustments
make early adulthood a distinctive period in the life span and also a
difficult one. It is especially difficult because, until now, most boys and
girls have had someone parents, teachers, friends or others-to help them
make the adjustments they are faced with. Now, as adults, they are
expected to make these adjustments for themselves. To avoid being
considered "immature," they hesitate to turn to others for advice and help
when they find the adjustments too difficult to cope with successfully
 2.6.1 Vocational adjustments

•In young adulthood, a person’s career or job can become a

significant part of a person’s self-identity. Often a person’s self-
definition is related to what he or she does. Levinson (1978)
describes the process of young adults entering an occupation whereby
they must develop an occupational identity and establish themselves
in the work world. Each job carries with it a set of components that
must be adapted for successful adjustment in the workplace.
•Newman and Newman (1995) describe these components: The
use of technical skills; the development of authority relations;
adapting to special demands and hazards; and the development of
interpersonal relationship with peers. As young adults make
important inroads in their career, they must also be starting a family.
•Achieving a balance among one’s career, leisure and family
life is a developmental task that needs to be addressed during
this period.
•The psychological importance of what people do varies, and
it is important to understand the difference between a job and
a career. Many people pursue a job in order to earn a living.
Therefore; their job may not have much value for them from a
psychological perspective. Other people pursue a career more
as a way of life .Their career may have significant value to
 2.6.2 Marital adjustments

•There are many sources of tension in a new marriage. If the partners

do not have similar, religious, educational, or social class
backgrounds, they will not have to compromise on many value
decisions. Assumed shared value orientation, certain life style
decisions can generate tension. The couple must establish a mutually
satisfying sexual relationship. They must also work out an agreement
about saving and spending money. As part of adjustment to marriage,
the partners must achieve a sense of psychological commitment to
each other. There is a period of testing in every marriage, during
which each partner is likely to put strain on the relationship to see
 2.6.3 Adjustment to parenthood

•During early adulthood, the issue of reproduction is confronted many

times. Young adults make choices to delay parenting, have an
abortion, have a child, wait before having another child, or stop
having children altogether. Many parents undergo difficult and
expensive procedures to conceive a child. Others who are unable to
conceive decide to adopt children. Some adults become foster parents,
whether or not they have children of their own. Even unplanned
pregnancies are the products of some kind of decision making,
whether to have sexual relationship knowing that pregnancy is
possible, to avoid using effective means of birth control, to abort the
pregnancy or to carry the child to term.
• In contemporary societies, decisions about childbearing
are made in the context of other personal and family
goals and commitments. Factors such as religious
beliefs, career aspirations, ideals about family life, and
social expectations in the family and culture all
contribute to a couple’s commitment to bearing children
and the timing of the first and subsequent pregnancies.
Cultures differ in the norms and expectations they
convey about the value of having children as well as the
 2.6.4 Vocational and Marital Hazards during Early Adulthood

•Young adults have experienced different hazards related to their career and family
formation. Some of the common marital and vocational hazards are listed below:
• Marital Hazards:-
• Adjustment to a mate
• Role changes
• Parenthood
• Relationship with In-Laws
• Hazards of Singlehood
• Hazards of divorce
• Hazards of Remarriage

• Vocational Hazards
• Job Dissatisfaction