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Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved. Chapter 16: Middle Adulthood Module 7 Social and Personality Development in Middle Adulthood

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Chapter 16: Middle Adulthood. Module 7 Social and Personality Development in Middle Adulthood. SOCIAL AND PERSONLITY DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD. How does personality development occur in middle adulthood?. Two Perspectives on Adult Personality Development. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Chapter 16: Middle Adulthood

Module 7Social and Personality

Development in Middle Adulthood

Page 2: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

SOCIAL AND PERSONLITY DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE

ADULTHOOD

Page 3: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

How does personality development occur in middle

adulthood?

Page 4: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Two Perspectives on Adult Personality Development

Normative-Crisis Versus Life Events• Views personality development in terms of fairly

universal stages, tied to a sequence of age-related crises

398

Page 5: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Two Perspectives on Adult Personality Development

Normative-Crisis Versus Life EventsRevenna Helson

– Suggest that timing of particular events in adult's life, rather than age per se, determine course of personality development

398

Page 6: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Other Views

Erikson• Critics argue that normative-crisis models are

outdated• Model came from time when gender roles were

more rigid

399

Page 7: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Erik Erikson

• GENERATIVITY VERSUS STAGNATION– People consider their contributions to family,

community, work, and society.Generativity = looking beyond oneself to

continuation of one's life through othersStagnation = focusing on the triviality of

their life

399

Page 8: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Page 9: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Building on Erikson’s Views: Gould, Vaillant, and Levinson

Page 10: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Psychiatrist Roger Gould

• Adults pass through series of seven, age-related stages

• People in late 30s and early 40s begin to feel sense of urgency in attaining life’s goals

• Descriptions not research supported

399

Page 11: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Gould’s Approach

400

Page 12: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

George Valliant

• Keeping meaning versus rigidity– Occurs between the ages of 45 and 55

• Adults seek to extract meaning from their lives by accepting strengths and weaknesses of others– Those who are rigid become increasingly

isolated from others

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Page 13: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Levinson

Seasons of Life Theory • Most people are susceptible to fairly profound

midlife crisis – Late 30s– Early 40s– Between 40 and 45

400

Page 14: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Page 15: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Midlife Crisis

• Stage of uncertainty and indecision brought about by realization that life is finite– Gender differences

– Despite widespread acceptance, evidence for midlife crisis does not exist

400

Page 16: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Non-Midlife Life Crisis• For majority of people, transition is smooth and

rewarding• Many middle-aged people find their careers

have blossomed• They feel younger than they actually are

401

Page 17: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Developmental Diversity

Middle Age: In Some Cultures It Doesn’t Exist• Model of aging of Oriyan women

– High caste Hindu women – Life course based on nature of one’s social

responsibility, family management issues, and moral sense at given timenot on basis of chronological age

– Domestic work is highly respected and valued

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Page 18: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

Does personality change or remains stable over course of development?

• Erikson and Levinson = substantial change

• Paul Costa and Robert McCrae = stability in traits across development

402

Page 19: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Same ol’…same ol’?

403

Page 20: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Stability and Change in the Big Five Personality Traits

• Big Five traits are relatively stable past age 30 with some variations in specific traits

• Neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience decline somewhat from early adulthood through middle adulthood

• Agreeableness and conscientiousness increase to a degree

• Findings are consistent across cultures

403

Page 21: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

What makes you happy?

Page 22: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

If You’re Happy and You Know It…

• Sense of subjective well-being or general happiness remains stable over life span

• Most people general “set point” for happiness • Regardless of where they stand economically,

residents of countries across the world have similar levels of happiness

404

Page 23: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Review and Apply

REVIEW• In normative-crisis models, people pass through age-

related stages of development; life events models focus on how people change in response to varying life events.

405

Page 24: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Review and Apply

REVIEW• Levinson argues that the transition to middle age can

lead to a midlife crisis, but there is little evidence for this in the majority of people.

• Broad, basic personality characteristics are relatively stable. Specific aspects of personality do seem to change in response to life events.

405

Page 25: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Review and Apply

APPLY• How do you think the midlife transition is different for a

middle-aged person whose child has just entered adolescence versus a middle-aged person who has just become a parent for the first time?

