Course Syllabus

 Welcome Psychology Students

 

Psychology of Emerging Adulthood

 

Semester & Location:	Summer 2024, Session 3 - DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Psychology
Prerequisite(s):	One psychology course at university level.
Faculty Members:	Monica Siqueiros-Sanchez (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Program Director:	Suman Ambwani
Academic Support:	academics@disstockholm.se
Time & Place:	Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm  Classroom: 1E-510 Please check day-to-day details in Canvas calendar

Course Description 

Prerequisite: A psychology course at the university level.

What is an adult? This class will address the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The psychological 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 considered and the Scandinavian perspective explored. Sources of resilience and vulnerabilities will be addressed as this pertains to diverse factors, including cultural variables and the role of social media.

Learning Objectives

Students in this class will:

• Define key psychological factors pertaining to this phase of human development in comparison to other phases of the life span.
• Compare theories/research and critically address the viability/applicability of the construct “emerging adulthood”.
• Integrate and apply theoretical and research considerations pertaining to emerging adulthood with cultural perspectives.

Students will examine current research and review articles primarily in the areas of emerging adulthood. This course emphasizes and integrates application of research, critical reflection and hands on experience. Application to professional development will be considered, as well as exploring the phenomenon from a social and inter-cultural perspective.

In this course each and every one of us has the equal and unique responsibility to facilitate the most optimal learning outcomes. Students are expected to:

• Complete all reading assignments prior to coming to class
• Contribute to class discussions and group activities
• Draw upon your interactions and observations from daily life in Sweden to the theory, research, and practices of Emerging Adulthood Psychology in class
• Work independently and be active in group work
• Write down reflections throughout the course
• Be punctual and attend all classes; missing classes without a legitimate excuse will result in a lower participation grade

 

Faculty

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 autistic and ADHD traits, oculomotor behavior, and the association between them. 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 neurodevelopmental disorders.  Her interests include socio-communicative skills, attention, neurogenetic syndromes, neurodevelopmental disorders, and white matter. With DIS since 2023.

 

Readings

Reading List: primarily articles from journals

Textbook Chapters:

Zukauskiene, R. (2015). Emerging Adulthood in a European Context. London: Routledge.

http://www.adlibris.com/se/sok?q=emerging%20adulthood%20in%20a%20european%20context

On Canvas:

Journal of Emerging Adulthood, predominantly used in course:

http://eax.sagepub.com/

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

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

Balogun-Mwangi, O., Robinson-Wood, T. L., DeTore, N. R., George, J. B. E., Rodgers, R. F., & Sanchez, W. (2023). Body image and Black African women: A comparative study of Kenya and Nigeria. Body Image, 45, 331-342.

Bethlehem, R. A., Seidlitz, J., White, S. R., Vogel, J. W., Anderson, K. M., Adamson, C., ... & Schaare, H. L. (2022). Brain charts for the human lifespan. Nature, 604(7906), 525-533.

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.

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.

Evens, O., Stutterheim, S. E., & Alleva, J. M. (2021). Protective filtering: A qualitative study on the cognitive strategies young women use to promote positive body image in the face of beauty-ideal imagery on Instagram. Body image, 39, 40-52.

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.

Fuentes, A. & Desrocher, M. (2012). Autobiographical Memory in Emerging Adulthood: Relationship
with Self-Concept Clarity. Journal of Adult Development, 19, 28-39.

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.

Hazzard, V. M., Schaefer, L. M., Schaumberg, K., Bardone-Cone, A. M., Frederick, D. A., Klump, K. L., ... & Thompson, J. K. (2019). Testing the tripartite influence model among heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian women. Body Image, 30, 145-149.

Hochberg, Z. E., & Konner, M. (2020). Emerging adulthood, a pre-adult life-history stage. Frontiers in endocrinology, 10, 918.

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.

Michikyan, M. (2020) Linking online self-presentation to identity coherence, identity confusion, and social anxiety in emerging adulthood. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 38, 543–565.

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.

Mitchell, L. & Syed, M. (2015) Does College Matter for Emerging Adulthood? Comparing Developmental Trajectories of Educational Groups. J Youth Adolescence, 44, 2012–2027. DOI 10.1007/s10964-015-0330-0

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.

Syed, M. & Azmitia, M. (2010) Narrative and Ethnic Identity Exploration: A Longitudinal Account of
Emerging Adults’ Ethnicity-Related Experiences. Developmental Psychology, 40(1), 208-219. 

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.

You, S., & Shin, K. (2020). Sociocultural influences, drive for thinness, drive for muscularity, and body dissatisfaction among Korean
undergraduates. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(14), 5260.

Field Studies

Study 1: Art therapy workshop - Getting to know yourself

Location: DIS

Topic: Exploring the concepts of identity and the self in emerging adulthood through art.

Study 2: Yoga & Mediation workshop

Location: Stureparken or Haga parken

Topic: Searching and finding meaning through spiritual practice in emerging adulthood.

Study 3: Sex education class 

Location: RFSU office at Rosenlundsgatan 9, 118 53 Stockholm. Closest metro station: Mariatorget - red line.

Topic: Sex education in Sweden and sexuality in Emerging Adulthood. 

Approach to Teaching

I use a mix of lectures, in-class assignments, and discussions in my course. I have an interactive teaching style and I like to engage students and their experiences into the classroom. I believe in evidence-based practice and in the clinican/researcher model. Thus, I expect students to constantly read scientific literature and engage with it critically.

Collaboration is highly valued in this course, and you are expected to work in groups. Respect for other’s opinions and experience is a necessary requirement for this class.

