Course Syllabus

Psychology of Emerging Adulthood

Semester & Location:	Spring 2024 - DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Human Development, Psychology, Sociology
Prerequisite(s):	One psychology course at university level.
Faculty Members:	Josh Juvrud & Monica Siqueiros-Sanchez  (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Program Contact:	Department email address psy.cns@dis.dk
Academic Support:	academics@disstockholm.se
Time & Place:	Mondays and Thursdays 11:40-13:00 Room: 1E-510

Course Description

Prerequisite: A psychology course at the university level.

What is an adult? What is a teenager? This class will address the transition from adolescence to adulthood. 

What are the psychosocial challenges for adolescents and emerging adults today? Adolescence and emerging adulthood are often perceived as periods of rapid change with new roles and social settings and that can be extremely turbulent for many young people. But is adolescence only a time of crisis, rebellion and risk-taking behaviors, or does it also contain areas of continuity, conformity and social integration? How are the teenage years understood from a life-span perspective? How are the neurological, physiological and cognitive changes of adolescence intertwined with and linked to changing social positions and relationships? And finally, how are adolescence and emerging adulthood experienced in the Scandinavian context? 

The implications of the adolescent experience and further development into adulthood pertaining to identity, family, love and sex, cohabitation and marriage, career and community (e.g., religion and politics) will be addressed. We will have a particular focus on mental health concerns especially how growing into adulthood being neuro-atypical or with depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders affect this specific period of life. We will touch upon opportunities for prevention and intervention (at both individual and community-levels) with particular focus on the Scandinavian context. You will also have the opportunity to strengthen your skills in critical thinking, literature research, APA-style writing, and oral and written communication of scientific research to varied audiences.

 

Learning Objectives

• Identify and synthesize the major themes pertaining to human development to develop a broad understanding of young people’s neurological and psychosocial functioning.
• Critically evaluate theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence regarding the period of emerging adulthood, particularly in a Scandinavian context.
• Develop broad knowledge of certain mental health concerns faced by young people, including epidemiology, etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
• Understand methodologies used by psychological and neuroscientists and use this knowledge to apply a critical lens toward popular claims about young people’s functioning and wellbeing.
• Demonstrate proficiency in APA-style writing and oral communication of scientific findings.

 

Faculty

Joshua Juvrud obtained his PhD in Psychology from Uppsala University. As a research psychologist, his work has focused on the ways that novel techniques in research (eye-tracking, pupil dilation, virtual reality) can be used to assess how children and adults perceive and interpret people, emotions, and actions. Josh focuses this research in two fields. In developmental psychology at the Child and Babylab in Uppsala, he seeks to understand how children learn about their world and the social cognitive development of face perception and socialization processes such as gender, race, and ethnicity. In games research at the Games & Society Lab at the Department of Game Design in Visby, Gotland, his work examines the psychology of people, their actions, and emotions in game development, player engagement, learning, and immersion to understand better how different game players (with different personalities, traits, and experiences) interact with various game mechanisms and are, in turn, affected by game experiences. With DIS since 2020.

Dr. Monica Siqueiros-Sanchez  obtained her PhD in Medical Science, from Karolinska Institutet (KI; Sweden). A clinical psychologist by training, she became interested in neurodevelopmental disorders during her clinical practice. She then went on to do her MSc in Developmental Psychopathology at Durham University, followed by her PhD at KI where she combined eye tracking and twin modelling to investigate the relative contribution of genes and environment to social communication and attention, oculomotor behavior, and the association between them in infancy and childhood. She recently completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University where she used a combination of neuroimaging modalities and psychological assessments to characterize the effects of rare genetic variation on brain morphology to better understand psychiatric disorders in children.  Her interests include socio-communicative skills, attention, neurogenetic syndromes, neurodevelopmental disorders, and white matter. With DIS since 2023.

 

Readings

Assigned readings will mostly involve peer-reviewed journal articles. Below is a sample list of readings; please check the Canvas schedule for specific readings to be completed prior to each class period.

Arnett, J. J. (1997). Young people's conceptions of the transition to adulthood. Youth & Society, 29, 3-23.

Arnett, J. J. (1998). Learning to stand alone: The contemporary American transition to adulthood in cultural and historical context. Human Development, 41, 295-315.

Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties.

Arnett, J. J. (2016). College Students as Emerging Adults: The Developmental Implications of the College Context. Emerging Adulthood, 4, 219-222.

Arnett, J. J. (2006). Emerging Adulthood in Europe: A Response. Journal of Youth Studies, 9, 111-113.

