Lecture Module Seven Physical Cognitive and Psychosocial development

Lecture Module Seven Physical, Cognitive and Psychosocial development during young and emerging adulthood Psychosocial Development during Emerging Adulthood Ages 20 to 40 years

What is the life challenge of emerging adulthood? What is the developmental status of the emerging adult? This is physically the most healthy and vital period of the life span. Emerging adults have mastered abstract and logical thinking developed in formal operations. Emerging adults still need life experience to go beyond formal operations into post-formal thinking, which entails combining abstract thought with intuition and experience to deal with ambiguity and contradiction in life. Completion of formal education and transitioning into a personal career and adult life’s work is an essential personal life goal. Moving away from family, adolescent and college friendships, and forming new adult friendships and relationships including finding a life partner is a major goal and life accomplishment. The challenge is to pursue ones own life goals and establish intimate relationships: The challenge of Self in Society

What bi-polar emotional “crises” emanate from the challenge of SELF IN SOCIETY? Emerging out of adolescence into adulthood is not an event, but rather, is a process that extends over years. It is often an uneven road with starts, stops and detours. Changes in intimate relationship partners, jobs and careers, college majors, leaving home and returning home for a time, moving and altering where one lives in town or in the world, are more the rule than the exception. Unlike the turmoil of adolescence, however, these changes are often initiated for a purpose and by the emerging adults themselves. They are experienced as “growth” opportunities and turning points. In all of this Erikson sees the emerging adult trying to follow two diverging roads simultaneously.

What bi-polar emotional “crises” emanate from this challenge? One road is about the self. “Who am I” from adolescence changes into “Why am I? ” What is my role, my purpose, my future goal, and where do I fit and make a difference? The other road is about interpersonal relationships. Who do I belong with? Who do I like to hang with? How do I now relate to my parents? Who should I date? Who do I love? To whom and to what am I attached? To follow each road takes time, energy, focus, money and investment of self. The challenge of Self in Society demands that the emerging adult DO BOTH. Is there enough time, energy, self, and focus to do this?

Erikson’s Sixth Psychosocial Stage The challenge of Self in Society ushers in the dual emotional crises of : Intimacy vs. Isolation • Not simply or even primarily sexual intimacy but emotional connectedness • Intimacy involves entering into close, warm, communicative, loving relationships with others so that you can make a deep, personal commitment to another person that takes sacrifice & compromise. • What prior ego virtue is a foundation for this kind of intimacy? FIDELITY achieved by balancing identity with role confusion and now being able to use uneven life experiences to learn even more about one’s true identity. • At the end of this lecture is a short video that speaks to this as being “healed” knowing who you really are.

Erikson’s Sixth Psychosocial Stage The challenge of Self in Society ushers in the dual emotional crises of : Intimacy vs. Isolation • Isolation refers to becoming overly centered on the pursuit of your own goals, plans and desires with little compromise or willingness to take care of or sacrifice for others instead of yourself. • Being so driven to achieve and move forward along the path of self that there is little investment of personal resources into relationships with others. • We obviously want SOME of this drive to achieve. Graduate degrees, occupational success, financial stability, personal accumulation of worldly possessions and so on are not bad in themselves. • The percent of adults ages 18 -34 who are still unmarried skyrocketed from 41% (1978) to 71% (2018) in U. S.

Resolution of the crisis of Intimacy vs. Isolation in Stage 6 Too much isolation will lead one to a life of personal accomplishment but loneliness. “He who dies with the most toys wins!” becomes… “He who dies with the most toys, still dies!” Too much intimacy looks like the young adult who is too busy socializing, partying, being the social climber to actually do much to establish themselves in a career or build a realistic future. Going off backpacking around Europe to see the world sounds great, for a time but… A balance between focus on others and focus on self is required for resolution of this crisis.

Resolution of the crisis of Intimacy vs. Isolation in Stage 6 Cont. If a balance between focus on others and focus on self is successfully accomplished the new ego virtue of Love is achieved. The ability to love others but yet preserve one’s own identity, needs and goals. Once this ego strength is achieved the adult is able to properly invest in and commit to others and institutions about which they care, and yet, continue to do what is necessary in pursuit of their own personal needs and goals. This will set the stage for working on resolution of the upcoming psychosocial stages of adulthood. View the video on You. Tube: Intimacy vs. Isolation applied