Parenthood
LO 14.9 What happens during the transition to parenthood?
Most parents agree that the role of parent brings profound satisfaction, a greater sense of purpose and self-
Becoming a Parent
In the United States, nine out of every ten women aged 18 to 34 has had or expects to have a child. The
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.9, p. 362)
Why do you think more men than women view parenting as a life-enriching experience?
The average age at which a woman delivered her first child has risen in the last century. One reason is
The Transition Experience
Even when new mothers are emotionally healthy, the transition to parenthood can be very stressful. New
parents may argue about child-rearing philosophy as well as how, when, where, and by whom child-care
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.9, p. 362)
What are some added benefits of la cuarenta for the baby, as well as the parents?
Postpartum Depression
Some women suffer from an extended period of depression following the birth of their baby called
postpartum depression (PPD). The symptoms are like those of clinical depression, but most cases persist
only a few weeks. The causes of PPD are unclear, but research suggests that women with the following
conditions are more likely to have postpartum depression:
▪ Women who have unusually high levels of steroid hormones toward the end of pregnancy.
▪ Women whose pregnancies were unplanned.
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.9, pp. 362-363)
Suggest ways to lessen the symptoms of postpartum depression and to shorten its length.
Developmental Impact of Parenthood
Despite its inherent stressfulness, the transition to parenthood is associated with positive behavior
changes. Sensation-seeking and risky behavior decline considerably when young adults become parents.
Despite these positive changes, martial satisfaction tends to decline after the birth of a child. Generally,
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.9, p. 363)
Give examples of some of the factors that would make a single parent’s life more complicated and
stressful.
Childlessness
Like parenthood, childlessness affects the shape of an adult’s life, both within marriages and in work
patterns. Without the presence of children, marital satisfaction fluctuates less over time. Couples who do
not have children report higher levels of marital cohesion.
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.9, p. 363)
Conduct a classroom debate on the pros and cons of remaining childless.
Social Networks
LO 14.10 How are family and friends important to young adults?
Creating a partnership may be the most central task of the stage of intimacy, but it is certainly not the only
reflection of that basic process. In early adult life, each of us creates a social network made up of family
and friends, as well as our life partner.
Family
Parents remain significant parts of the young adult’s life. Most young adults are in contact with their
parents at least once a month. Not surprisingly, the amount and kind of contact an adult has with kin is
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.10, p. 364)
List all the people in your current social network. What is the relative importance of family and friends
for you?
Friends
Friends can be important members of a social network. Friends are chosen as partners are chosen, from
among those we see as like ourselves in education, social class, interests, family background, or family
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.10, p. 364)
What might be the result of a young adult having few, if any, friends?
Sex Differences in Relationship Styles
As in childhood, there are very striking sex differences in both the number and quality of friendships in
the social network. Women have more close friends, and their friendships are more intimate, with more
self-disclosure and more exchange of emotional support. Young men’s friendships, like those of boys
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.10, p. 365)
Who are the kin-keepers in your family? Can you identify why the role of kin-keeper falls to that person?
Critical Thinking Question (Learning Objectives 14.9-14.10, pp. 361-365)
Having children often means that a couple’s social networks change such that the parents of their
children’s playmates take the place of other adults with whom they have associated in the past. What are
the long-term advantages and disadvantages of this trend for parents’ future post-child-rearing lives?
THE ROLE OF WORKER (pp. 365-370)
MyPsychLab Connections
Watch: Workforce, p. 365
Watch: Early Adulthood: Perspectives in Choosing a Career, p. 366
Adding to the stress is the fact that a large percentage of young adults are simultaneously filling a third,
Choosing an Occupation
LO 14.11 What factors influence an individual’s occupational choices?
Family and Educational Influences
Typically, young people tend to choose occupations at the same general social class level as their
parents—although this is less true today than it was a decade or two ago. In part, this effect operates
through the medium of education. Parents who have higher-than-average levels of education themselves
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.11, p. 366)
How much influence did your family have on your choice of career or job?
