Chapter 16: Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood

1. Chapter 16:  Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood

2. Many personality and development theories of middle age have adult stages: Erikson�s �generativity versus stagnation� Generativity is highly related to intimacy Middle-aged adults develop generativity through parenting, work, and culture Levinson�s �seasons of a man�s life� emphasizes developmental tasks Personality Theories and Development

4. Levinson�s research: middle age lasts about 5 years Adult men face reality about aging and midlife crisis Personal worth of one�s life is questioned Smooth midlife transition brings acceptance of past and adjustment may include memory distortion Vaillant�s Grant Study: a minority of adults experience midlife crisis � Sheehy�s results rarely observed in men

6. Other studies: Middle-age adults feel a growing sense of control in work and personal life Individuals� emotional instability did not significantly increase through middle-age years Environmental mastery and self-determination increased in middle-age Midlife crisis has been exaggerated � individuals vary in middle adulthood development

8. The contemporary life events approach is an alternative to age-related stage development Life events like death of spouse, marriage, and divorce cause varying degrees of stress Mediating factors like physical health and family support can reduce stress effects and allow more effective coping strategies Weaknesses of life events approach include too much emphasis on change and what are primary sources of stress

10. Overall, stress is highest in young and middle-aged adults; declines in older adults Middle-age development appears to be influenced by historical contexts, gender, and culture Historical changes have affected values, attitudes, behaviors, and expectations of cohort groups Cohorts can alter the �social clock� that guides our lives

11. Each cohort decides what is the �right age� for major life events and achievements Most stage theories are accused of male bias � focusing on career choices and work achievement with little attention to women�s family roles Female experiences are qualitatively different from those of men, and men and women do not enter all of the developmental stages at the same time Cultural and social attitudes affect women�s roles

13. The Kansas City Study was a longitudinal study on people ages 40 to 80, over a 10-year period Styles of coping characterized stability in aging Most change in aging comes from becoming more passive and being threatened by the environment The Baltimore Study used 5 factors of personality to study college-educated persons aged 20 to 96 starting from the 1950s and continuing today Age trends were consistent across cultures surveyed Younger adults were more extraverted Older adults were more agreeable and conscientious Stability and Change

15. Berkeley Longitudinal Studies: 1920s through today No support that personality is characterized by changes or stability from adolescence to midlife Intellectually oriented, self-confidence, and openness were the more stable traits Ability to nurture and self-control changed most

16. Vaillant�s studies: 1920s through today Alcohol abuse and smoking at age 50 was best predictor of death between ages 75 and 80 Factors at age 50 which are best predictors of �happy-well� between ages 75 and 80: Regular exercise and avoiding being overweight Well-educated and future oriented Having a stable marriage and good coping skills Being thankful, forgiving, and empathic Being active with other people

17. Mills College Study: late 1950s to 1980s Studied 132 seniors at Mills College in CA in the 1050s, and then again when the women were in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Midlife crisis was really midlife consciousness Similarities in concerns found between women in early 40s and Levinson�s findings Between ages 27 and early 40s, women shifted toward less traditional feminine attitudes Menopause, caring for aging parents, and empty nest were not linked to increased self-control and responsibility

19. Middle-age well-being includes good relationships with family and friends Affectionate love increases during middle adulthood Those still married report being �satisfied,� while those in process of divorcing are alienated and avoidant, with a sense of �emptiness� Many who divorce in their 40s or later, had stayed together for the children � one study showed more women than men initiating the divorce Close Relationships

20. Some of the main reasons men and women seek divorce in middle adulthood: Women Verbal, physical, or emotional abuse Alcohol or drug abuse Cheating Men No obvious reason; just fell out of love Cheating Different values or lifestyles Divorce can have both positive and negative effects and reasons greatly vary among individuals

21. Contrary to what would be expected from the empty nest syndrome, marital satisfaction may increase after the children have left In today�s world, stress often results when the empty nest refills with adult children returning home to live for various reasons The most common complaint from children returning to refill the nest is �loss of privacy� and parents� restrictions on behaviors Relationships between adult children and mothers appear to be closer than those with fathers

22. Many middle-aged parents regret not spending more time with their children when those children were younger Research suggests that adults restructure perceptions of their parents during middle adulthood Sibling relationships continue over the entire life span � the majority appearing to be very close in adulthood Intimate friendships that have developed over a long time deepen in middle adulthood

23. The majority of grandparents say grandparenting is easier than parenting � lack of frequent contact with grandchildren was the worst aspect of the role The grandparent role and its functions vary among families, ethnic groups, and cultures How grandparents interact with their grandchildren varies greatly: Fun-seeking style Distant-figure style Formal style

24. Grandmothers have more contact with grandchildren than grandfathers There is an increasing number of grandchildren living with their grandparents: 5.6 million in 2000 Half of all U.S. children living with grandparents were raised by a single grandmother The majority of homes where both grandparents raise the grandchildren are those of White families

25. As divorce and remarriage become more common, visitation rights for grandparents have become an issue Intergenerational relationships are affected, as each generation changes in attitudes, values, and personality Overall, most family members maintain considerable contact across the generations

26. Similarity between parents and an adult child is often most noticeable in religion and politics Differences between parents and an adult child are most noticeable in gender roles, lifestyle, and work orientation Sometimes middle-aged adults are the �sandwich generation� � caring for their own children and their parents