Developmental Psychology

Achieve Test Prep: Developmental Psychology

Dialectal thought is the ability to understand the pros and cons and the plethora of possibilities of a given situation. In addition, dialectal thought involves continual thought integration, formation of a belief (or a thesis), formation of an opposing belief (antithesis), and creative synthesis to join all components of a situation to form a conclusion. It is believed that a component of cognitive growth in early adulthood is due to the enrollment in higher education (post-high school education). Gender ratios have flipped and in recent years, approximately fifty-five percent of college students are female. There has been an increase in the percentages of Hispanic, Asiatic, African-American, and other races and ethnicities of students enrolling in higher educational institutions. Approximately twenty percent of citizens and residents of the USA hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Higher education does more than educate via academic material; Generally speaking, it encourages flexible thinking, tolerance, and allows individuals to feel a sense of control over their lives. Regardless of the type and form of higher education, certain skills increase and develop, such as verbal, math, formal reasoning, and critical thinking. Beyond the scope of higher education, certain life events help an individual to mature cognitively. Parenthood is an event which sparks maturity in most individuals. Other life events, such as religious experiences, a new job, or a new relationship, encourage maturation. No matter the life event, the commonality is when the event occurs; the individual is forced to view their life from a new perspective, which tends to promote maturation. Psychosocial Development in Early Adulthood: There are two foundational themes which drive adult development, the need to feel connected to other human beings and to feel independent in the individual’s ability to support themselves and others. Maslow suggested the need to belong and feel love is the primary force behind development. Freud purported that a healthy adult was one who could love and work and the ability to do so was the driving force behind development. Erikson believed a young adult is typically in the Intimacy versus Isolation Stage . At this point, adults tend to seek someone else to share their lives with and without such commitment, may fear and experience isolation. Intimacy does not just refer to sexual intimacy but to intimacy between individuals in general. Human beings need friends, romantic partners, spouses, or even parents. A secondary, but similar view, given by Daniel Levinson , does not focus on a crisis, but on the transition from one role into another and the expectations which accompany each role. Typically, most individuals from ages seventeen to twenty two experience the adult transition of leaving

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