SOCIO DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY ADULTHOOD

STABILITY AND CHANGE FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD

Socioemotional development allows us successfully incorporate our emotional experiences
into satisfying connections with other people on a regular basis. Each of us makes decisions and
overcomes obstacles in adopting lifestyles that are emotionally fulfilling, predictable, and
manageable. We do not come to these tasks as blank slates, and decisions and actions merely reflect
the person we will become by the end of adolescence. So, it is essential to take note that our
experiences in the early adult years are important in determining what the individual will be like
later in adulthood.
• Stability
- A situation in which something can continue in a regular and successful way without
unexpected changes.

• Temperament
- Temperament is an individual’s behavioral style and characteristic emotional
responses.
These are the aspects of temperament in childhood and early adulthood:
❖ Easy and Difficult Temperaments- children who had an easy temperament at 3 to
5 years of age were likely to be well adjusted as young adults and in contrast, those
children who had a difficult temperament at 3 to 5 years of age were not well
adjusted as young adults.

❖ Inhibitions- Individuals who had an inhibited temperament in childhood are less

likely than other adults to be assertive or experience social support.

CHILD A CHILD B
establishes authoritative parenting style uses an authoritarian type of
Parenting where the caregiver validates their parenting wherein the caregiver
Styles children's feelings, while also making it favors punishments over
clear that the adults are ultimately in charge discipline.
there is the presence of “stimulus shelters” a child continually encounters
Environment or “defensible spaces” that the children can noisy, chaotic environments that
retreat to when there is too much allow no escape from stimulation.
stimulation
child’s school is “undermanned,” so school is said to be “overmanned,”
Schools inhibited children are more likely to be so inhibited children are less likely
tolerated and feel they can make a to be tolerated and more likely to
contribution feel undervalued
 As a result, child A as an adult is closer to extraversion (outgoing,
sociable) and is emotionally stable. On the other hand, Child B, an adult, is closer to introversion
and has more emotional problems.

❖ Ability to control one’s emotion- when a child showed good control of their
emotions and were resilient in the face of stress, they were likely to continue to
handle emotions effectively as adults. In contrast, when a child had low emotional
control and were not very resilient, they were likely to show problems in these areas
as young adults.

• Attachment
- refers to a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another
across time and space, appears during infancy and plays an important part in socio-
emotional development
Following is a description of the widely used measure of adult attachment created by Hazan and
Shaver (1987):

1. I find it relatively easy to get close to others and I am comfortable depending on them and
having them depend on me
2. I am somewhat uncomfortable being close to others. I find it difficult to trust them
completely and to allow myself to depend on them.
3. I find that others are reluctant to get as close as I would like. I often worry that my partner
doesn’t really love me or won’t want to stay with me
These measures correspond to the three (3) attachment styles:
❖ Secure attachment style - describes adults who have positive views of
relationships, find it easy to get close to others, and are not overly concerned or
stressed out about their romantic relationships

❖ Avoidant attachment style- describes adults who are hesitant about getting
involved in romantic relationships and once in a relationship tend to distance
themselves from their partner

❖ Anxious attachment style- describes adults who demand closeness, are less
trusting, and are more emotional, jealous, and possessive
Some Studies about the Importance of Attachment Styles:

❖ Attachment-anxious individuals showed strong ambivalence toward a romantic

partner (Mikulincer & others, 2010).
❖ In two longitudinal studies of newlywed marriages, spouses were more likely to
engage in infidelity when either they or their partner had a highly anxious
attachment style (Russell, Baker, & McNulty, 2013)
 ❖ Adults with avoidant and anxious attachment patterns had a lower level of sexual
satisfaction than their securely attached counterparts (Brassard & others, 2012)

ATTRACTION, LOVE, AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIP

• Attraction
- It is the power for eliciting emotions, including finding interest and evoking feelings
of like. Also, it refers to positive feelings about another person. It can take many forms,
including liking, love, friendship, lust, and admiration.

❖ First Impressions- Our initial impression when we meet someone for the first time
can also possibly have a lasting effect. Numerous studies have found that immediate
impressions can be accurate. Based on very little evidence, such as that provided
by photographs, very brief interactions, or video clips, individuals can accurately
detect a person’s romantic interest in them, their tendency to be violent, and their
sexual orientation. However, in some cases, first impressions can be misleading. In
a recent study, individuals who encountered others with attractive faces were more
likely to overestimate their intelligence.

❖ Familiarity and Similarity- An important condition for a close relationship to

develop wherein familiarity describes how people who know each other better like
each other better. However, similarity is another term for sharing traits like
passions, income, or ethnicity, which also make people like each other more. One
of the reasons why people are attracted to others who have similar attitudes, values,
and lifestyles is because of Consensual validation. Consensual validation is an
explanation of why individuals are attracted to people who are similar to them. Our
own attitudes and behavior are supported and validated when someone else’s
attitudes and behavior are similar to our own.