Gender
Specific job choice is strongly affected by gender. It is still true that sex-role definitions designate some
jobs as “women’s jobs” and some as “men’s jobs.” Stereotypically male jobs are more varied, more
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.11, p. 366)
Is the career you chose typical for your gender? Did your gender role influence your choice? Why or
why not?
Personality
Another important influence on job choice is the young person’s personality. John Holland proposes six
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.11, pp. 366-367)
Which categories seem to be most like you? Does your career choice “fit” the pattern described by
Holland?
Career Development
LO 14.12 How do career goals and job satisfaction change over time?
Once the job or career has been chosen, what kinds of experiences do young adults have in their work
life? Career development is the process of adapting to the workplace, managing career transitions, and
pursuing personal goals through employment.
Super’s Stage of Career Development
Psychologist Donald Super claims that the roots of the career development process are found in infancy:
▪ Between roughly ages 15 to 24, we are in the exploratory stage. In this stage, the young person must
decide on a job or career, and he searches for a fit between his interests and personality and the jobs
available. The process involves a good deal of trial and error.
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.12, pp. 367-368)
Give examples of behavior at each of the stages.
Job Satisfaction
Early studies show that job satisfaction was at its lowest in early adulthood and rose steadily until
retirement. More recently, however, researchers have found that satisfaction is lowest at mid-career,
usually toward the end of the early adulthood period. This trend is attributed to changes in workers’
The Quality of Work–Life Movement
LO 14.13 What are some of the innovations that are associated with the quality of work–life
movement?
Workers who are happy have lower turnover rates, thereby increasing an organization’s efficiency and
profitability. In an effort to enhance job satisfaction among employees, employers have developed new
policies that focus on a variable called work–life balance, the interactions among workers, work, and
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.13, pp. 368-369)
Do you believe these innovations would increase job performance? Explain your answer.
Women’s Work Patterns
LO 14.14 In what ways do women’s work patterns differ from those of men?
Some findings about work patterns hold true for both women and men. Women’s work experience in
early adulthood differs from men’s in one strikingly important respect: The great majority of women
move in and out of the work force at least once, usually to have and raise children. Most such women
return to work, thereby increasing the numbers of mothers in the workplace.
Discussion Launcher (Learning Objective 14.14, pp. 369-370)
How would you describe the differences in men’s and women’s work patterns?
It is important to also note that many women willingly adapt their work lives to the demands of raising
Feature Box Activity (Learning Objective 14.14, p. 370)
Developmental Science and Home: Strategies for Coping with Conflict between Work and Family
Life
Ask family and friends what strategies they use to cope with the conflicts between work and family life.
Critical Thinking Question (Learning Objectives 14.11-14.14, pp. 365-370)
What are your own plans for achieving a satisfactory work–life balance after graduating from college?
Based on the research in this section, how realistic do you think your goals are?
LECTURE LAUNCHERS
Young Adult Development
The primary task of development in young adulthood according to Erikson is the quest for intimacy
versus isolation. Erikson’s definition of intimacy is a very important one because it articulates just how
299
According to Erikson’s theory, in order to develop successfully, one must risk at the next stage of
development what was so difficult to achieve in the previous one. Consider the importance of this
Work
A significant aspect of the young adult’s life will be work or career. Work is an important part of the
young adult’s life for personal, as well as economic, reasons. Work that is satisfying seems to be an
important aspect of personal or self-satisfaction for the young adult. Self-images (like the roles that we
try on) are important because they influence what we incorporate into our self-concept and how we feel
about our self-worth. Work for many young adults is a new role to try on. Although many adolescents
have jobs, most do not consider these jobs to be much more than a method for earning money. Once the
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
▪ MyPsychLab Connections
o Watch: Early Adulthood: Early Adulthood Relationships, p. 350
o Watch: Early Adulthood: Stress About the Future: Gary, p. 351