Developmental Psychology

• Eating Disorders o Anorexia is when there is a restricted number of calories that are being taken in through a regular diet. This will take it to the point of emaciation or starvation o Bulimia is where someone compulsively eat and then will purge through making themselves vomit, or use laxatives o Freud’s suggestion about anorexia is that it is a subconscious manifestation against nutrition. This is part of his regression theory o Media outlets suggest that there are unrealistic weight expectations for individuals to emulate. This is part of the Cultural Image Theory o Control theory is when someone has a lack of control in their life and will eat excessively o Younger adults are affected by eating disorders, than those who are of a higher socioeconomic status. o Death is not discriminatory to race, gender or culture o Types of deaths include  Accidents  Homicides  Suicides o There are some studies that have suggested that males are more than likely to die during early adulthood than females are 8.3 Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood Physical changes begin slowing down, while cognitive changes will increase. Several aspects will pick up the pace. Aspects such as the storage of knowledge, the speed of cognition, thoughts, as well as information processing efficiency will hasten. Adults will begin to think about more practical ways to handle issues, be integrative, as well as finding resourceful ways of dealing with problems. The post-formal thought is known as less abstract than formal thought. It is during the early stages of adulthood when a person starts using reasoning skills, which in turn helps the individual focus better on problem-solving real-life problems. During post-informal thought, it dictates that a person will transition from clear decisions of formal thought to the ability to recognize gray areas when faced with a problem. There are three main characteristics that help make up Post-Formal Thought. Let’s look at these. • Relativism : This typically refers to the understanding of one’s individual perspective and that it is only considered one of many potentially valid views of reality. Knowledge is not considered absolute and is not fixed. • Acceptance of Contradiction : This is the implication of understanding that reality will embrace inconsistencies. Someone can love and be angry with someone at the same time. • Integration : This is the deep, refined thought process that individuals gain capacity to integrate and synthesize conflicting ideas or views. They will now view them more in a coherent whole. Integration will usually advance in individuals, further beyond the earlier • Death

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