17. Middle Adulthood - Social and Personality Development

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

______________ - the 7th stage. Main task is to acquire a sense of generativity – sense that one is making a valuable contribution to society by bringing up children or mentoring younger people in some way

• Psychological expansion towards others

Preliminary, but less robust research evidence

• Generativity may continue to be important in old age

• Associated with mental health

• Generativity in grandparenthood can manifest in different ways and for different reasons

• Two-way relationship between culture and individuals

Stagnation

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development (Generativity vs. Stagnation)

_______________ - pervading sense of personal impoverishment as if one is one's own only child

Vaillant’s Revision: Keeper of the Meaning

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development → Vaillant

_____________ - Focus on preservation of cultural institutions and values believed to be of benefit for future generations

Key: motivation is desire to ensure institution's survival

• Social networks get created in the process

• Role of childhood experiences in generativity

• Exceptions: resiliency and effective coping can compensate for ACEs

Mid-life crisis

________________ - Coined in '60s: shift from "time since birth" to "time left till death"; any perceived gap between accomplishments and expectations creates sense of urgency

• Challenged in the '80s – no distinct age at which a "mid-life crisis" occurred

• Resolution of crises evolve continuously and cumulatively through mid-50s – supports Erickson's stages

5 life pathways: (Meandering Straight Down The Authentic-Road)

5 Life Pathways (Meandering Straight Down The Authentic-Road)

Midlife crisis

1. Meandering Way

2. Straight and Narrow Path

3. Downward Slope

4. Triumphant Trail

5. Authentic Road

1) Meandering Way

Whitbourne’s 5 Life Pathways (Meandering Straight Down The Authentic-Road) - Textbook
_______________ - Life based on a low sense of identity - this type of person felt lost and thus unable to commit to a clear set of goals

2) Straight and Narrow Path

Whitbourne’s 5 Life Pathways (Meandering Straight Down The Authentic-Road) - Textbook
_______________ - Predictability and routine were paramount, risk successfully AVOIDED!

3) Downward Slope

Whitbourne’s 5 Life Pathways (Meandering Straight Down The Authentic-Road) - Textbook
_______________ - Life started out great, but after making bad decisions, made a turn for the worse

4) Triumphant Trail

Whitbourne’s 5 Life Pathways (Meandering Straight Down The Authentic-Road) - Textbook
_______________ - Early life was a challenge, but inner resilience they were overcome!

5) Authentic Road

Whitbourne’s 5 Life Pathways (Meandering Straight Down The Authentic-Road) - Textbook
_______________ - Life was characterized by self-examination and redirection to get back on a track towards a strong sense of purpose and satisfaction

Life Events approach

__________ - a theoretical perspective on middle adulthood that focuses on normative and non-normative events, and how adults in this group respond to them

• New stressors requiring new ways of coping

• Many new stressors are not temporary

• Best approach: studying how middle-aged adults integrate and interpret these changes

• Stresses often compounded by role conflict and role strain

  • Role conflict

  • Role strain

Role conflict

Life Events approach

______________ - where you don't have enough time to balance the roles

Role strain

Life Events approach

______________ - where you feel like your abilities are not adequate enough

Changes in partnerships

______________ - Marital stability and satisfaction increase in mid-life

Factors: decline in conflicts, improved support network, increased sense of control

• Themes of marital conflicts do not change

• Middle-aged Canadian couples are less likely to divorce

• Among middle-aged couples who do divorce, many women stay married through early adulthood for children's sake

Caregiver

________________- more help tends to be given than received

• Sandwich generation/multigenerational caregivers:

  • Number of middle-aged Canadians caring for a senior likely to keep rising

• Caregiver burden

  • Factors influencing intensity: degree of infirmity, nature of relationship with the senior, degree of help required by young adult children

Sandwich generation/multigenerational caregivers

Caregivers

______________- middle-aged adults caring for elderly parents and young adult children at the same time

• Number of middle-aged Canadians caring for a senior likely to keep rising

• Nearly 30% of Canadian caregivers are in this position

Caregiver burden

Caregivers

______________- cumulative negative effects of caring for an elderly or disabled person

• Factors influencing intensity: degree of infirmity, nature of relationship with the senior, degree of help required by young adult children

Grandparents

______________ - New roles: in-laws, grandparents

Nearly half of Canadian adults become grandparents by the end of middle adulthood

• Often associated with great role satisfaction

• Positive impact on grandchild's development

• Engage in many of same activities as parents-children do

Degree of involvement: companionate, remote, involved

• Source of particularly important stability in lives of children of divorced parents

• Many regions have statutes granting grandparents visitation/access rights if in child's best interests

Friends

_________________ - Research is just starting— Fewer friends and fewer interactions

• Relationships are just as intimate

• Association between friendships in middle adulthood and mental health

Personality change + continuity

______________in middle adulthood - Big Five generally stable, with subtle changes

Decline: openness to experience, extraversion, and neuroticism

Increase: agreeableness and conscientiousness (conscientiousness declines after ~70 years)

