Chapter 17 Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 2
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4 Adult Stage Theories Generativity Versus Stagnation Seasons
of a Mans Life How Pervasive Are Midlife Crises? Individual
Variations
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 5 Generativity vs. Stagnation
Erikson believes generativity encompasses adults desire to leave a
legacy to the next generation. Through generativity, adults achieve
a kind of immortality by leaving their legacy. Stagnation or
self-absorption develops when individuals sense that they have done
nothing for the next generation. Through generativity, adults
promote and guide those who follow by parenting, teaching, leading,
doing things to benefit the community.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 6 How to Develop Generativity
Biological Generativity Parental Generativity Work Generativity
Cultural Generativity
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 7 Generativity and Identity One
study showed that middle-aged adults especially were concerned
about generativity and guiding younger adults. Another showed that
having a positive identity was linked with generativity in middle
age.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 8 Generativity and Identity A
modification of Eriksons theory proposed that his three adult
stages intimacy, generativity, and integrityare best viewed as
developmental phases within identity. Thus identity remains the
central core of the selfs development across all of the adult
years.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 9 Seasons of a Mans Life Daniel
Levinson extensively interviewed 40 middle-aged men and compiled
information from the biographies of famous men. His major interest
and focus centered around midlife change, however, he described a
number of stages and transitions in the life span. Levinson
emphasizes that development tasks must be mastered at each of these
stages. Although his original data included no females, Levinson
claimed his theory also held for women.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 10 Levinsons Stages of Change The
20s are a novice phase of adult development. Around age 28 to 33
the man goes through a transition in which he must determine his
goals. During the 30s he usually focuses on family and career
development.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 11 Levinsons Stages of Change In
the later years of this period, he enters a phase of Becoming Ones
Own Man (BOOM). By age 40 he has reached a stable location in his
career and must look forward to middle adulthood. Ages 40-45
encompass the change to middle adulthood.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 12 The Four Major Conflicts
Levinson claimed that middle adulthood is the time for men to come
to grips with four conflicts that have existed since adolescence:
Being young versus being old Being destructive versus being
constructive Being masculine versus being feminine Being attached
to others versus being separated from them
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 13 How Pervasive Are Midlife
Crises? Levinson views midlife as a crisisa time when the adult is
suspended between the past and the future, trying to cope with this
gap that threatens lifes continuity. A recent study has indicated
that the idea of midlife crises have been exaggerated. Many studies
have shown that middle-aged adults have a greater sense of control
in their work, greater sense of environmental mastery, more
autonomy, more power, and greater financial security.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 14 Individual Variations The
stage theories focus on the universals of adult personality
development and do not address individual variations. An extensive
study of 500 men at midlife showed that a tremendous amount of
individual variation characterized the men. George Vaillants Grant
Study also yielded findings that showed variations in individual
functioning.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 15 Life-Events Approach The
contemporary life-events approach emphasizes that how life events
influence the individuals development depends not only on the life
event, but also on mediating factors, the life-stage context, and
the sociohistorical context. Drawbacks of the approach include its
overemphasis on change and its failure to recognize that the
primary sources of stress may not be major life events but rather
our daily experiences.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 16 Contexts of Midlife
Development Historical Contexts Gender Contexts Cultural
Contexts
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 17 Historical Contexts Some
believe that changing historical times and different social
expectations influence how different cohorts move through the life
span. Our values, attitudes, expectations, and behaviors are
influenced by the period in which we live.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 18 Historical Contexts Trying to
tease out universal truths and patterns about adult development
from one cohort to another is complicated. Neugarten believes that
the social environment of a particular age group can alter its
social clock.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 19 The Social Clock The timetable
according to which individuals are expected to accomplish lifes
tasks marrying, having children, establishing themselves in a
career. Social clocks provide guides for our lives. Individuals
whose lives are not synchronized with these social clocks find life
to be more stressful than those who are on schedule. There is much
less agreement today on the right age or sequence for the
occurrence of major life events.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 20 Gender Contexts As the roles
of women have become more complex and varied, defining a normative
sequence of development for them has become difficult, if not
impossible. Basic changes in social attitudes regarding labor force
participation, families, and gender roles have begun to broaden the
opportunities available for women in middle adulthood. Midlife is a
diversified, heterogeneous period for women, just as it is for
men.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 21 Cultural Contexts In many
cultures, particularly nonindustrialized cultures, the concept of
middle age is not very clear, or in some cases is absent.