Expectations of the Students

I expect you to prepare for class by completing the readings beforehand and to actively participate in class. Do bring your own thoughts to the discussions. If you prefer written over verbal contributions do write down comments and opinions and submit them at the end of class - these contributions are also considered active participation. If assignments are handed in late, points will be deducted from the grade for each day of late submission.

Evaluation

You will be working on group assignments in class and expected to present these to other students in class. If you are not the presenters you are expected to contribute 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

Assignments and Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation	How evaluated (individual or group)	Percentage of grade
Active participation and engagement	Individual	15%
In-class assignments	Group	10%
Field study discussion threads	Individual	10%
European pathways presentation	Group	20%
Journal club presentations	Group	15%
Wellbeing program - pitch (part 1)	Individual	10%
Wellbeing program - presentation (part 2)	Individual	20%
Total		100%

 

Participation (15%)

Active participation in class and engagement in classes, field studies and guest lectures are important because they show 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 discussed in class. It is imperative that you show development in your knowledge and grasp of psychological theory and research relating to Emerging Adulthood, as well as improvement in your reflection and analytical skills during the course.

Active participation and engagement includes asking questions related to readings and material presented in the class and taking part in discussions, enriching the class experience for everyone and being active in case analysis. During presentations in class, all students have to actively engage in answering/asking questions and participate in the discussion. The grading of this course component will also include evaluation of teamwork when it occurs in class. 

Attendance is mandatory according to DIS policy. Unexcused abscences will result in a lowe attendance grade. Illness or force majeur abscences are considered excused but you must notify the faculty.

In-class assignments (10%)

Assignments completed during class time vary. They include answering and discussing questions, completing non-graded quizzes, case-work, and asking questions during student presentations.

Field Study Discussion Threads (10%)  

We will have a dedicated thread to each of our field studies. In each of them you will be prompted to make connections between theory and experience. Contributions are personal and primarily reflexions but links to theoretical constructs seen in class are also expected for full marks. You are also expected to engage with posts from fellow classmates. A complete contribution to a discussion thread consists of one personal post plus 2 replies.  

Journal Clubs (20%)

There are two Journal Clubs during the summer and have a seminar structure. The purpose is to have a more in-depth discussion on current debates, research findings, or theoretical perspectives in the field. Through this process, you should become more familiar with reading academic texts, understanding research methods, and becoming more aware of the current state-of-the-art in the scholarly study of emerging adulthood and related topics.

You are split into 3 groups (1, 2, and 3), and these groups will remain the same throughout the course (see Canvas for group assignments).

Article assignments will be clearly labeled in the "Canvas>Files>Journal Club #" folder for that week. You must read ALL articles, but you will become 'an expert' in your one assigned article. You should aim to evaluate the various perspectives on this specific topic and formulate your own position on it.

For each Journal Club, each group will be assigned one article to present and lead the discussion around it for approximately 30 minutes (but remember you must read all 3). 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.

Journal Club topics

• Journal Club Presentation 1: This week, the theme is around the debate What is the theory of emerging adulthood, and is it helpful or dangerous?

• Journal Club Presentation 2: This week the theme is love and relationships during emerging adulthood.

European Pathways Presentations:

We will explore cross-cultural experiences and pathways of emerging adulthood in Europe. The idea is to get a taste of what this subjective time period looks like across the western, southern and eastern European blocks by looking at one country from each block. Each group will be assigned a country and is tasked with creating a presentation around the experience of emerging adults in said country. The group must also come up with 2 discussion questions on their topic for the class (more details in Canvas). 

Wellbeing fostering or prevention program among Scandinavian emerging adults (or adolescents - prevention only)

The final project for this class shall summarise your knowledge over the course and put it to practice. Therefore, a critical integration of theory and research are expected. The project is split into two parts.

1. Part 1 is the pitch. The pitch is a paper where you will put forward the scientific and theoretical justification for your topic and program. It consists of a (short) literature review providing the theoretical foundation for your intervention or prevention program and it should answer the question why this program and why for emerging adults. For example, if you choose a prevention program for loneliness, you need to adress what is loneliness, why is loneliness prominent or relevant to emerging adults (a dystonic pole in a developmental task to be resolved according to Eriksson? a negative experience of exploring relationships and seeking intimacy according to Arnett? what are the statistics and current research saying about loneliness in emerging adults? Is it common? etc). More details in Canvas.
2. Part 2 is a presentation of part 1 + the program. You will present what the program would consist of (social media campaign? website? focus/meet-up groups? community intervention? an app?), provide an example of the content ("billboards", posts, description of one of the events/meet up), at least one scientific justification of why it would work (proven track record of a similar approach in a similar or the same topic), how would you measure if it works? More details in Canvas.

Policy on late papers: It is crucial for your learning that you stay on task and hand in assignments on or before the due date. All work– including in-class projects – have to be completed in order to pass the class. Late papers will be accepted, but your grade for the paper will be reduced by half a point for each day that it is late.

Policy for students who arrive late to class: Class will start on time; it is up to the student’s responsibility to arrive accordingly.

Use of laptops or phones in class: Laptops are accepted in class if students consider it to be beneficial for their learning to type their notes. However, the use of laptops is restricted to class work. Using laptops to search the web, engage in social media, or play games will affect your participation grade.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment

DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others.   Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software.  See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

Class Representatives: Each semester DIS looks for class representatives to become an official spokesperson for their class group, addressing any concerns that may arise (in academic or related matters), suggesting improvements and coming up with new ideas. Class representatives are a great way for DIS faculty to ensure better and timelier feedback on their courses, assessments and teaching styles, and as such perform an invaluable role in connecting student needs with faculty instruction during term time. Class Representatives will be elected in class at the beginning of the semester.

Academic Accommodations

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter on the first days of class. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support acadsupport@disstockholm.se

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