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