Prevention
Vigorous law enforcement is one approach to prevention. Advocates of this approach suggest that the
stigma of arrest may force abusers to face the reality that they have a serious problem. Training programs
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.6, p. 335)
In teams, design an approach to prevent intimate partner abuse. Share each team’s plan with the entire
class.
Sexual Violence
Sexual violence is the term applied to episodes of partner abuse in which one individual uses force to
coerce another into engaging in sexual acts. Many such episodes involve strangers; however, more than
three-quarters of sexual violence incidents in the United States occur in the context of some kind of
relationship.
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.6, p. 335)
Do you suppose the prevalence of sexual behavior in the media contributes to sexual violence? Explain
your answer.
The psychological effects of being a victim of sexual violence include the development of sexual
dysfunctions and posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as the possibility of physical trauma and
how to deal effectively with the initial phases of a threatened sexual assault.
Mental Health Problems
LO 13.7 Which mental disorders occur most frequently in young adulthood?
Studies in a number of developed countries show that the risk of virtually every kind of emotional
disturbance is higher in early adulthood than in middle age.
Causes and Consequence of Mental Disorders
The most plausible explanation for the differing rates of mental illness between young adults and middle–
aged adults is that early adulthood is the period in which adults have both the highest expectations and the
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.7, pp. 335-336)
Conduct a classroom debate about the cause of mental health problems in young adulthood—nature or
nurture.
Anxiety and Mood Disorders
The most common mental disorders are those that are associated with fear and anxiety, such as phobias.
A phobia is an irrational fear of an object, a person, a place, or a situation. Most phobias are learned
through the association of the experience of being in a state of fear with a specific stimulus. Since
phobias are usually learned, therapeutic interventions usually involve some process of unlearning the
association.
Personality Disorders
In a few cases, the stresses of young adulthood, presumably in combination with some type of biological
factor, lead to serious disturbances in cognitive, emotional, and social functioning that are not easily
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.7, p. 337)
List some reasons why personality disorders are not usually diagnosed until late adolescence or early
adulthood.
Generally, to be diagnosed with any of the personality disorders, a young adult has to have been
exhibiting the associated behavior since mid or late adolescence. In addition, the person should
demonstrate the behavior consistently, across all kinds of situations. Most personality disorders remain
Schizophrenia
Another type of serious mental illness that is often first diagnosed in early adulthood is schizophrenia, a
mental disorder characterized by false beliefs known as delusions and false sensory experiences called
hallucinations.
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.7, p. 338)
Give examples to distinguish between delusions and hallucinations.
For most people with schizophrenia, these disturbances of thought become so severe that they can no
longer function at work, at school, or in social relationships. They may engage in behavior that endangers
Substance Use and Abuse
LO 13.8 What is the difference between physical and psychological substance abuse?
Alcoholism and significant drug addiction also peak between ages 18 and 40, after which they decline
gradually. The rates of addiction are higher for men than for women, but the age pattern is very similar in
both genders. Binge drinking (usually defined as consuming five or more drinks on one occasion) is
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.8, p. 338)
Why do you think binge drinkers do not believe they have a problem with alcohol?
Binge drinking is one of several substance use behaviors that can lead to substance abuse, a pattern of
behavior in which a person continues to use a substance even though it interferes with psychological,
occupational, educational, and social functioning. Four factors influence the addictive potential of a drug:
▪ How fast the effects of the drug are felt
Some drugs create a physical chemical dependence; others create a psychological dependence.
▪ Physical drug dependence comes as a result of the body’s natural ability to protect itself against
harmful substances by developing a drug tolerance. This means that the user must take larger and
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.8, p. 338)
Why is psychological drug dependence more difficult to combat than physical drug dependence?
Critical Thinking Questions (Learning Objectives 13.4-13.8, pp. 328-340)
COGNITIVE CHANGES (pp. 340-342)
MyPsychLab Connections
Formal Operations and Beyond
LO 13.9 What types of postformal thought have developmentalists proposed?
Piaget’s formal operational stage emerges in mid to late adolescence. Some theorists dispute Piaget’s
hypothesis that formal operations is the last stage of cognitive development. These theorists hypothesize
that a fifth stage emerges in early adulthood in response to the kinds of problems that are unique to adult
life. The term postformal thought is collectively applied to the types of thinking that these theorists
propose to be characteristic of the fifth stage of cognitive development.
▪ Kohlberg and Perry emphasized the shift toward relativism, the idea that some propositions cannot be
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.9. pp. 340-341)
List two personal problems you have had to solve in the past six months. What kind of logic or thought
process did you use to solve each one? Did your mode of thinking change in response to the nature of the
problem?
Many of these new theories of postformal thought are intriguing, but they remain highly speculative, with
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.9, pp. 340-340)
What do you think? Do these new theories represent “higher” forms of thinking or just “different” ways
to approach problems? Do they better represent intelligence in adulthood than Piaget’s theory? Support
your answer.
Intelligence
LO 13.10 How do the concepts of crystallized and fluid intelligence help to explain age-related
changes in IQ scores?