405

Page 26: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

RELATIONSHIPS: FAMILY IN MIDDLE AGE

Page 27: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Middle Age Marriages

• Most frequent pattern of marital satisfaction is U-shaped

• Marital satisfaction begins to decline after marriage and falls to its lowest point following the birth of children

• Marital satisfaction begins to grow after children leave adolescence and reaches its highest point when kids leave home

405

Page 28: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Do you know about U?

406

Page 29: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

What do the newer findings suggest?

• Unhappy marriages tend to terminate so earlier cross-sectional methods not representative

• Long-married couples were older and were married during when marriage was more highly valued

• Different couples have different levels of marital satisfaction even at outset

406

Page 30: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

And so…

• Why might couples who have children tend to experience better marital satisfaction later in life than do childless couples?

• Given these findings, how might you advise a newlywed couple on what to expect as their years of marriage progress?

Page 31: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Good Marriages• Many couples state that their spouse is their

"best friend“

• They also view marriage as a long-term commitment

• They believe their spouse has grown more interesting over the years

• Most feel their sex lives (although frequency goes down) are satisfying

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Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Struggling Marriages• About 1 woman in 8 will get divorced after 40

• People are more individual, spending less time together

• Many feel concerned with their own personal happiness and leave an unhappy marriage

• Divorce is more socially acceptable

• Feelings of romantic, passionate love may subside over time

407

Page 33: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Divorce• Divorce can be especially hard for traditional

women over 40 who stayed home with kids and never worked outside the home– 75 percent to 80 percent of divorced people

eventually remarry– It's harder for a middle-aged woman to remarry.

90 percent of women under 25 remarry– While 75 percent of white women remarry, less than

half of African American women remarry– Less than 33 percent over the age of 40 remarry

407

Page 34: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Marriage Gradient

• The marriage gradient pushes men to marry younger women

• Older women are victims of the harsh societal standards regarding physical attractiveness

• A major reason many remarry is that being divorced carries a stigma

408

Page 35: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Second Time Around

• Older couples are more mature and realistic• Roles are more flexible• Couple looks at marriage less romantically and

is more cautious• Divorce rate is higher for second marriages• More stress especially with blended families• Once divorce experienced it is easier to walk

away a second time

407

Page 36: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Family Evolutions: From Full House to Empty Nest

• When parents experience feelings of unhappiness, worry, loneliness, and depression resulting from their children's departure from home

• More myth than reality

408

Page 37: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

When children leave home…

• Parents can work harder• More time alone• House stays cleaner• Phone doesn't ring as often

408

Page 38: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Boomerang Children: Refilling the Empty Nest

• Young adults who come back to live in homes of their middle-aged parents– Men are more likely to do it than women– Parents tend to give sons more freedom than

daughters– Unable to find a job– Difficulty making ends meet

409

Page 39: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Sandwich Generation

• Fulfill needs of both their children and their aging parents

• Couples are marrying and having children later

• Parents are living longer

409

Page 40: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Caring for Aging Parents

• Care of aging parents can be psychologically tricky – Significant degree of role reversal

• Range of care varies– Financial– Managing household– Providing direct care

• Influenced by cultural norms and expectations

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Page 41: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Becoming a Grandparent: Who, Me?

• Involved (actively engaged and have role in raising/teaching)

• Companionate (supportive roles, occasionally take the grandchildren)

• Remote (detached and distant)

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Page 42: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Are all grannies the same?

• Marked gender differences in ways people enjoy grandparenthood

• Grandmothers are more interested and experience greater satisfaction than grandfathers

• African American grandparents are more apt to be involved

410

Page 43: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Family Violence: The Hidden Epidemic

• Prevalence

• Characteristics of abuser and abused

411

Page 44: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Factors

• Low SES

• Growing up in a violent home

• Families with more children have more violence

• Single parent families with lots of stress

411

Page 45: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Neil Jacobson and John Gottman

• Husbands who abuse fall into two categories:– “Pit bulls” confine violence to those they love and

strike out against their wives when they feel jealous or when they fear being abandoned

– “Cobras” are likely to be aggressive to everyone, are more likely to use weapons, and are more calculating, showing little emotion or arousal

412

Page 46: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Lenore Walker

• Marital abuse by a husband occurs in three stages:– Tension-building stage where a batterer

becomes upset and shows dissatisfaction initially through verbal abuse

– Acute battering incident when the physical abuse actually occurs

– Loving contrition stage where the husband feels remorse and apologizes for his actions