❖ Physical Attractiveness- The spark that often ignites a romantic relationship where
research shows that romantic attraction is primarily determined by physical
attractiveness. In the early stages of dating, people are more attracted to partners
whom they consider to be physically attractive. Men are more likely to value
physical attractiveness. On the other hand, women tend to rate as most important
such traits as considerateness, honesty, dependability, kindness, understanding, and
earning prospects; men prefer good looks, cooking skills, and frugality. The force
of similarity also operates at a physical level. We usually seek out someone at our
own level of attractiveness in physical characteristics as well as social attributes.
Research validates the matching hypothesis, which states that although we may
 prefer a more attractive person in the abstract, in the real world we end up choosing
someone who is close to our own level of attractiveness.

• The Faces of Love

- Other possibilities exist that could grow the relationship to love if we are initially
attracted to someone. Friendship, romantic love, affectionate love, consummate
love and other types of connections are all included in the broad and complicated region
of human behavior known as love.

The Different Types of Love:

❖ Intimacy- Intimacy is characterized by self-disclosure and the sharing of innermost

thoughts. Adolescents have a greater desire for intimacy. Recall that Erik Erikson
contends that the most significant issue resolved in adolescence is identity versus
confusion. In early adulthood, after individuals are well on their way to establishing
stable and successful identities, they enter the sixth developmental stage, which is
intimacy versus isolation. Erikson describes intimacy as finding oneself while
losing oneself in another person, and it requires a commitment to another person.
If a person fails to develop an intimate relationship in early adulthood, isolation
results.

❖ Friendship- This plays an important role in development throughout the life span
and adulthood brings opportunities for new friendships as individuals move to new
locations and may establish new friendships in their neighborhood or at work

❖ Romantic Love- Intimacy and passion are components of romantic love, but there
is no commitment. The partners spend much time with one another and enjoy their
closeness but have not made plans to continue ‘no matter what’. This may be true
because they are not in a position to make such commitments or because they are
looking for passion and closeness and are afraid it will die out if they commit to
one another and start to focus on other kinds of obligations.

❖ Affectionate Love- Intimacy and commitment are the hallmarks of companionate

love. Partners love and respect one another and they are committed to staying
together. But their physical attraction may have never been strong or may have just
died out. This may be interpreted as ‘just the way things are’ after so much time
together or there may be a sense of regret and loss. Nevertheless, partners are good
friends committed to one another.

❖ Consummate Love- Intimacy, passion, and commitment are present in

consummate love. This is often the ideal type of love. The couple shares passion;
 the spark has not died, and the closeness is there. They feel like best friends as well
as lovers and they are committed to staying together. According to Sternberg,
consummate love may be harder to maintain than it is to achieve, as the components
of love must be put into action. Without behavior and expression, passion is lost
and love may revert back to the companionate type.

In Sternberg's theory, the concept of love is a triangle that is made up of three components.
Some of these types of love are focused on the love between two people in a romantic or sexual
relationship, but these types of love also apply to other forms of interpersonal relationships.
Cross-Cultural Variations in Romantic Relationships- Influence of culture on many aspects of
human development, including romantic relationships. In collectivist countries like China and
Korea, intimacy is more diffused in love because of the strong group emphasis on connections
outside of a romantic love relationship. By contrast, in individualistic countries such as the United
States and most European countries, intimacy is often more intensified because an individual’s
social network is more likely to be smaller and less group-oriented

Relationship Education for Adolescents and Emerging Adults- The programs in relationship
education have focused on helping committed adult couples to strengthen their relationships.
Relationship education consists of interventions to provide individuals and couples with
information and skills that produce positive romantic relationships and marriages. These
interventions are diverse and include instruction in basic relationship knowledge and skills to youth
in a classroom setting, helping unmarried couples learn more about relationships in small group
settings, and providing premarital education to engaged couples.
 • Falling Out of Love
- refers to the collapse of a close relationship, people who fall out of love tends to be
emotionally distant, avoid physical intimacy, stop expressing affection, or appear
detached and unresponsive to emotional needs.
3 Reasons Why People Fall out of Love

❖ No longer feeling appreciated, respected, or valued by their partner- Early in

the relationship, it feels like love is unconditional, but as the infatuation stage
inevitably cools, the tendency is to start taking each other for granted.

❖ Not managing toxic thoughts- As partners in a long-term relationship trustingly

expose their innermost struggles, they understandably feel vulnerable to the other
partner's rejection, judgment, or criticism. This vulnerability often feels very
uncomfortable. As a defense, the person who feels criticized may develop toxic
thoughts toward their partner.

❖ Incompatibility- Research shows that couples with similar attitudes, values, and
backgrounds tend to experience more lasting satisfaction,
companionship, intimacy, and love and are less likely to break up. As a couple gets
to know one another better—and the initial excitement dies down—they may
discover that their preferred lifestyles, priorities, and values don't align, leaving
partners feeling discouraged about their future together.

Study about the Positive Outcomes in the Aftermath of a Romantic Breakup

❖ Personal Positives- Individual feel stronger, more self-confident, more
independent and better off emotionally.

❖ Relational Positives- Individual gain more relational wisdom and better

communication skills.

❖ Environmental Positives- Individual having more and better friendships

because of the breakup.