PSY 101    Class 06: Development 3: Adolescence & Adulthood

Adolescence

1. Physical Changes of Adolescence

• Puberty: the maturation of sexual functions 
• Primary Sexual Characteristics = the structures necessary for reproduction
• Neurological Changes: Maturation of the nervous system, esp. the prefontal cortex, limbic system, & projection fibers

3. Identity	Eric Erikson: Identity vs. Role Confusion
	James E. Marcia's 4 forms of identity: Achievement Foreclosure Moratorium Diffusion

"Adult Transition" or "Emerging Adulthood" as a distinct period in Western culture (Arnett et al., 2014)

 

• 2025 Data: “The share of young adults [18-29 years old] who live with their parents has increased in recent years. In 2025, 49 percent of adults under age 30 lived with a parent. This share was up by 6 percentage points since 2022, and up 12 percentage points since 2019, just before the pandemic.” (FRS, 2026 p. 24, emphasis added)

• Identity exploration 
• Sense of instability (the flip side of exploration) in both love and work
• Focus upon the self
• Feeling "in between" adolescence and full adulthood (not still adolescent, not yet adult)
• Possibilities & Optimism
• However, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 onward has altered various aspects of mental and economic health
• For decades, social scientists found that the least happy age group was in its 30s to late 50s. That pattern in the US and elsewhere seems to be changing:

1. Personality Development How similar is our personality (does it change?) across the years of adulthood? Erikson's Three Stages in Adulthood Intimacy vs. Isolation (early to late 20s) Generativity vs. Self-absorption (late 20s-mid-50s) Integrity vs. Despair (after the mid-50s into old age)
2. Life Transitions in Adulthood Adjusting to Marriage Adjusting to Parenthood Adjusting to the "Empty Nest"
3. Aging Physical Changes dementia (multiple cognitive problems) Alzheimer's disease Cognitive Changes

This page was originally posted on 10/10/03 and last updated on August 29, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

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