Nonindustrialized cultures tend to describe individuals as young or
old, but not middle-aged.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 22 Cultural Contexts Movement
from one status to the next in these cultures is due primarily to
life events, not age. Middle age tends to be more advantageous to
women in many nonindustrialized societies.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 23
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 24 Longitudinal Studies
Neugartens Kansas City Study Costa and McCraes Baltimore Study
Berkeley Longitudinal Studies Helsons Mills College Study
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 25 Neugartens Kansas City Study
This study looked at individuals 40 to 80 years of age over a
10-year period. Subjects were given personality tests,
questionnaires, and were interviewed. Neugarten concluded that both
stability and change characterized adults as they aged. The most
stable were: styles of coping, being satisfied with life, and being
goal-directed. As individuals aged, they were found to become more
passive and were more likely to be threatened by the
environment.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 26 The Baltimore Study Costa and
McCrae focused on the big five factors of personality: emotional
stability openness to experience extraversion agreeableness
conscientiousness
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 27 The Baltimore Study The study
followed approximately 1000 college-educated men and women aged
20-96 over many years They concluded that considerable stability
occurs in the five personality factors
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 28 Berkeley Longitudinal Studies
This series of studies is by far the longest- running longitudinal
inquiry, and initially included more than 500 children and their
parents. The most stable characteristics were found to be the
degree to which individuals were intellectually oriented,
self-confident, or open to new experiences. The characteristics
that changed the most included the extent the individuals were
nurturant or hostile and whether they had good self-control or
not.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 29 Helsons Mills College Study
This study distinguished three main groups among the women studied:
family oriented career-oriented those who followed neither path
Despite these differences, women in all three groups experienced
some similar psychological changes over their adult years. Those in
the third group changed less than the others.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 30 Other Findings of the Mills
Study Between age 27 and the early forties, there was a shift
toward less traditionally feminine attitudes. Researchers in the
Mills study concluded that rather than being in a midlife crisis,
women were experiencing a midlife consciousness.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 31 Other Findings of the Mills
Study They found that commitment to a career or family helped women
learn to control their impulses, develop interpersonal skills,
become independent, and work hard to achieve goals. Women who didnt
commit to either of these did not develop as fully as the other
women.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 32 Conclusions Humans are
adaptive beings. We are resilient throughout our adult lives. We do
not develop entirely new personalities. Amid change is some
underlying coherence and stability. Some people change more than
others.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 33
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 34 Love and Marriage at Midlife
Affectionate Love Marriage and Divorce
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 35 Affectionate Love Affectionate
or companionate love increases during middle adulthood.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 36 Affectionate Love Security,
loyalty, and mutual emotional interest become more important as
relationships mature. A relationship is believed to mature when
partners: share knowledge with one another. assume responsibility
for each others satisfaction. share private information that
governs their relationship.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 37 Marriage and Divorce For
married individuals in midlife, most voiced considerable
satisfaction with being married. A recent large scale study found
that 72% of married midlife individuals reported that their
marriage was either excellent or very good.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 38 Marriage and Divorce Getting
married in midlife lowered mens anxiety, depression, and feelings
of vulnerability. Women who married in midlife felt more positive
emotions than they had previously. Couples who divorce in midlife
tend to be cool, distant, and have suppressed emotions.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 39 Consequences of Divorce in
Midlife Many individuals perceive divorce in midlife as failing in
the best years of their lives. Men who divorced in their 40s became
more depressed and had lower achievement goals. Women who divorced
in middle age showed a surge in positive emotions.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 40 Consequences of Divorce in
Midlife The perils of divorce in midlife may be fewer and less
intense than for younger individuals. They have more resources and
can simplify their lives.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 41 The Empty Nest and Its
Refilling Characterized by a decrease in marital satisfaction due
to the childrens departure which leaves parents with an empty
feeling. Parents who live vicariously through their children are
more likely to experience the empty nest syndrome. Most parents do
not experience less marital satisfaction, in fact for many it
increases after their children have left home.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 42 Coming Home More adult
children are returning to live at home after an unsuccessful career
or divorce. One study showed that 42% of middle- aged parents had
serious conflicts with their resident adult children.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 43 Coming Home One of the most
common complaints voiced by both parents and adult children is a
loss of privacy. When adult children return home to live, a
disequilibrium in family life is created, requiring considerable
adaptation on both parties parts.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 44 Parenting Conceptions
Middle-aged parents felt as their children became adults they
gained a new sense of appreciation for their commitment and
influence as parents.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 45 Parenting Conceptions Many
parents of adult children regret not having had more involvement
and better relationships with their children. Research findings
suggest that during middle adulthood we restructure our perceptions
of our own parents, viewing them more as unique individuals.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 46 Siblings and Friends The
majority of sibling relationships in adulthood have been found to
be close. Siblings who are close to each other in adulthood tended
to be that way as children. It is rare for sibling closeness to
develop for the first time in adulthood. Friendships continue to be
as important in midlife as they were in early adulthood.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 47 Intergenerational
Relationships For the most part, family members maintain
considerable contact across generations. A consistent finding is
that parents and their young adult children differ in the way they
describe their relationship.
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Black Hawk College Chapter 17 48 Intergenerational
Relationships Gender differences exist, as mothers and daughters
tend to have closer relationships. Middle-aged adults are often
described as the sandwich generation, caught between aging parents
and their young adult children.
