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8: Early Adulthood

  • Page ID
    54373
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    Learning Objectives

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    Image of Young Adult Couple Photo Courtesy of Joshua Gray

    At the end of this lesson, you will be able to

    • Discuss the developmental tasks of early adulthood.

    • Describe physical development in early adulthood.

    • Explain how early adulthood is a healthy, yet risky time of life.

    • Summarize Levinson's theory of adult transitions.

    • Distinguish between formal and post‐formal thought.

    • Explain dialectical thought.

    • Describe Erikson's stage of intimacy vs. isolation.

    • Question Erikson's assertion about the focus on intimacy in early adulthood.

    • Identify trends in mate selection, age at first marriage, and cohabitation in the United States.

    • Discuss fertility issues in early adulthood.

    • Explain social exchange theory of mate selection.

    • Define the principle of least interest.

    • Apply Sternberg's theory of love to specific examples of relationships.
    • Apply Lee's love styles to specific examples of relationships.

    • Compare frames of relationships.

    • Explain the wheel theory of love.

    • Explain the process of disaffection.

    • Describe some current concerns in education in today's colleges.


    8: Early Adulthood is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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