Emerging adulthood
The period of life between the ages of 18 and 25. Emerging adulthood is now widely thought of as a distinct developmental stage.
WEIRD
An acronym for western, educated, industrialized, rich, democracy, that refers to emerging adults. The criticism is that conclusions about human development based on people in such nations may not apply to most people in the world, who do not live in WEIRD nations.
Organ reserve
The capacity of organs to allow the body to cope with stress, via extra, unused functioning ability
Homeostasis
The adjustment of all of the body’s systems to keep physiological functions in a state to equilibrium. As the body ages, it takes longer for these homeostatic adjustments to occur, so it becomes harder for older bodies to adapt to stress.
Allostasis
A dynamic body adjustment, related to homeostasis, that affects overall physiology over time. The main difference is that homeostasis requires an immediate response, whereas allostasis requires longer term adjustment.
Allostatic load
The stresses of basic body systems that burden overall functioning, such as hypertension.
Anorexia nervosa
An eating disorder characterized by distorted body image, severe calorie restriction, and intense fear of weight gain. Affected individuals voluntarily underestimate or binge and purge, depriving their vital organs of nutrition. Anorexia can be fatal.
Bulimia nervosa
An eating disorder characterized by binge eating and subsequent purging, usually by induced vomiting and/or use of laxatives.
Binge eating disorder
An eating disorder common in adolescence, which involves compulsive overeating.
Drug abuse
A condition of drug dependence in which the absence of the given drug in the individual’s system produces a drive - physiological, psychological, or both - to ingest more of the drug.
Drug use
Use of any drug in a harmful way, damaging a persons physical, cognitive, or psychosocial wellbeing.
Drug addiction
When the body adjusts to a drug, requiring more to experience an effect, and causing withdrawal when the drug is absent.
Post formal thought
A proposed adult stage of cognitive development, following Piaget’s four stages, that goes beyond adolescent thinking by being more practical, more flexible, and more dialectical (I.e., more capable of combining contradictory elements into a comprehensive whole).
Dialectical thought
The most advanced cognitive process, characterized by the ability to consider a thesis and its antithesis simultaneously and thus to arrive at a synthesis. Dialectical thought makes possible an ongoing awareness of pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, possibilities and limitations.
Thesis
A proposition it statement of belief; the first stage of the process of dialectical thinking.
Antithesis
A proposition or statement of belief that opposes the thesis; the second stage of the process of dialectical thinking.
Synthesis
A new idea that integrates the thesis and antithesis, thus representing a new and more comprehensive level of truth; the third stage of the process of dialectical thinking.
Defining issues test (DIT)
A series of questions developed by James Rest and designed to assess the respondents level of moral development be having them rank possible solutions to moral dilemmas.
