Human Behavior And The Social Environment

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Running head: YOUNG ADULTHOOD 1

Matthew Glover

Human Behavior and the Social Environment I

Dr. Block

12/06/2012

Running head: YOUNG ADULTHOOD 2

Abstract

The life stage I chose to talk about in this paper will be the young adulthood stage. I will be examining the biological age ranges, psychosocial crisis, milestones, and challenges of young adulthood today.

Running head: YOUNG ADULTHOOD 3
I.
The life stage I chose to talk about in this paper will be the young adulthood stage. I will be examining the biological age ranges, psychosocial crisis, milestones, and challenges of young adulthood today. Defining the biological age range can be very difficult. Our text, Dimensions of Human Behavior, written by Elizabeth Hutchison, looks at early adult hood from age eighteen to forty (Hutchison, 2011). Do we consider people who are eighteen and can vote and adult? Or do we define an adult by the ability of a said individual by the ability of making his/her own choices and decisions? Maybe in fact it is when a person moves out of his/her parent’s house and takes on social roles in society. Studies show that this time period of change is growing at a later age every year. Moving out of the “parental nest” is happening at a later age on today’s world. In an article written by Richard Settersten and Barbra Ray entitled, What's Going on with Young People Today? The Long and Twisting Path to Adulthood, The two noted that that the schedule that youth follow to arrive at adulthood changes to meet the social realities of each era. For youth to leave home at an early age during the 1950s, for example, was "normal" because opportunities for work were plentiful and social expectations of the time reinforced the need to do so. But the prosperity that made it possible for young adults of that era to move quickly into adult roles did not last. The economic and employment uncertainties that arose during the 1970s complicated enormously the decisions that young adults had to make about living arrangements, educational investments, and family formation. Next they take a closer look at changes in the core timing shifts in the new transition and the lengthening time it now takes youth to leave home, complete school, enter the workforce, marry, and have children. (Settersten, Ray, 2010).There are many
Running head: YOUNG ADULTHOOD 4 factors that have been looked at when considering what makes an adult. First let’s look at what is happening during this phase of early adulthood. Our text, Dimensions of Human Behavior, define a few social roles changes of a young adult. Looking at the physical self and physical functions at this life stage, the text points out that an increase of binge drinking can occur likely do to the legality of the drinking age during this time. Also it refers to an increase of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV as an increased risk due to sexual experimentation. Looking at the psychological self, the text focuses on the ability to have more cognitive capabilities plus a greater awareness of personal feelings from obtaining and applying information in one’s own life. Finally this can be a very confusing point in one’s life in that one is solidifying their own values and beliefs by letting go of others and making room for new ones. Moral development is also stressed at this life stage. Focusing on the postconventioal stage, things such as greater independence and moral decision making plays a big role. Moving away from and seeking social approval through conformity to, redefining and revising values and selecting behaviors that match those values. Separation from home, and the willingness and ability to take responsibility for others is necessary. On the spiritual plane, this is a time individuals explore and refine their beliefs in systems.
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