412

Page 47: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Why Women Stay

• Wife feels somewhat at fault– This explains why women stay in abusive

relationships• Some stay out of fear

412

Page 48: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Cycle of Violence Hypothesis

• Abuse and neglect of children leads them to be predisposed to abusiveness as adults

• About one-third of people who were abused or neglected as children abuse their own children

• Two-thirds of abusers were not abused as children

412

Page 49: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Cultural Differences

• Cultural correlates• Status

– Low status they = easy targets– High status = threat to husbands

412

Page 50: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Becoming an Informed Consumer of Development

Dealing with Spousal Abuse• Teach both wives and husbands that physical violence

is NEVER acceptable• Call the police• Understand that the remorse shown by a spouse, no

matter how heartfelt, may have no bearing on the possibility of future violence

• If you are the victim of abuse, seek a safe haven• If you feel in danger from an abusive partner, seek a

restraining order • Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-

799-7233 for immediate advice.

413

Page 51: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Spousal Abuse and Society 

Cultural Roots of Violence• Others cultures have traditions in which violence

is regarded as acceptable• Some experts suggest traditional power

structure under which women and men function is root cause of abuse

412

Page 52: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Review and Apply

REVIEW• Family changes in middle adulthood

include the departure of children. In recent years, the phenomenon of “boomerang children” has emerged.

• Middle-aged adults often have increasing responsibilities for their aging parents.

414

Page 53: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Review and Apply

REVIEW• Marital violence tends to pass through

three stages: tension building, an acute battering incident, and loving contrition.

414

Page 54: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Review and Apply

APPLY• Are the phenomena of the empty nest,

boomerang children, the sandwich generation, and grandparenting culturally dependent? Why might such phenomena be different in societies where multigenerational families are the norm?

414

Page 55: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

WORK AND LEISURE

Page 56: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Jobs at Midlife

• Productivity

• Job satisfaction

• Worker characteristics and attitudes

415

Page 57: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Challenges of Work: On-the-Job Dissatisfaction

What is the greatest underlying cause of burnout?

415

Page 58: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Burnout

• When highly trained professionals experience dissatisfaction, disillusionment, frustration, and weariness from their jobs– For many workers, unemployment is a hard

reality of life and the implications are more psychological than economic.

– Middle-aged adults tend to stay unemployed longer than do young workers.

415

Page 59: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Unemployment: The Dashing of the Dream

• Causes economic and psychological consequences– Feeling anxious, depressed, and irritable – Self-confidence and concentration may

plummet– Sometimes depression and/or suicide

416

Page 60: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Seeking Work After Job Loss in Middle Age

• Employers may discriminate because of age and not hire older applicants

• Research shows that older workers have less absenteeism, hold their jobs longer, are more reliable, and more willing to learn new skills

416

Page 61: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Switching—and Starting—Careers at Midlife

• Some people change or seek jobs voluntarily in middle adulthood– Old job gave little satisfaction– Mastery of the old job's challenges achieved– No longer enjoy what they do– Need employment after raising children,

divorce, or death of spouse

416

Page 62: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

When Mom Goes to Work…Hey, What Do You Think She Has Been Doing At Home All Those Years?

• 65 percent of women between ages of 50 and 60 (80 percent of those who graduated from college) are now in the workforce

• Three-quarters are in full-time jobs

416

Page 63: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Immigrants on the Job: Making It in America

• Demographics

• Contributions

• Prejudice

417

Page 64: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Leisure time

• Leisure activities– Average number of hours– Nature of activities

• Pace of life differs across countries

418

Page 65: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Review and Apply

REVIEW• People in middle age view their jobs

differently than before, placing more emphasis on short-term factors and less on career striving and ambition.

419

Page 66: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Review and ApplyREVIEW• Midlife career changes are becoming more prevalent,

motivated usually by dissatisfaction, the need for more challenge or status, or the desire to return to the workforce after childrearing.

• People in mid-life usually have increased leisure time. Often they use it to become more involved outside the home in recreational and community activities.

419

Page 67: Chapter 16:  Middle Adulthood

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.

Review and Apply

APPLY• Why might striving for occupational

success be less appealing in middle age than before? What cognitive and personality changes might contribute to this phenomenon?

419