Young Adulthood: Love and Work

1. Young Adulthood: Love and Work “Lieben und artbeiten.” ~Sigmund Freud

2. Transition to Adulthood • Accepting responsibility for oneself • Making independent decisions • Becoming financially independent • Intimacy versus isolation is central conflict according to Erikson • Cultural variations include: • Israeli’s completing military service • Korean support parents financially • Traditional cultures focus on marriage

3. Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

4. Changes in Love • The three components follow a predictable trajectory

5. Marriage • Marriage may exist for several reasons: • Uniting people to serve complementary gender roles • Reduces sexual competition • Necessary for the species • Variation between cultures in choice of marriage partners, economics and number of marriage partners

7. Arranged Marriages • Romantic love may not be a basis for marriage for all cultures • Arranged marriages are an alliance between families with love developing after marriage • Commitment first and attachment second • Marriage is also seen as an economic institution • Many traditional cultures are shifting from “arranged” to semi arranged

8. Western Marital Roles • Western view of marriage strongly based on intimacy and sexual relationships • Focus on ideal mate could lead to marital dissatisfaction • Belief in self-fulfillment in marriage leads to high divorce rate in the U.S.

9. Figure 10.3 Divorce Peaks in Young Adulthood

10. Divorce • Causes of divorce include • Age at marriage—younger than 25 • Divorced parents • Socioeconomic status—conflict and stress over finances • Partner behavior—drinking or drug use, infidelity • Adjustments after divorce hardest in first 1–2 years

11. Single Adults • Compared to married young adults it was thought being single led to • Increased mental health problems • Physical health problems • Substance abuse • Thorough analysis has shown all these negative effects were overblown • Ethnic variations exist in singlehood • African Americans have higher rates of cohabitation than other groups • In Asian countries (urban) 1/3 of woman 30-34 are single • In Japan, single young adults are the happiest group

12. Gay and Lesbian Partnerships • There are similarities between homosexual and heterosexual partnerships • Seek long term relationship • Seek out similar partners and have similar areas of conflict • Differences include • Gay couples tolerate sexual episodes more than lesbian or heterosexual couples • Higher sexual activity • Many differences are fading as acceptance increases

13. Becoming a Parent • Traditional countries • Becoming a parent is extremely important • Fertility is goal of a woman and men enjoy greater status • Developed countries • Parenting is a choice and may not be extremely important • Parents more likely to be on their own although there are ethnic group differences • Single motherhood is higher now than 50 years ago • In U.S. there are ethnic and education differences

14. The Meaning of Work • Most people work to make a living but also find meaning in their work • Research has found that people have four common ways in which personal fulfillment is derived from work • Developing and becoming self • Union with others to pursue a common purpose • Expressing self • Serving others

15. Choosing an Occupation • Holland’s Theory of Occupational Choice • People pursue careers that are a good fit between their abilities and interests • Six personality types that combine these factors: investigative, social, realistic, artistic, conventional, and enterprising • Holland’s theory does not tell us much about the differences among ethnic groups orother cultural groups

16. Super’s Theory • People progress along a continuum of vocational maturity through five stages • Implementation stage • Establishment stage • Maintenance stage • Deceleration stage • Retirement stage • Occupational aspirations at age 16 in the U.K. predicted occupational attainments at 33 • In the U.S., people change occupations several times during adulthood

17. Occupational Development • How we advance within chosen occupations depends on many factors including • Expectations • Support from coworkers • Priorities • Job satisfaction

18. Occupational Expectations • Changing interests and failure can be cause for changing the dream • Leaving school and learning about the real world is often a time of reality shock for young adults • Job satisfaction tends to increase with age • Probably because with advancing age, workers tend to select and stay with jobs that satisfy them and move on from work that is less satisfying

19. The Role of Mentors and Coaches • More experienced workers often communicate the most critical kinds of information rather than formal training • Mentors help young workers avoid trouble and explain the unwritten rules of the job • Mentors often guide young workers and help to ensure that they are noticed and get credit from supervisors

20. The Role of Mentors (Cont) • Kram described four phases of the mentoring relationship: • Initiation • Cultivation • Separation • Redefinition

21. Work-Family Conflict • Dual-earner couples have difficulty finding time for each other • The amount of time is not necessarily the most important issue as long as they enjoy the time together and it is spent in shared activities • Many mothers have to return to work after the birth of a baby • Some women struggle with the issue of returning to work, weighing financial need and the need to care for their children • Some women feel the need to return to work as a result of attachment to their work • Giving up work means a redefinition of one’s identity • Highest level of stress was during the peak parenting years when there were often at least two preschool children in the home

22. Division of Household Labor • Women spend up to 50% more hours per week than men in family work • Unequal division of labor is the greatest source of arguments and unhappiness in two-earner households • While men have increased the amount of time spent on household chores, the greatest amount of the increase is on the weekends

23. Division of Household Labor • The division of household labor is often the result of people’s experience with their parents’ assignment of chores • Men are more satisfied with the division of household labor • Women are not as concerned about the amount of time men spend on household chores as when there are certain “women’s chores” that men will not perform • Even when women enjoy doing tasks that are traditionally considered “women’s work,” they may still experience role strain when a partner does not also engage in these tasks

24. Support in the Home • Women are more satisfied when men take on tasks that are traditionally women’s chores • African American and Hispanic men spend more time on household chores than European American men