Berman, S. L., Weems, C. F., & Stickle, T. R. (2006). Existential anxiety in adolescents: Prevalence, structure, association with psychological symptoms and identity development. Journal of Y outh and Adolescence, 35, 303-310.

Birnbaum, G., Mikulincer, M., Reis, H., Gillath, O. & Orpaz, A. (2006). When Sex Is More Than Just Sex: Attachment Orientations, Sexual Experience, and Relationship Quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, (5), 929–943.

Buhl, H. M. & Lanz, M. (2007). Emerging Adulthood in Europe: Common Traits and Variability Across Five Countries. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22, 439-443.

Calogero, R. M., & Thompson, K. J. (2010). Gender and body image. In J. C. Chrisler & D. R. McCreary (Eds.), Handbook of gender research in psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 153-184).

Carlsson, J., Wängqvist, M., & Frisén, A. ( ). Identity Development in the Late Twenties: A Never Ending Story. Developmental Psychology, 51 (3), 334-345 2015.

Chung, J., Robins, R., Trzesniewski, K., Noftle, E., Roberts, B., & Widaman, K. (2014). Continuity and Change in Self-Esteem During Emerging Adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106, 469-483.

Dumas, T., Ellis, W., Wolfe, D. (2012). Identity development as a buffer of adolescent risk behaviors in the context of peer group pressure and control. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 917-927.

Emmerink, P., van den Eijnden, R., Vanwesenbeeck, I, & ter Bogt, T. (2016). The Relationship Between Endorsement of the Sexual Double Standard and Sexual Cognitions and Emotions. Sex Roles 75, 363–376.

Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity youth and crisis. New York: Norton.

Erikson, E. H. (1980). Identity and the life cycle. New york: Norton.

Ferrer-Wreder, L., Trost, K., Lorente, C. C., & Mansoory, S. (2012). Personal and ethnic identity in Swedish adolescents and emerging adults. In S. J. Schwartz (Ed.), Identity Around the World. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 138, 61–86.

Frisén, A., Carlsson, J., & Wängqvist (2014). Doesn't Everyone Want That? It's Just a Given": Swedish Emerging Adults' Expectations on Future Parenthood and Work/Family Priorities Journal of Adolescent Research 29, 67-88

Frisén, A., & Holmqvist, K. (2010). Physical, Sociocultural, and Behavioral Factors Associated with Body-Esteem in 16-Year-Old Swedish Boys and Girls. Sex Roles, 63, 373-385.

Frisén, A., & Wängqvist, M. (2011). Emerging Adults in Sweden: Identity Formation in the Light of Love, Work, and Family. Journal of Adolescent Research, March 26 (2), 200-221.

Grose, J. & Coplan, R. (2016). Longitudinal Outcomes of Shyness From Childhood to Emerging Adulthood. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 176 (6), 408–413.

Jones, D. C. (2004). Body image among adolescent girls and boys: A longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 40, 823-835.

Kaestle, C. & Tucker Halper, C. (2007). Love Got to Do with It? Sexual Behaviors of Opposite-Sex Couples Through Emerging Adulthood. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 39, 134-140.

Konstam, V. (2015). Emerging and Young Adulthood: Multiple Perspectives, Diverse 
Narratives (Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development) 2nd ed. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. 


Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551-558.

Marcia, J. E. (1994a). Ego identity and object relations. In J. M. Masling & R. F. Bornstein (Eds.), Empirical perspectives on object relations theory (pp. 59-103). Washington, DC: American psychological association.

Marcia, J. E., Waterman, A. S., Mattesson, D. R., Archer, S. L., & Orlofsky, J. L. (Eds.). (1993). Ego identity. A handbook for psychosocial research. New York: Springer.

Messersmith, E., Garrett, J., Davis, K., Pamela E., Malanchuk, O., Eccles, J. (2008). Career Development from Adolescence through Emerging Adulthood: Insights from Information Technology Occupations. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 206-227.

Miller, P. H. (2011). Chapter 1. Introduction. Theories of Developmental Psychology. (5^th ed.). (pp. 1-26). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Mikulincer, M. (1998). Attachment Working Models and the Sense of Trust: An Exploration of Interaction Goals and Affect Regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1209–1224.

Murphy, K., Blustein, D., Bohlig, A., & Platt, M. (2010). The College-to-Career Transition: An Exploration of Emerging Adulthood. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88, 174-181.

Nelson, L. & Chen, Xinyin(2007). Emerging Adulthood in China: The Role of Social and Cultural Factors. Child Development Perspectives, 2, 86–91.