• Tolerance for risk-taking and impulsivity decline

• Personality influences adult capacity to manage stress

  • Conscientiousness & extraversion = less affected by stress

  • Neuroticism = more affected, including stress-related conditions

• Neurological patterns associated with each of the Big Five

Work satisfaction

Mid-life career issues

_______________ - Satisfaction predicts staying in job

Peak satisfaction due to job flexibility, sense of control, and career stability

• Less likely to experience burnout

Job performance

Mid-life career issues

_______________ - Cognitive and physical decline offset by selective optimization with compensation – prioritizing goals (selection) to maximize gains (optimization) and minimize losses (compensation)

• Shift in goal orientation to focus more on personal fulfillment, the nature of the job, and job stability/financial security

• Negative stereotypes toward aging associated with worse performance

Involuntary career transitions

Unemployment + career transitions

____________ - Caused by external reasons

Heightened mental health challenges and physical illness

• Big Five influence mental health

• Social support is protective

Voluntary career transitions

Unemployment + career transitions

____________ - Due to personal reasons - transition can still be stressful

• Ageism can affect job prospects (young adults seen more positively compared to middle adulthood)

  • May have genetic basis

• Honeymoon-hangover effect

Honeymoon-hangover effect

Unemployment + career transitions (voluntary)

____________ - high satisfaction immediately after transition followed by regret over having left the parts of their previous job that they enjoyed

Involuntary, non-mobility career transitions

Unemployment + career transitions

____________ - Locked in current job

Higher likelihood during times of high unemployment rates

• Negative impact on well-being

• Can negatively impact both employee and employer

Preparing for retirement

_______________ - Many Canadians prepare over the course of several years

• Bridge employment

• People typically hope to be retired for at least 20 years.

• Retirement preparation and financial literacy increase with age

• Over half of Canadians who say they are preparing for retirement report not knowing how much to save

• Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan benefits are likely not adequate for meeting their desired lifestyle needs

• More women than men are working in jobs that offer pension plans

Approaches → (We Are Empowered, Stressed, and Leisurely)

Bridge employment

Preparing for retirement

_____________ - less demanding job related to one's career

We Are Empowered, Stressed, and Leisurely

Preparing for retirement

_______________ - Approaches to retirement include…

1. Wealth builders

2. Anxious idealists

3. Empowered trailblazers

4. Stretched and stressed

5. Leisure lifers

1) Wealth builders

Preparing for retirement - Approaches to retirement (We Are Empowered, Stressed, and Leisurely)

____________ - intend to find new ways to make money and build on existing wealth

2) Anxious idealists

Preparing for retirement - Approaches to retirement (We Are Empowered, Stressed, and Leisurely)

____________ - want to volunteer and donate but recognize that their tendencies have not set them up to be able to do so financially

3) Empowered trailblazers

Preparing for retirement - Approaches to retirement (We Are Empowered, Stressed, and Leisurely)

____________ - want to engage in a variety of activities and believe they have the financial capacity to do so

4) Stretched and stressed

Preparing for retirement - Approaches to retirement (We Are Empowered, Stressed, and Leisurely)

____________ - deep financial trouble and they know it; worried about making ends meet

5) Leisure lifers

Preparing for retirement - Approaches to retirement (We Are Empowered, Stressed, and Leisurely)

____________ - planning to retire early and spend the time engaging in recreational pursuits

Generativity

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development (Generativity vs. Stagnation → Textbook)

_______________ - sense that someone is making a valuable contribution to society by bringing up children or mentoring young ppl in some way

• Can manifest in diff. ways

• Indigenous peoples see it as an opportunity to provide love + support considering intergenerational trauma

  • Form of resilience in the face of adversity

• Two way street that helps both sides

Effective coping

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development → Vaillant

_____________ - Use of healthy defense mechanisms like sublimation or suppression offers the ability to bounce back from ACEs

Companionate relationship

Grandparents → Cherlin & Furstenberg (textbook)

____________ - Most common pattern when grandparents have frequent contact and warm interactions w grandkids

Remote relationship

Grandparents → Cherlin & Furstenberg (textbook)

____________ - Second most common type of relationship— when grandparents don’t see children, likely caused by physical distance

Involved relationship

Grandparents → Cherlin & Furstenberg (textbook)

____________ - Least common. When grandparents are directly involved in everyday lives of grandkids, or have close emotional ties w/ them

Burnout

Mid-life career issues - work satisfaction (textbook)

______________ - Lack of energy, exhaustion, and pessimism that results from chronic stress

1) Selection

Mid-life career issues - job performance - Selective optimization with compensation (textbook)

____________ - Workers narrow their range of activities

• Ex: Focusing on central tasks, delegating responsibilities to others, giving up peripheral job activities

2) Optimization

Mid-life career issues - job performance - Selective optimization with compensation (textbook)

________________ - Workers deliberately exercise crucial abilities, like taking added training or polishing rusty skills to remain close to MAX skill levels

3) Compensation

Mid-life career issues - job performance - Selective optimization with compensation (textbook)

_____________ - Workers adopt strategies for overcoming specific obstacles

• Ex: Getting stronger glasses or hearing aids