Psychosocial Development in Middle Adulthood (40-60)

Psychosocial Development in Middle Adulthood (40-60) Dr. Arra PSY 232

Psychosocial Development Theories………… ERIKSON • Generativity vs. Stagnation • Generative people feel fulfillment: workplace, parenthood, volunteer activities, social activities, civic activities • Highly generative people are well adjusted • Stagnation: selfish, self absorbed, lack of concern for their own children, look to see what they can get out of situations not what they can give

Psychosocial Development Levinson’s Seasons of Life • Middle-aged adults reassess their relation to themselves and the external world • Must confront opposing forces within the self (4 developmental tasks) • Young-old: seek new ways of being both young and old; give up certain youthful qualities and finding positive meaning in being older

Psychosocial Development • Destruction-creation: look back and see what you have done destructively to others; make products of value to self and others and getting civically involved • Masculinity-femininity: creating a better balance of the two within one’s self; men become more empathetic and caring; women become more assertive and autonomous

Psychosocial Development • Engagement-separateness: men pull back from being achievement oriented and focus more on the self; women seek more fulfilling careers and are involved in community

Psychosocial Development Vaillant’s Adaptation to life • Middle-aged adults become guardians of their culture • They carry peak responsibility for the functioning of society

Psychosocial Development Midlife Crisis • Only a minority experience this • Intense self-doubt and inner turmoil lead them to make drastic changes in their own personal lives and careers

Psychosocial Development SELF CONCEPT AND PERSONALITY • Possible selves: (ideas of what one wishes to become and wishes not to become) • Possible selves become fewer in number as well as more modest • Individuals are adjusting their hopes and fears to the circumstances of their lives

Psychosocial Development • Adults become more introspective and in-touch with themselves • Coping strategies are more effective; confidence is developed in handling life’s problems • Self-acceptance and autonomy increase • For all of these reasons, some believe this is the prime of their life

Psychosocial Development • Personality traits such as neuroticism, extroversion, and openness to experience tend to decline • Personality traits such as agreeableness and conscientiousness (competent, orderly, disciplined) tend to increase • Slight variances in personality are observed • Personality is generally stable over time

Psychosocial Development RELATIONSHIPS • Middle-aged adults must adapt to many entries and exits • Children leave the home, marry, and produce grandchildren • Middle-aged adults often focus on improving their marriages

Psychosocial Development • Middle-aged adults seem to adapt more easily to divorce than younger people • For women, divorce usually brings significant economic disadvantage, thus contributing to…… • Feminization of poverty: a trend in which women who support themselves or their families have become the majority of the adult poverty population

Psychosocial Development • Middle-aged adults adapt best to children leaving home if they have a strong work orientation and if parent-child contact and affection are maintained • Kinkeepers: As new family members are introduced through marriage, mothers/grandmothers usually take the role of gathering the family for celebrations and making sure everyone stays in touch

Psychosocial Development GRANDPARENTHOOD • An important means of fulfilling personal and societal needs • In low income families, grandparents perform essential functions such as child-care and financial assistance • Skipped-generation families: when grandparents have become primary care givers due to serious family problems

Psychosocial Development • Sandwich generation: adults caught between the demands of ill or frail parents and financially dependent children • Burden for caring for aging parents falls most heavily on adult daughters

Psychosocial Development RELATIONS WITH OTHER SIBLINGS AND FRIENDS • Sibling support and contact decline in middle adulthood • Sister-Sister ties tend to be closest • Friendships are fewer and more selective • Men are less expressive with their friends than women

Psychosocial Development • Women have more friends than men • Viewing a spouse as a best friend can contribute greatly to marital happiness • Interiority: male and female tendency to be concerned with inner life (introspection)

Psychosocial Development Susan Whitbourne’s ideas on identity development • Identity assimilation: an attempt to fit new experiences into an existing scheme (e.g., accepting the necessity for reading glasses) • Identity accommodation: adjustment of the scheme to fit in a new experience (e.g., adopting a new religion)

Psychosocial Development • Social Convoy theory: (Kahn & Antonucci) people move through live surrounded by concentric circles of intimate relationships of varying degrees; these relationships provide assistance, well-being, and social support

Psychosocial Development • Socioemotional selectivity theory: (Carstensen) • Gives you a life-span perspective on how people choose with whom to spend their time • Social interaction has 3 goals: • It is a source of information

Psychosocial Development • It helps people develop and maintain a sense of self • It is a source of pleasure and comfort • Infancy: emotional support is needed • Childhood-young adulthood: information seeking is key • Middle-age: emotional support is needed; seek out those who make you feel good

Psychosocial Development in Middle Adulthood (40-60)