Nelson, L., Badger, S., & Wu, B. (2014). The Influence of Culture in Emerging Adulthood: Perspectives of Chinese College Students. International Journal of Behavioral Development 28(1), 26-36.

Nosko, A., Tieu, T., Lawford, H., Pratt, M. (2011). How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways: Parenting During Adolescence, Attachment Styles, and Romantic Narratives in Emerging Adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 4, 645–657.
Ranta, M., Dietrich, J., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2014). A Career and Romantic Relationship Goals and Concerns During Emerging Adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 1, 17-26.

Sneed, J., Krauss Whitebourne, S., Schwartz, S., & Hunag, S. (2012). The Relationship Between Identity, Intimacy, and Midlife Well-Being: Findings From the Rochester Adult Longitudinal Study. Psychology and Aging, 27, (2), 318-323.

Wängqvist, M. & Frisén, A. (2013). Swedish 18-year-olds' identity formation: Associations with feelings about appearance and internalization of body ideals. Journal of Adolescence, 36(3), 485–493.

Wängqvist, M. & Frisén, A. (2011). Identity and Psychological Distress in Emerging Adulthood in Sweden: Is It Always to Know Who to Be and What to Do? Identity, 11, 93-113.

Wängqvist, M., Lamb, M. Frisén, A., & Hwang, P. (2015). Child and Adolescent Predictors of Personality in Early Adulthood. Child Development, 86 (4), 1253-1261.

 

Field Studies

Please see course calendar for details. 

 

Guest Lecturers

This course will draw upon the expertise of multiple guest lecturers in order to widely cover the topic of emerging adulthood. Here are some sample guest lecturers who may contribute to the course:

Dr. Polina Smiragina-Ingelström obtained her PhD in 2021 from The University of Sydney, which focused on the gendered perspective on victimhood in the trafficking of men. At present she is a postdoctoral fellow in Criminology (Stockholm University) and faculty at DIS. Polina’s research interests are within the disciplines of criminology and medical anthropology with a special focus on victimhood, gender, post-trafficking needs and help-seeking behavior. Before commencing her academic career Polina was a migrant counsellor and reintegration assistant at the UN Migration (IOM) mission in Russia. She was engaged in providing direct assistance to migrants in distress including victims of human trafficking and exploitation; and assistance in voluntary return and reintegration. She holds a MSc from Gothenburg University (2012) and a BA from Moscow State University (2009). With DIS since 2016.

Leg. psykolog Anna Fridell: PhD candidate at the Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorder at Karolinska Institute. She is a licensed Psychologist working among other project on KONTAKT project which is a social skills training for chilren and youth with autism spectrum disorder as well as ADHD.  She is especially involved in the school implementation of the program, including internationally.

Approach to Teaching

Each class include both lectures by the faculty or guest lecturer and discussions led by the students. We will develop and reflect upon the critical period leading to adulthood from various perspectives including neuroscience, psychology, and sociology. Class content relies on the readings. Content of the readings is expected to nourish the discussions and might not be developed in details during the class. However, any unclear areas, pointed out by students’ questions, will be reviewed in class. Since a large amount of class time is dedicated to discussion, the outcome of the course depends on your active class participation which relies on your class preparation. I make a huge point of creating a safe space in the class so that all of us feel comfortable speaking. However, we are not equal with our ability to speak up (and the ease to do so), so please reach out so that I can help you develop these crucial skills.

 

Expectations of the Students

Active participation: Students are expected to participate actively in class. This includes taking part in the discussions in class as well as online before each class, asking or answering questions. There are no stupid questions and I encourage and reward student expression. Opinions can be expressed as such and scientific sources to discussion points are always rewarded. You are expected to behave professionally and treat each other with empathy. This is a crucial skill that as a teacher I nurture and cherish which greatly helps communication, learning and in general well-being.

Absences: Students have to inform the teacher in advance in case they cannot attend a class. Missing a class unexcused will affect the active participation grade.

Preparation to the class: To engage with the class material properly, you are expected to come to class prepared. To this end, you are expected to spend 6 hour per week outside of class time with the different materials. This includes but isn't restricted to:

• answering online quizzes or discussion threads before the class.
• read and understand the required readings before class. Think about what are the crucial points in the reading, what did you find super interesting, what is still unclear. Take your own notes so that we can discuss and answer your questions in class. This will also serve as a start for creating your own study guide.

In class and after: Slides include graphs, pictures and illustrations necessary to understand the class. Students are expected to take notes complementing and explaining the slides. Slides are a support and should be treated as such and not as the main source of info required. Class content need to be written down individually by the students. Main discussion will be summarized by the students and transcribed on white board and pictures of these will be available on Canvas in respective classes.

