1. Chapter 6: The Adult in Society
Case Study: The Opt-Out Revolution
Section 1: Early and Middle Adulthood
Section 2: The World of Work
Section 3: The Later Years
Simulation: Applying What You’ve Learned

2. Case Study: The Opt-Out Revolution
New York Times journalist Lisa Belkin discussed the phenomenon of high-achieving women who left the workplace in order to be stay-at-home moms. Although the research was informal and based on a population not representative of all women, her article showed an intriguing trend. Many women are choosing to spend their days raising their children instead of pursuing career goals. In addition to the pull of family, one sociologist found that mixed messages from husbands and employers often push women from the workplace.

4. Section 1 at a Glance Early and Middle Adulthood
In American society, adult stages of development are experienced differently by men and women.
Every adult has a life structure that is characterized by a combination of statuses, roles, activities, goals, values, beliefs, and life circumstances.
Daniel Levinson developed a theory of adult male development based on three main eras: early, middle, and late adulthood.
The stages of adult female development are heavily influenced by marriage, work, family, and raising children.

5. Early and Middle Adulthood
Main Idea
Men and women progress through adult development in different ways.
Reading Focus
What are the main eras in Daniel Levinson’s theory of adult male development?
How does adult female development differ from adult male development?

6. What if being an adult doesn't answer all of life's questions?

7. Adult Male Development
Life Structure
The combination of statuses, roles, activities, goals, values, beliefs, and life circumstances that characterize an individual
Life structures show common patterns across many social groups
Includes early, middle, and late adulthood
Early Adulthood
Ages 17 through 22
Going to college or getting a job
Transition into the adult world
Expected to explore opportunities as well as make commitments
The Age 30 Transition
Ages 28 through 32
Crucial because lives often change direction here
Ends the novice phase, when men prepare to enter full adulthood

9. The Midlife Transition
Settling Down
Ages 33 through 39
Major task is achieving success
Try to establish themselves in society, usually through occupational advancement
Commit to things that are important to them
Separation from mentors in order to define own identity
The Midlife Transition
Ages 40 through 44
A bridge between early and middle adulthood
Questioning of life structures
Major goal is to escape the pressure of unattainable dreams from youth
Becoming a mentor can lessen the stress associated with this stage
The degree of difficulty that an individual experiences in a period depends on his success in mastering the previous period.

10. How are the age 30 transition and the midlife transition similar?
Reading Check
Compare
How are the age 30 transition and the midlife transition similar?
Answer: Individuals question their life structures during both transitions.

12. Adult Female Development
Similarities with Men
Levinson: Go through basically the same stages of adult development, but great difference in social roles and identities
Frieze and Sales: Three phases specific to women
Leaving the Family
Physical and psychological break from family
Developing a life plan
May value marriage over work
Entering the Adult World
Most become mothers in their 20s
Dual roles of motherhood and career cause added strain
A break in employment for childbearing can limit career
Re-entering the World of Work
Occurs when children reach school age
Commitment to career at same time husband is doubting his career

14. Reading Check
Find the Main Idea
What factors make adult female development different from adult male development?
Answer: Women differ from men in their social roles and identities and deal differently with the developmental tasks associated with each stage of adult development.

15. Section 3 at a Glance The Later Years
Social development continues throughout adulthood and well into the final stages of life.
People age 65 and older make up the fastest growing segment of the world’s population.
Older Americans face many challenges, including physical and mental decline, dependency, and death.
For many aging Americans, retirement opens up a new world full of freedom and new opportunities for growth and change.

16. The Later Years Main Idea Reading Focus
Americans entering the later years, or old age, face a new set of life transitions, challenges, and opportunities.
Reading Focus
What changes characterize late adulthood?
What new opportunities do older Americans enjoy?

17. Why are seventy-somethings braving frostbite and altitude sickness to conquer Earth's highest peak?

18. Changes in Late Adulthood
Statistics
Age 65 and older: 11 percent of U.S. population in 1980; over 12 percent in 2000; projected to be 20 percent by 2030
Gerontology is the scientific study of aging.
Social gerontology is the study of the nonphysical aspects of aging.
Young-old
Ages 65 through 74
Middle-old
Ages 75 through 84
Old-old
Ages 85 and older

20. Adjustment to Retirement
Retirement involves loss of role and status associated with a particular job as well as with being a working adult.
Some are greatly bothered by this loss; others rank it as low stress.
Factors such as income, health, social networks, and identity affect a person’s adjustment to retirement.
Loss of independence can have negative consequences.

21. Physical and Mental Functioning
Aging involves the weakening and slowing of body processes.
Intellectual ability declines very little.
Alzheimer’s disease is a leading form of dementia.
Dealing with Dependency and Death
Dependency is the shift from being an independent adult to being dependent on others for physical or financial assistance.
Most elderly people fear dependency, and it is known to cause stress in parent-child relationships.

22. Click on the image to play the Interactive.

23. How does dependency change an older person’s life?
Reading Check
Cause and Effect
How does dependency change an older person’s life?
Answer: It changes an individual’s status in society, requiring the individual to assume new roles and behavior, and it often reverses the parent-child relationship

24. New Opportunities
Retirement is often accompanied by a feeling of freedom.
Free time to try new things, travel, attend college, pursue activities such as crafts, golf, or gardening, or become politically active
Begin second or volunteer career
Individuals who have planned for retirement have a better position to take advantage of the opportunities in this period of life.
Financial planning
Broadening one’s interests
Developing hobbies
Taking care of one’s health

25. Draw Conclusions Reading Check
What social factors contribute to the ability of older Americans to volunteer in their community?
Answer: an appreciation by others of the skills and experience possessed by older Americans, established programs such as the Foster Grandparent program that recruit older adults for volunteer positions

26. Current Research in Sociology
Challenging Stereotypes about the Aging
According to popular wisdom, as people grow older, they grow more rigid in their habits and more conservative in their social and political thinking. But is this true?
Stereotypes about older people becoming more conservative have been proven inaccurate by studies.
In fact, older people grow more liberal on many subjects.
One possible explanation is that as society has become less conservative about topics such as race relations or premarital sex, the difference is more noticeable in older respondents.
Results show that people’s attitudes grow and change throughout their lives. –

28. Thinking Critically
Why do you think stereotypes of aging Americans as conservative persist?
Do you think it is possible to use people’s age to predict their attitudes on topics? Explain.

29. Simulation: Applying What You’ve Learned
Trading Places: Becoming Your Parent’s Parent
How would you cope with becoming your parent’s caregiver?
In this lab you will review the stages of adulthood.
Work in small groups to describe the symptoms of an aging person.
Role-play the roles of aging parent and adult children.
1. Introduction
Select at least two changes that would lead to an adult parent becoming dependent.
Describe the changes that an adult child would encounter in caring for his or her dependent parent.
2. Writing the Case Study –

31. Simulation (cont.) 3. Reversing Roles 4. The Simulation
Work with your groups to brainstorm what life would be like when the parent and child roles reverse.
Identify why specific decisions might be a source of conflict.
4. The Simulation
Review with your group the case study you wrote.
Write a short script that focuses on a conflict that arises between an aging parent and an adult child.
Perform the script for the class.

32. Simulation (cont.) 5. Discussion
What did you learn from this simulation? As a group, discuss the following:
How successful were the simulations in illustrating the challenges faced by families?
Which role would you rather be in?
How are the reversed roles similar to the relationship of a parent and child?
Do you think a third party would be helpful or not?