An examination of intelligence in early adulthood suggests that both continuity and change characterize
these components of cognitive functioning. IQ scores remain quite stable across middle childhood,
adolescence, and early adulthood. The best source of evidence is a 35-year cross-sequential study by
Werner Schaie, referred to as the Seattle Longitudinal Study. The research allowed Schaie to look at IQ
Looking at different components of intellectual ability gives a clearer picture of change and stability
across the adult years.
▪ Crystallized intelligence depends heavily on education and experience. It consists of the set of skills
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.10, p. 342)
List some careers with duties that would accentuate the subtle intellectual decline Baltes described.
Critical Thinking Questions (Learning Objectives 13.9-13.10, pp. 340-342)
Earlier in the chapter you learned that most people reach their physical peak during early adulthood.
What would you conclude about the development of a cognitive peak? When is it likely to occur, and in
what ways is the process similar to and different from the development of one’s physical peak?
POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION (pp. 343-345)
MyPsychLab Connections
Watch: Women and the Field of Psychology: Florence Denmark, p. 343
Watch: Emerging Adulthood: Postsecondary Education across Cultures, p. 344
Watch: Coping with Disability, p. 345
Developmental Impact
LO 13.11 What are some of the ways in which college attendance affects individual development?
There is no doubt about the economic value of post-secondary education. College graduates earn more
than non-graduates for a variety of reasons.
▪ Graduates get more promotions and are far less likely than non-graduates to be unemployed for
prolonged periods of time.
▪ For minorities, a college education seems to outweigh the potential effects of racial prejudices.
▪ College graduates have higher real and perceived status; they are more likely than non-graduates to
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.11, p. 343)
Review Erikson’s stage of industry versus inferiority. What would his theory predict about the link
between experiences in elementary school and obtaining a college degree?
Gender, Ethnicity, and Disability and the College Experience
LO 13.12 What is the impact of gender, ethnicity, and disability on the college experience?
Gender and the College Experience
More than half of college students are female, and women have slightly higher graduation rates than men
at all degree levels.
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.12, p. 343)
How do you explain the higher graduation rates of women than of men?
Women’s higher graduation rates might be due to the following:
▪ Women spend almost twice as much time studying as men do, whereas men spend about 50% more
time partying than women do.
Ethnicity
College graduation rates (within six years) vary across ethnic groups in the United States.
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.12, p. 344)
How do you explain the differences in cognitive advances of African American students who attend
historically Black colleges as compared to those who attend predominantly White schools?
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities make up about 11% of the college population in the United States. Recent
studies contain some hints about how such students fare. For example, one reason for recent increases in
college enrollment among students with disabilities is their belief that the required institutional
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 13.12, pp. 344-345)
In teams, research the accommodations for disabled students on your campus. What additional
modifications would make disabled students more welcome? Report each team’s findings to the entire
class.
Critical Thinking Question (Learning Objectives 13.11-13.12, pp. 343-345)
Review Erikson’s stage of industry versus inferiority, discussed in chapter 10. How could his theory help
explain the link between experiences in elementary school and obtaining a college degree?
LECTURE LAUNCHER
The Prevalence of Mental Health Problems in Young Adulthood
There are certain illnesses (such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) that demonstrate primary onset
during young childhood. Other illnesses (such as schizophrenia) have primary onset during late
adolescence and young adulthood. Still other illnesses (such as Alzheimer’s) are more prevalent during
Some individuals live in conditions in which they experience stress that is constant or “chronic.” In these
situations, the stressors (such as financial burden or physical ailments) are always present. One cannot
escape them or avoid them. It seems quite likely that chronic stressors would have a more significant
Clearly each of these life changes brings both positives and negatives to our lives. What determines the
effect(s) these life changes will have on our mental and physical health? How do we cope with the
challenges created by these changes? One simple way of thinking about “coping” is to consider two
alternative patterns of coping: “problem-focused coping” and “emotion-focused coping.”
▪ Problem-focused coping involves developing coping strategies that confront the dilemma and results
in methods for resolving the problem.
▪ Sometimes individuals may not feel that they have the skills necessary to actively confront the
Another critical issue to consider is the impact of “cumulative stress.” Cumulative stress is defined as the
additive effects of the multiple stressors in a person’s life. This would include the following:
▪ the sheer number of stressors the individual has had to confront
A final issue involves the concept of positive versus negative stress. Positive stress is referred to as eustress,
and negative stress is referred to as distress. Clearly, life changes are stressful. But is the stress all bad?
INSTRUCTOR RESOURCES
Media
▪ MyPsychLab—MyPsychLab contains a variety of engaging activities and assessments that aid in
teaching and learning, including the following tools:
o Writing Space. A single place to create, track, and grade writing assignments, provide writing
resources, and exchange meaningful, personalized feedback with students quickly and easily. For
Fall 2014 courses, Writing Space for the 7th edition will contain new auto-graded writing
prompts. Instructors can also offer their own writing prompts and rubrics through this tool.
▪ MyPsychLab Connections
o Watch: Early Adulthood: Social Networking, p. 322
o Watch: Early Adulthood: Happiness and Attitude Toward Aging, p. 322
o Simulate: General Model of Drug Addiction, p. 338
o Watch: Early Adulthood: Portraits of Early Adulthood Physical Health, p. 328