Chapter 14 Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood PowerPoints developed by Nicholas Greco IV, College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Erikson’s Middle Adulthood The crisis of generativity versus stagnation Generativity -- adults’ desire to leave legacies of themselves to the next generation Stagnation -- develops when individuals sense that they have done nothing for the next generation also known as self-absorption (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Generativity Commitment to continuation and improvement of society as a whole Biological generativity -- bearing offspring Parental generativity -- nurturing children Work generativity -- skills to pass on Cultural generativity -- creating, renovating, and conserving some aspect of culture (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Levinson’s Seasons of a Man’s Life Results of extensive interviews with middle-aged men 20s -- novice phase of experimentation and testing 28 to 33 years -- transition and adoption of goals 30s -- BOOM -- becoming one’s own man phase (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Levinson’s Seasons of a Man’s Life 40 to 45 years -- transition to middle adulthood requires facing four main issues being young versus being old being destructive versus being constructive being masculine versus being feminine being attached to others versus being separated 40s -- middle age (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Insert Figure 14.1 (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Midlife Crisis Levinson’s view of the crisis being suspended between past and future trying to cope with threats to continuity Vailliant’s “Grant Study” a time of reassessing and recording the truth about adolescence and adulthood only a minority of adults actually experience a crisis in midlife (Levinson, 1978; Vailliant, 1977) (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Life Events Approach Some events tax ability to cope and force personality change Contemporary life events approach emphasizes considering event as well as mediating factors, adaptation to the event, the life-stage context, and the historical context May overemphasize change and discount the importance of everyday stressors (Holmes & Rahe, 1967) (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Stress and Personal Control in Midlife Do middle-aged adults experience stress differently than young adults and older adults? Young and middle-aged adults had more stressful days than older adults Middle-aged adults experienced more “overload” stressors that involved juggling too many activities at once (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Contexts of Midlife Development Historical contexts -- cohort effects cohort -- individuals born in the same year or time period cohort and context influence values, attitudes, expectations, and behavior social clock -- timetable according to which individuals are expected to accomplish life’s major tasks; provides a guide for life (Neugarten, 1986) (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Contexts of Midlife Development Cultural contexts midlife is unclear and/or absent in many non- industrialized cultures some cultures even divide the life course differently for males and females midlife is influenced by degree of modernity and society’s gender roles Eligibility for certain statuses is influenced by gender (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Stability and Change Big five factors of personality -- openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism Three longitudinal studies Costa and McCrae’s Baltimore Study Personality traits changed most during early adulthood The Berkeley Longitudinal Studies Results from early adolescence through a portion of midlife did not support either extreme in the debate whether personality is characterized by stability or change Valliant’s Studies (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The Big Five Factors of Personality INSERT FIGURE 14.3 HERE (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Stability and Change Evidence does not support the view that personality traits become completely fixed at a certain age in adulthood Cumulative personality model -- with time and age, people become more adept at interacting with their environment in ways that promote stability Some people are likely to change more than others (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Close Relationships Love and Marriage at Midlife affectionate, companionate love increases in middle adulthood security, loyalty, and mutual emotional interest become more important as relationships mature even difficult marriages become better adjusted in middle adulthood married people express satisfaction (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Close Relationships Divorce in middle adulthood couples may be alienated and avoidant marriages may have become “empty” -- lacking laughter, love, and interest in one another divorce may be more positive in some ways and more negative in others + -- often more resources + -- children less “damaged” and can cope better minus -- may be seen as personal failure or as betrayal (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The Empty Nest and Its Refilling Empty nest syndrome -- decline in marital satisfaction after children leave the home; a time for pursuit of other interests, career, and time for each other Refilling of the nest when young adult children return home to save money or recover from career setback Parents continue to provide emotional and/or financial support (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Sibling Relationships Sibling relationships persist over the entire life span Majority of adults have at least one living sibling Most have been found to be close Siblings who were not “close” tend not to become closer in midlife (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Friendships Continue to be important just as they were in early adulthood Enduring relationships become deeper (Antonucci, 1989) (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

(c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Grandparenting Grandmothers have more contact with grandchildren than grandfathers Satisfaction -- easier than parenting Styles and roles -- 3 meanings source of biological reward and continuity source of emotional fulfillment remote role Differing functions in families and in cultures or in situations (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The Changing Role of Grandparents Divorce, adolescent pregnancy, and drug use have contributed to increasing numbers of grandparents assuming parental roles Grandparents who are full-time caregivers for grandchildren are at elevated risk for health problems, depression, and stress Grandparent visitation issues in divorced and stepfamilies Grandparents’ legal rights for visitation (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Intergenerational Relationships Middle-aged adults share experiences and transmit values to the younger generation As children become middle aged, they develop more positive perceptions of parents Family members maintain contact across generations Most common conflicts are interaction style, habits and lifestyle choices, child-rearing practices, and values (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Intergenerational Relationships Sandwich or Squeeze Generation -- responsibilities for adolescent and young adult children and for aging parents Relationships between aging parents and their children are usually characterized by ambivalence When necessary, responsibilities are assumed by daughters (c) 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.