discussion post.
Read Chapter 5 and respond directly to individual
1. (Kyle)Despite strong needs for intimacy in young adults, so many of them in comparison to past generations are avoiding marriage and parenthood for many reasons. A huge reason, and one I can certainly relate to, is financial security. Well-paying, stable jobs are increasingly shifting towards the private sector and careers are increasingly becoming more competitive. My father, for example, was a physical therapist and in his time all he had to do was get a bachelor’s in physical therapy. Today, you get a bachelor’s in a science major, go to a master’s program, then get a doctorate in physical therapy if you want to be considered for a position. On top of this, prices of things keep increasing disproportionate to wage increases.
As we saw in our reading, financial security is one of the leading indicators for Western countries for an individual to feel like they entered early adulthood. As schooling becomes longer and more competitive and stable, well-paying jobs become harder to attain, people become less inclined to feel ready to move into stages of their life such as marriage, let alone parenthood. Those stages bring their own challenges and without financial security it feels like one would be going into those challenges without their best foot set forward. So despite our needs for intimacy being so strong, for reasons such as finding identity, having a partner to cope with stress with, or even just to have someone to come home to; early adults are avoiding full committal intimacy.
2. (Michal)According to Erikson the stage of intimacy versus isolation comes right after Identity versus role confusion stage. The main priority at this stage is establish long lasting relationships with others. If a person was not successful to fulfill this period of his or her life it can lead to isolation and loneliness. It is very important factor in establishing mental and physical balance in person’s life. In our days many young people are postponing their commitment to others and in many cases are staying with their parents till later period of their life. According to the recent research in 2004 the majority of young adults 18-34 years old stayed with their parents. Young people are not ready to settle down and get married before age 35. There are many reasons why young adults’ are not ready to commit themselves to responsibility and independence. One of the reasons is the high cost of living. Many simply can’t afford to move out and live on their own, I am not even talking about getting married and have kids. The student loans are increasing, job markets are not offering stable jobs and young adults’ are more dependent on their parents so they can save some money and pay off debts. Many kids are grew up with overprotective parents and they just don’t know how to take responsibility on themselves. Some deciding to continue their education. The bottom line is, postponing the marriage, commitment to mortgage and other debts can help young adults to be more prepared and equipped for the future.
book:Lally, M., & Valentine-French, S. (2017). Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective.
