Two studies were conducted to investigate how normative conceptions of aging compare with adult children's expectations of change for their parents. In Study 1, the Implicit Theories of Aging Questionnaire (ITAQ) was developed to assess implicit theories of aging as pertaining to either one's mother, one's father, the average woman, or the average man. Respondents rated various aspects of everyday functioning as to (a) the direction and degree of expected change versus stability across the latter portion of the adult life course, (b) the estimated age of change onset, and (c) the target's ability to influence change. The second study replicated findings of the first, and extended it by exploring the relationship between implicit theories of aging and factual knowledge about the elderly as measured by Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz. Results of the two studies indicated that people share highly similar beliefs about the direction, timing, and modifiability of aging-related change. For all four targets, respondents predicted more developmental change than stability and more losses than gains, but there was a strong optimistic bias in developmental predictions for parents. As compared to normative conceptions, parents were expected to undergo significantly fewer and significantly less severe declines in functioning. This optimistic bias did not appear to generalize to other belief components. Both parents and generalized adults were expected to undergo most functional loss during their mid-60s, and were thought to have some ability to influence loss. Judgments of modifiability seemed based in part on the perceived severity and timing of decline. Findings suggested that individuals may distinguish between aging-related loss that occurs through the intensification versus waning of existing attributes and abilities. It was hypothesized that increasing proportions of falsely held beliefs about old age would be correlated with predictions of greater aging-related decline. However, there was no association between misconceptions of aging and developmental beliefs, suggesting a possible distinction between implicit notions of the aging process and group-level generalizations about old age. These results, their generalizability, directions for future research, and practical implications were discussed. / Graduate

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / This study investigated the relationship between the quality of a best friendship and well-being during emerging adulthood. A combination of high levels of emotional, social, and psychological well-being, in the absence of a mental illness, is an indication of positive mental health and has been found to be beneficial to individuals‟ job performance, physical health, and psychosocial functioning (Keyes, 2005a, 2006, 2007). Friendship has been found to be a contributing factor to well-being (Clark & Graham, 2005). Research suggests that the closer a friendship is, the higher the quality and benefits of the friendship are, with best friendships being the highest in quality (Mendelson & Kay, 2003).Emerging adulthood was the age group of focus for the study. This is a developmental phase identified by Arnett (2000)which is distinct from adolescence and young adulthood. Friendship is significant in terms of need fulfilment during emerging adulthood; however, there is little existing research investigating this phase (Arnett, 2000; Demir, 2010). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship betweenthe quality of a best friendship and the three dimensions of well-being, namely, emotional, social, and psychological well-being, as well as overall well-being, a combination of the three dimensions. The study also aimed to determine whetherand, if so, to what extent, the quality of a best friendship contributed to variances in emotional, social, psychological, and overall well-being....

The immediate effects of teasing on children and adolescents are well documented, but in recent years, the long-term effects of teasing on adults have gained research attention. Recollections of teasing during youth have been shown to be related to increased psychosocial distress during adulthood. The present study focused on replicating the findings of previous work, as well as expanding the existing knowledge base concerning teasing and adulthood. Eightyfour adult participants completed a questionnaire packet designed to measure teasing history and perception, and levels of depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Results indicated that recalled teasing experiences from youth are related to psychosocial distress in adulthood. Teasing experiences were related to increased rates of depression and anxiety, lower self-esteem, and reduced life satisfaction. Notable differences were also found between the frequency and focus content of teasing between youth and adulthood. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are presented.

Thesis (M.A. in sociology)--Washington State University. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Mar. 17, 2010). Research paper (M.A.), 3 hrs. Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-67).

D.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Turn is a collection of personal essays that loosely focus on what it means to become an adult. The topics of the essays range from crushes to dog walking, from weddings to working at a New Orleans snoball stand. The essays deal with how much more complicated the world turned out to be than as a child I expected.

Typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Adulthood holds a paradoxical position in sociology. It is a central category in so far as it provides the unarticulated background to a majority of social inquiries, but it is largely defined by default, as the taken-for-granted status of the social actor, and the middle stage of life. The meaning of adulthood is only rarely addressed directly. This thesis explores a way to fill this lacuna in sociology. An emerging lag between the prevalent normative ideals of adulthood and contemporary social trends is identified as the core of the 'prolonged adolescence thesis' - a dominant view in the social sciences and everyday discourse, which holds that many twenty and thirtysomethings are deferring or rejecting adulthood. My thesis argues that this approach is informed by a model of adulthood that is losing its empirical validity. I further argue that the practices of these young people are congruent with salient features of current social conditions. Drawing on theories of social recognition and the analysis of interview material, I hold that even though the form social recognition takes is subject to pluralisation, recognition of individuals' full membership in society is the meaningful constant of adulthood. I also propose that the redefinition of contemporary adulthood is marked by an intersubjectively constituted 'recognition deficit': commentators and social scientists often misunderstand young adults' practices, notwithstanding the structural rewards which these practices reap. At the same time, young adults themselves eschew the conventional markers of adult status. In so doing they forge their own, radically different, adulthood. Underpinned by an ideology of youthfulness, and subject to the fluid social relations of contemporary modernity, this adulthood eludes fixity. Its normative criteria flow from the everyday practices of individuals who, far from prolonging their adolescence, are the new adults of today.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1985. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves [107]-115.