 

Evaluation

NB. To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.

You will be working both individually and in groups as such you are expected to contribute equally. You will be presenting some of your work in class, if you are not the presenters, you are expected to contribute constructively to the discussion with questions and comments on your classmates' presentations. Your creativity and “thinking outside the box”, new insights, openness to share your opinion and creating a safe and vivid discussion platform are most welcome and graded as active participation. Very active participation can additionally lift grades that are borderline. Simple repetition of the readings without own reflection will not be rewarded additionally.

 

Grading

Detailed assignment descriptions and grading rubrics for each assignment are available on canvas.

Assignment	Percentage
Active participation and engagement (including discussion posts) - Individual	25 %
Journal club presentation	20 %
Cultural analysis paper	30 %
Final Assignment	25 %
Total	100 %

 

Active Participation and Engagement - Individual

Preparation, attendance, and engagement in classes, field studies, and guest lectures is important because it shows that you are taking responsibility for your own learning. It also demonstrates that you are keeping up with the readings and understanding the theoretical perspectives and research evidence discussed in class. Your participation and engagement grade will be calculated based on your ability to meet the following criteria:

• You attend the class meeting/field study/guest lecture having done the day’s reading (please keep in mind that it is obvious when students have not done the readings for class, and this is disruptive for others).
• You participate in all discussion threads prior to the classes to be ready for the next topic.
• You are engaged throughout our class meeting/field study/guest lecture and demonstrate this by prompting discussion and/or responding to your peers by linking comments, asking questions, and drawing connections between readings and themes.
• You listen attentively and respectfully to others (and you avoid dominating or silencing others).
• You offer more than just personal opinion or anecdote – that is, you root your comments in the text we are discussing (e.g., “this reminds me of p. 76 where the authors indicate X”) and link ideas and comments with content from past reading assignments.
• You work collaboratively with people to achieve learning goals when you are placed in a small group.

Discussion threads will be created before each class and you are expected to post your reflections prior to the class. This will help you come prepared for the topic.

If you are unable to attend class due to unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances such as illness or emergencies, you can earn class engagement points by emailing the instructor your comments and reactions to the assigned readings. Your class engagement grade will be evaluated on the quality of these contributions.

Journal Club Discussions

For each journal club, each group will be assigned one article to read. Each group will be responsible for
presenting their article and leading a discussion for approximately 30 minutes. Each group should:
• Prepare a power point presentation summarizing the main points, and most interesting
findings/arguments of the article. No more than 12 minutes! (you will be cut off!) Each group
member should contribute to the summary.
• Lead a discussion for the remainder of the time, with each group member coming prepared with
one discussion question that is thought provoking, challenging, and/or reflective in nature (i.e., it
should generate rich discussion!)
• Leading a discussion means: keeping track of time, asking questions, keeping the conversation
going, following up with own reflections/thoughts, generating new questions, etc.
• Each group member is also graded on their own engagement during the other groups discussions!

This is part of your active participation grade.

 

Final Journal Club Presentation 

Students will work in groups. You will examine selected topics of emerging adulthood in-depth. The group will select 3-4 peer-reviewed research articles and present the outcome of the papers. This will allow you to:

• Understand one topic of emerging adulthood more thoroughly than class time permits;
• Choose the topic of your choice which must be approved by the instructor
• Examine how this specific topic can be viewed from at least two different scholarly perspectives (different domain, think about neuroscience, psychology, sociology etc.);
• Evaluate the various perspectives on this specific topic and formulate your own position on it.

Presentation Details: 15 minutes presentation (slideshow). You also need to include 3-4 discussion questions to reflect and open the topic with your peers

 

Cultural Analysis Paper 

Different countries adopt different policies and approaches to key issues for emerging adults such as drinking alcohol, driving, birth control, voting, access to tertiary education, work-life balance, access to mental health care, perspectives on mental health (i.e. stigma), life partnerships and marriage, purchasing guns, social security, and serving in the military. For instance, nordic countries provide a social safety net that include access to student stipends and low-interest student loans that together with access to free tertiary education allow plenty of young adults to attend university outside of their home town and support themselves throughout their university years. Structural differences in issues such as these will naturally lead to different experiences during the transition to adulthood (challenges, psychopathology, etc), but also to the conceptualization of adulthood itself.

