Developmental psychology/Chapter 11/Psychosocial Development

In the case of identity achievement, one's findings in their love life, work-life, and worldly views are crucial. One who is not able to find these areas may face confusion/forclosure. Moratorium might be a better solution - waiting until they fully explore the world before dwelling on marriage. An example of this is going to college to figure out what field they want to be involved in or trying various jobs to see what best interests them. The four areas adults dwell in are gender, career, politics and their spirituality.

Finding one's identity in these four areas is an ongoing process, not static. One must find themselves ethnically as well, being proud of their ethnic background and respecting other people's backgrounds simultaneously.

With emerging freedom, adults grow and become more reasonable, making decisions uncharacteristic of themselves from years ago. "Emerging adulthood" is the place for personality development, but even undesirable traits, such as depression, from childhood, can still be apparent. Total transformations don't take place though.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

 * 6/8 Erikson stages: Adults seek an extra person to share their life with, or else they will succumb to loneliness. Loneliness for any human of any age is dangerous. Families have what is known as "linked" lives, where the wellbeing of one family member affects the other family member. "Self expansion" is when we improve our experiences through our close-net group of people. Mutuality, the ability to care for others and oneselves, is common in friendships.
 * Friends become more important as teens become adults. Friends are a source of support as they do not have a lover usually about this time. Friends help each other with the issue of self-silencing, where one is quiet about their needs/drives. Friends serve as a "buffer" vs. stress/depression and it is key for emerging adults to surround themselves with a good net of friends.
 * Men and women act different when it comes to their friends. Men are more physical while women are more emotional. Maintaining friends of the opposite gender doesn't automatically mean it is sexual. "Friends with benefits" do not exist, they are romance partners.
 * Cohort and culture plays a significant role in marriages. For example, certain arranged marriages only consist of love at marriage and were solely organized by the parents [which science backed up as legible and that love flourishes for a person when you have a limited option]. Secondly, some marriages consist of choices for the married fellows, but it is still mostly controlled by the parents. Lastly, some marriages derive from the young couple finally picking the right person after multiple trial and errors. These couples pay more attention to what they see, such as appearance, dedication and first-hand experience with the person, rather than what their parents might see: race, religiousness and family background. In-person contact leads to more successful marriages vs. online-only contact.
 * Hookups take place as well, where the partners do not know anything about each other but to solely engage in sexual intercourse. Cohabitation is when a non-married couple lives together and are engaged in a committed relationship. Education increases the likelihood of marriage. Research shows that cohabitation leads to increase tension between both party's parents, likelihood of child neglect/lack of dedication likelihood of breaking up and likelihood to commit crimes. Churning, cohabitation but a breakup takes place and then they get back together again, is very toxic and consists of abuse. The only real advantage of this is the financial aspect, where they don't need to deal with the costs of marriage. Family patterns can play a role, as divorced lines of ancestry can increase the likelihood of divorce in their offspring's commitments.