Transcript 11-6: Adulthood's Commitments

Rodger, Amari, and Sabrina
Period 5
Adulthood’s Commitments
• Erik Erikson called the two basic aspects that
dominate adulthood: intimacy and
generativity.
– INTIMACY  forming close relationships
– GENERATIVITY being productive and supporting future
generations
• Sigmund Freud said: the healthy adult is one
who can love and work.
• Marriages are most likely to last if the couples are
educated, over 20 and if they share the same
interests and values, emotion and material
support, and intimate self-disclosure.
• “trial marriages” increases the risk of divorce
• Worldwide, 9 out of 10 heterosexual adults will
marry and 3 in 4 who divorce will remarry.
• Neighborhoods with high marriage rates tend to
have low crime rates and less emotional
disorders among the children.
• Marriages that last are not always conflict-free
– Some couples fight, but they shower each other with affection
– Other couples never raise their voices but hardly praise each other
» Both types of couples can last
• Couples usually do best with a five-to-one ratio of positive to
negative interactions
– Stable marriages have 5 times more complimenting, smiling, laughing,
and touching instead of sarcasm and insults
• Love bears children, however children will eventually leave
home
– This separation can be difficult at first but compares to women with
children at home, those living without tend to be happier in their
marriage (“post honeymoon” )
• If they remain a close relationship with their children, the “post
honeymoon” is even more enjoyable
• For many adults, the person they consider themselves to be
depends on their occupation.
• Freud believed that work contributes to self fulfillment and
life satisfaction.
• Those who have a positive disposition in the working world,
overtime, have a positive approach to life.
– On the other hand, “alienated and hostile” adults tend to have
less satisfying work experiences
• Researchers have studied the relationship between work
and satisfaction.
– They found that its not which role a person occupies, but the
quality of the experiences in that role
• Happiness and life satisfaction come from having work that provides
you with a sense of competence and accomplishment