The purpose of this assignment is to compare Sweden to another country (it can be the US) on one key topic for emerging adults and how the differences on said topic can differently influence emerging adults. This may be an existing policy (i.e. approach to tertiary education) or a cultural mindset (i.e. work-life balance). We will take a semi-qualitative approach for this assignment, requiring that you incorporate the perspectives from locals. While we do not require a standardized interview, we encourage you to start thinking about your topic from the start so you can either interview someone or be able to ask follow-up questions if it comes in conversation. Including quotes to illustrate a point or convey opinions is encouraged but not required. For this assignment, please do all of the following:

• Identify one topic (policy or cultural approach) and a country in addition to Sweden (comparing two nordic countries or choosing a nordic country instead of Sweden is also acceptable). 
• Scientific justification (approximately 3 paragraphs): Provide 3 reasons why that particular policy or approach either does or does not make sense and provide justification for your reasons. Is there evidence to suggest that the selected approach influences, either positively or negatively, some aspect of a young person’s identity or circumstances (e.g., gender, social class, psychopathology, and so forth)? Support your argument with at least two peer-reviewed journal articles. The justification should be based on peer-reviewed research on emerging adulthood, it can be psychological (i.e. psychopathology), medical (i.e. health impact from financial stress on young adults), or sociological. Each of the reasons must be supported by at least one peer-reviewed journal article and should be about one paragraph in length.

• Theory and background on psychological issues and consequences that surround your selected approach (both positive and negative) (3-4 paragraphs): Using theory, discuss how the approach affects the individual. This includes individual psychological health (or psychopathology), development, and physical and social well-being. While similar to the scientific justification, here you will use psychological theories and perspectives discussed throughout the course. Here is where you provide more in-depth background and research, discussing specific theories, studies, and experiments, with a focus on the individual.

  • Describe at least one psychological theory the is related to your topic and/or its effects. Find at least 2 scientific, peer-reviewed sources to provide some background and prior work done in this area to support your claims.

  • Be sure to include some of your qualitative research (interviews, conversations, personal insights) in this section but make sure to label it as such. That is, while you may draw a consensus of perspectives between interviews and/or conversations be sure to be explicit of its provenance by either providing a quote or stating that the specific insight discussed comes from the interviews rather than a research article.  

• Cross-cultural analysis (approximately 2 paragraphs): Explain how the topic or approach is perceived in the chosen countries. If it differs across the two countries: you should describe the nature of the difference and then offer an analysis of how it is perceived by the public. If the approach is very similar, focus on describing how it is viewed by the public in these two countries and if the perception is different or similar.  You should use peer-reviewed journal articles or reliable news sources to support this cross-cultural analysis. In addition, you are encouraged to incorporate part of your qualitative research in this section as well, so be sure to gather not only facts about the chosen approach but also perspectives/opinions on it - what do they think it allows them or prevents them from doing? How does it impact their life? Would they change it or move somewhere with a different approach? When writing, make sure to clearly specify when you are discussing your qualitative findings. 

 

Final assignment: designing a prevention strategy/program - Promoting well-being among Scandinavian youth

This assignment will be presented during the last class. You can prepare this assignment in any format that you believe is most accessible and easy to comprehend for emerging adults. Think about avenues such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Youtube or any other outlet, where emerging adults are most likely to gain access to information. 

Using what you have learned this semester, you will design a community-based strategy to promote adolescent and young adults health and wellbeing in Scandinavian countries such as Sweden. Think about ways that adolescents might benefit from specific programming designed to either enhance their wellbeing or prevent the risk of psychopathology. You are welcome to design a strategy focused on a specific aspect of mental health or wellbeing (e.g., reduce adolescent risk of depression) or consider broader markers of mental health or wellbeing (e.g., enhance peer and family relationships) – the choice is yours, but please be clear about the intended aim of your strategy. You should consider all that you have learned about adolescent development over the course of the semester (hint: consider biological, neurological, cognitive, social/interpersonal, psychological, sociological and behavioral aspects of development as well as contextual/environmental features) and make sure you focus on a Scandinavian context. Be very specific in designing your strategy and make sure you support all of your claims with information from class materials (i.e., please refrain from personal anecdotes or conjecture).

 

Use of laptops and phones in class

Based on the latest research on the topic, the only use of laptops or phones that is beneficial to the learning process is if it is solely used as a learning tool, namely taking notes, or taking the quizzes. However, most of the time, it is extremely hard (to to cerebral attentional processes to ignore all other enticement that these devices provide. If you cannot mute/ignore non class related tools/processes, then it has a detrimental effect on learning. As such, I recommend using your laptop only for taking notes in class (or specifically asked class related tasks), any other uses will not be accepted.

 

Academic Regulations 

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org