22 - Adulthood: Psychosocial Development

Major theories

•Erikson’s Stages▫Generativity vs. stagnation

•Maslow’s stages▫5. Self-actualization▫4. Success and esteem▫3. Love and belonging▫2. Safety▫1. Physiology

Midlife crisis

•40’s•Anxiety, self-reexamination,

transformation•Related more to developmental history

than age

Intimacy

Intimacy needs are lifelong

•Met by: family, friends, coworkers, & romantic partners (the social convoy)

Family bonds: Parent-Adult child relationships•Become closer as both generations

mature (Improves with age)•May deteriorate if they live together•Familism

▫Belief that family members should support each other

Adult siblings

•Become more supportive than earlier▫Help to cope with children, marriage, and

elderly relatives

Family bonds

Marriage and happiness

•Married people (In satisfying marriages)▫Happier, Healthier, Richer

•Learning to understand and forgive each other promotes happiness

•Cohabitation before marriage▫Decreases happiness after marriage

•Domestic violence is most likely to occur early in a relationship

Children and happiness

•Happiness is highest before children•Decreases with birth of first child

▫& additional children•Decreases again when children reach

puberty▫Teenage years

•Happiness improves after child raising years (Empty nest)▫Children become more independent

Empty nest

•(After children leave)•Improves relationships

▫Parents are alone again More time for their relationship

▫More money available•Longtime partners

▫Stay together because of love & trust

Divorce and separation• Almost 1 out of 2 marriages ends in divorce in

the U.S.▫About 1/3 of all first marriages end in divorce▫Remarried people have a greater chance of

divorce than first married• Adults are affected by divorce in ways they

never anticipated• Very distressed marriages = happier after

divorce• Emotionally distant marriages (most in U.S.) =

less happy than they thought they would be

Consequences of divorce

•Can last for decades•Divorce reduces income, severs

friendships, and weakens family ties•Income, family welfare, and self-esteem =

lower among formerly married than still married or never married

Generativity

•Erikson’s Generativity vs. Stagnation▫Satisfied by

Creativity Caregiving

Guiding the next generation Employment

Caregiving for children

•Your biological children▫Parent must change to adopt to

developmental stages of child.

Caring for aging parents

•Sandwich generation▫Sandwitched between their children and

their parents▫Few adult children are full-time caregivers

Therefore, not technically sandwitched•Often only one child bears the burden

▫Creates resentment ▫Caregiving for parents is often based on

the child’s personality

Employment

Employment = generativity

•Unemployed = higher rates of child abuse, alcoholism, depression & other problems.

•Happiness is not necessarily related to income▫Income has doubled (in last 50 years) but

happiness has not•Work meets generativity needs to:

▫Use personal skills▫Be creative▫Advise coworkers as a friend or mentor

Working for more than money

•Extrinsic rewards (Outside - External)▫Salary▫Health insurance▫Pension

•Intrinsic rewards (Inside – internal)▫Intangible rewards▫Job satisfaction▫Self-esteem▫Pride in contributing▫Feeling needed