The Institutional Affiliation
1. In most countries becoming an adult implies turning a particular age, being able to vote, drive, take responsibility for one's own actions, etc. Nevertheless, turning 18 or 21 doesn't make a person an adult in a full sense. Every individual conscious, responsible and independent at a different time but there exist a number of rites which represent the passage.
In the 18th century, in Hawaii, young people used to jump off cliffs. It was a formal rite of passage into adulthood until the modern era when this tradition went down into history. The first man who jumped off a cliff was King Kahekili. The gesture was admired by other young men who aimed to prove their courage, strength, and bravery. Jumping off something really big still exists as an informal method of demonstrating one's maturity and is called tombstoning. Some of the safer and more civilized rites include Sweet 16. Even though it is still not a legal age for drinking, entering a night club, etc in most Western countries and the Unites States, it is widely accepted to say goodbye to childhood at 16.
2. Pluralism is a process in which groups within the society maintain their individuals. They stay separate and keep their cultural difference, treasure customs and beliefs which are not common for all members of the same country, region, etc. Pluralism affects a passing process of a young person in terms of age and rites. Traditions that symbolize the passage for one group of the society are not necessary for another. Assimilation, on the other hand, brings members and groups of the society together. It is a process which different representatives of different lifestyles and subcultures merge together. They share common customs and behaviors. Assimilation urges them to have the same passing rites and start treating young people as adults at the same age.
3. The attachment style is one of the determining factors of many processes in one's adulthood. It influences further relationship and other interaction processes. There are a few attachment styles, and according to the research, “60% of people have a secure attachment” (PsychAlive). It means that a person sees their partner as a secure base, they feel a connection and mutual trust. The second most common type of attachment is an avoidant attachment. People with this kind of the attachment keep a distance, isolate themselves from the partner, are afraid to bee too close or too far from them. The last type of attachment is an anxious attachment. It refers to an emotional need to bond with another person, to be dependent on them, not to trust but to control and to cling to the partner.
4. Lasting relationship requires trust and understanding. There could be no friendship, love or family ties without trust and respect. Trying to control, to demand too much or to complement oneself by someone else pushes the partner away and anxious attachment is very often short and disappointing. The secure attachment, in the opposite, allows the partners to maintain the relationship regardless the distance and other external factors. Confidence and reliance are the best ways to build a strong and long-lasting relationship.
5. Attraction, as most young people think, is not a mysterious phenomenon. As we grow up and become adults we start to distinguish between different kinds of the attraction, in particular, physical, emotional, aesthetic. The first type of attraction refers to sexual appeal and a desire to have physical contact. It doesn't involve getting to know that much of the partner's personality but is still very strong. Emotional attraction is a process in which a person admires their partner's individuality, temper, and nature. It doesn't require a person to be tall, good-looking, has a status, etc. It happens on the emotional level and cases feelings that attach people to each other. The aesthetic attachment means appreciating partners appearance and neither results in physical or emotional interaction.
6. I believe that emotional attachment would be the most effective in building the long-lasting relationship. Physical appeal is extremely volatile and changes the subject as the partner sees someone better looking or more charming. The last type of attraction is definitely not enough to build any type of relationship. The emotional attachment establishes strong ties which protect the relationship and make them last the longest.
References
LGBT Center. (N.d.). Asexuality, Attraction, and Romantic Orientation. LGBT Center. The
PsychAlive. (N.d.). How Your Attachment Style Affects Your Relationship. PhychAlive.
Psychology for Everyday Life. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
