Adolescent/Adult Development

Middle Adulthood: Psychosocial Development – Ch. 22

Apr 16-19, 2010Class #35-36

Personality Throughout Adulthood

Personality is a major source of continuity provides coherence and identity

The Big Five

Several researchers have found evidence for the existence of five basic dimensions of personality through factor analysis

5 factors are independent of one another

Everyone can be placed along a continuum for all 5 factors/traits

The Big Five

Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Emotionality (also referred to as

Neuroticism) Intellect (also referred to as

Openness)

What researchers say…

From a review of literature the following are some of the important characteristics of the five factors: The factors are dimensions, not types, so

people vary continuously on them, with most people falling in between the extremes

The factors are stable over a 45-year period beginning in young adulthood

The factors and their specific facets appear heritable

The factors are considered universal Knowing one's placement on the factors is

useful for insight and improvement through therapy

What Are These Five Factors?

Extraversion Bold versus timid Outgoing versus introverted Talkative versus silent

Agreeableness Friendliness versus indifference to others A docile versus hostile nature Compliance versus hostile noncompliance

Conscientiousness Responsible versus irresponsible Hardworking versus lazy Cautious versus rash

What Are These Five Factors?

Neuroticism Adjustment versus anxiety Level of Emotional stability Dependence vs. independence

Openness Reflection of an inquiring intellect Flexibility versus conformity Rebelliousness versus Subduedness

Environment generally reinforces basic temperament significant changes can make people act

differently death of a spouse, divorce, illness, career change,

etc.

Developmental Changes in Personality

Gender Convergence

Gender convergence—a tendency for men and women to become more similar as they move through middle age

Gender crossover—the idea that each sex takes on the other sex’s roles and traits in later life.

Gender Convergence

These ideas are partly biosocial, “shadow side,” and cultural Barnett and Hyde (2001) believe that this

change is historically-based the past century witnessed changes every decade

and gender roles changed today’ middle-aged generation is probably less

likely to converge since male-female differences in personality less apparent

The “Midlife Crisis”

A period of unusual anxiety, radical reexamination, and sudden transformation widely associated with middle age, but probably more related to developmental history than to chronological age

The “Midlife Crisis”

The idea was promoted by Sheehy (1976) and Levinson (1978), but no large study has found such a crisis

Family is most important support system If one’s own family is not doing that job,

“fictive kin” may be found treated as family by this group

Social convoy—group of people who form relationships with an individual through which they guide and socialize that person as he or she moves through life

Family Relationships in Midlife

Partners

Having an intimate relationship is a source of happiness, comfort, and self-respect; for 70 percent of middle-aged Americans, this achieved with a spouse

For some divorced, widowed, or never-married middle-aged adults, intimacy may be achieved by cohabitation

Marital Happiness

Not all people are in good/happy relationships relationship may be destructive but worldwide, spouse abuse far more

common among younger married couples than among middle-aged spouses

Marital Happiness

Often regain some of closeness of early marriage less stress from kids higher incomes more time together

Studies in various cultures show that marital happiness in midlife is true

In general, marriage relationships likely to get better over time

Divorce and Remarriage

Not all couples become closer after years of marriage, divorce has more impact

reduces income, weakens family ties when long-terms social bonds especially needed

Most divorced remarry within 5 years Remarriage offers benefits to both men and

women Second marriages end in divorce more often

than first marriages do

Marriage is likely to benefit middle-aged adults

Middle-aged women are at a disadvantage for marrying, remarrying beginning at aged 45, there are more

women than men men tend to marry younger women

The Marriage Market for Middle-Aged Adults

Kinkeeper—the person who takes primary responsibility for celebrating family achievements, gathering the family together, and keeping in touch with family members who live far away most likely to be middle-aged most are women, but men also can take the

role

Other Relatives

Aging Parents

Relationship with Parents improves with time

Familism—the idea that family members support one another because family unity is more important than individual freedom and success stronger with ethnic minorities

Siblings

Siblings often become closer to each other in the second half of life than in early adulthood

They help one another with problems with teenage children, stressful marriages, and family contacts

Siblings

Childhood Echoes—the relationship in middle and late adulthood is influenced by family values instilled in childhood closeness can also be affected by

childhood rivalries, but these may be put aside at this point

Adult Children

Relationship with Children improves with maturity of children

Seven-nation survey: 75 percent of middle- aged parents communicated with adult children several times a week

Adult Children

Forms of Parental Support monetary various services like babysitting

Some children return home, referred to as “swollen nest”

Young adult children less likely to leave home, especially if parents in good health and they themselves are financially needy

Grandchildren

Personality, ethnicity, national background, and past parent-child relationship affect nature of grandparent-grandchild relationship as does child’s age and personality

Bond closer if grandchild young parent is first to have children grandparent neither too young nor too old to

spend time/energy interacting

Remote grandparents—respected and loved emotionally distant grandparents

Involved grandparents—active in day to day life, live near, see often

Companionate grandparents—independent, with own lifestyle and household, choose how generational interaction occurs

Most grandparents want to be companions

Types of Grandparents

Immigrant Grandparents

Happily become involved, especially when all speak a common language

Often live in the same household Children seem to develop better when

they are cherished and guided by a large family

Surrogate Parents

Surrogate parents—grandparents who take over the raising of their grandchildren as a result of their adult children’s extreme social problems if parents too poor, too young, drug or alcohol

addicted, single, newly divorced, then— possibility of surrogate parenting increases

Surrogate Parents

Grandparents furnish stability, guidance, and patience

Responsibility takes a toll if it lasts too long can impair health and well-being

More than one in three grandparents witness divorce of an adult child

Grandparents typically provide extra help when their newly divorced child receives custody of children

If their adult child does not have custody, they may be shut out grandparents in such situations may sue for

visitation rights

After Adult Children Divorce

90 percent of men and 75 percent of women in the United States are employed

Worldwide, work is a welcome part of life Most jobs provide more joy than stress

Work in Middle Adulthood

Overall Trends

Meaningful work becomes more important as an individual ages salary and benefits tend to rise with seniority lower rates of

absenteeism being fired or quitting seeking a new job

Many middle aged workers have worked for the same employer for more than five years

There may be unexpected job loss as a result of downsizing and restructuring or relocation of company

Dealing with Job Stress

Some people addicted to long hours and hard work, or “workaholism”

Both men and women are physically and psychologically healthier if they have multiple roles

Stress in one area of life can be relieved by support from other areas

Scaling Back

Begin to deliberately balance work life with other concerns Place limits on work hours or responsibilities

One partner may work part-time or at a less critical and lower paying job Or partners may take turns; one focuses on

employment, the other on child care

Rethinking and shifting toward retirement

Planning and actual event usually occur in middle age

Retirement generally anticipated with more joy than dread

The decision to retire is usually mutual, since both husband and wife are working

Main planning consideration is financial

Retirement