CH8: Social and Personality Development in Middle Adulthood

what is the normative-crisis model?

the approach to personality development that is based on fairly universal stages tied to a sequence of age-related changes or crises

• proposed by Erik Erikson

what is the life events model?

the approach to personality development that is based on the timing of particular events in adult’s life rather than on age per se

• proposed by Ravenna Helson

what stage of development are those in middle adulthood in according to Erikson?

generativity vs stagnation stage

• ppl consider their contributions to family and society

what are our parent’s generativity typically links to?

their young adult offspring’s successful development

what are the four types of generativity that people can associate with?

• biological generativity

  • giving birth

• parental generativity

  • nurturing and guiding children

• work generativity

  • teaching a new skill or mentoring employee

• cultural generativity

  • conservation of culture, volunteer work, cleaning up the environment

Roger Gould: what did he propose?

adults pass thru series of seven, age-related stages

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

• descriptions are not supported by research

George Vaillant: what did he propose?

• argued that an important period between ages 45 and 55 centers on “keeping meaning” vs rigidity

  • are you going to be stuck in your old ways OR learn ab new things bc interacting w others to keep meaning in your life

• adults seek to extract meaning from their lives by accepting strengths and weaknesses of others

Levinson: what did be propose?

• seasons/transitions of life theory

• the midlife transition is a time of questioning, a focus on the finite nature of life. ppl begin to question some of their fundamental assumptions. they experience the first signs of aging, and they confront the fact that they will not accomplish all their aims b4 they die.

• in his view, this assessment may lead to a midlife crisis

what is a midlife crisis?

a stage of uncertainty and indecision brough ab by the realization that life is finite

is a midlife crisis reality ot myth?

midlife crises are not real. Generally ppl at this time are at the peak of their careers, they feel young, and have a general sense of well-being and life satisfaction

does personality change or remain stable over time?

Erikson and Levinson: substantial change

costa and McCrae: stability in traits across development

What are the Big Five personality traits according to Costa and McCrae?

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

what stability and change do we see in the Big Five?

• neuroticism and extraversion decrease

• agreeableness and conscientiousness increase

• openness remains unchanged

  • overall, these changes are so small that it can be said they all remain fairly constant

what makes you happy during middle adulthood?

• sense of subjective well-being or general happiness remains stable over lifespan

• most ppl general “set point” for happiness regardless of where they stand economically, residents of countries across the world have similar levels of happiness

what pattern do we see regarding marriages during middle adulthood?

most frequent pattern of marital satisfaction is U-shaped

• not entirely accurate because it is tracking couples for decades and the couples left in middle adulthood that are happier are those whom didn’t succumb to divorce

what makes good marriages?

• many couples state spouse is “best friend”

• view marriage as a long-term commitment

• believe spouse has grown more interesting over the years

• most feel their sex lives are more satisfying

why do marriages stuggle?

about 1:8 will divorce after 40

• couples spend less time together

• concerned with their own personal happiness

• more socially acceptable

• feelings of romantic, passionate love may subside over time

• infidelity

what are some positives and negatives from divorce?

positive: easier on younger children to have divorced parents than those who constantly are fighting

negative: harder financially to be divorced than with a double income; typically harder on women

Why is is harder for divorced women?

• doesn’t fit with the marriage gradient

• less than 33% over the age 40 remarry

• 75% of white women remarry, less than half of African American women remarry

What are the main reasons for divorce according to women?

• verbal, physical, emotional abuse (23%)

• alcohol or drug abuse (18%)

• cheating (17%)

what are the main reasons for divorce according to men?

• no obvious problems/fell out of love (17%)

• cheating (14%)

• different values, lifestyles (14%)

do people remarry after getting divorced?

75-80% of divorced ppl eventually remarry

• 90% of women under 25 remarry

• less than 33% over the age of 40 remarry

  • marriage gradient and social stigma

who remarries and how is the relationship different than in first marriages?

• older couples are more mature and realistic

• roles are more flexible

• couple looks at marriage less romantically and is more cautious

are couples in their second marriage more or less likely to get divorced?

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

how does life change when children leave the home?

• parents can work harder

• more alone time

• house stays cleaner

• phone doesn’t ring as often

what is empty nest syndrome?

the experience that relates to parents’ feelings of unhappiness, worry, loneliness, and depression resulting from their children’s departure from home

what are boomerang children?

young adults who return, after leaving home for some period, to live in the homes of their middle-aged parents

how do parents typically treat boomerang children?

• loss of privacy

• restrict independence

• treat like children even though they are likely 30+

• men are more likely to be boomerang children BUT they are less likely to have their independence restricted

what is the sandwich generation?

couples who in middle adulthood must fulfill the needs of both their children and their aging parents

why is this phenomenon happening?

• couples are marrying and having children later

• parents are living longer

how can caring for aging parents present a challenge to those in middle adulthood?

• care for 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

  • statistically, daughters and daughter-in-laws are more likely to provide care to aging parents than sons and son-in-laws in the USA

What makes becoming a grandparent such a meaningful role?

• biological reward and continuity

• emotional self-fulfillment

• grandparenting can provide sense of purpose and value when generative needs are strong

what are the three main types of grandparents?

• involved: are making parenting decisions, might be a legal guardian

• companionate: super fun ones; not taking on parenting role

• remonte: least involved; see them once a year (usually physically remote from the family)

what gender and ethnic differences do we see in grandparenting?

• Grandmothers

  • have more contact than grandfathers

  • are more interested and experience greater satisfaction than grandfathers

• Ethnicity

  • African Americans are more likely to be involved grandparents

• Increasing # of grandchildren living with their grandparents

What are the stats of family violence?

• some form of violence in ¼ of marriages

• 15% marriages have continuing violence

• 8% of the cases involve wife abusing the husband

• Wide ranging: across all SES, ethnicities, cultures

What are some factors that might increase the likelihood of family violence occurring?

• History

  • more traditional families: husband has power over wife

• Factors

  • cultural differences

  • low SES

  • growing up in a violent home

  • families with more children have more violence

Why do people stay in violent relationships

• two types of abusive husbands

• cycle of violence

What are the two type of abusive husbands?

• 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 more calculating, showing little emotion or arousal

What is the cycle of violence

consists of 3 stages

• tension builds

• acute battering incident

• loving contrition

  • person whose abusing will apologize and tell them home much they love them

how are jobs changing during middle adulthood?

• productivity is at a high as ppl are becoming experts in their field

• job satisfaction is also peaking

• worker characteristics and attitudes

what is burnout?

a situation when workers experience dissatisfaction, disillusionment, frustration, and wariness from their jobs

• become cynical and indifferent

what are the causes of unemployment in middle adulthood?

• causes economic and psychological consequences

  • feeling anxious, depressed, and irritable

  • self-confidence and concentration may plummet

  • sometimes depression and/or suicide

why do those in middle adulthood switch their jobs?

• some ppl 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

what do work and leisure look like during middle adulthood?

• peak in position and earnings

• in a study of what adults regret the most, not engaging in more leisure time was in the top 6

• more money is available and there may be more free time and vacations

• leisure activities can ease transition to retirement

How do those in middle adulthood find meaning in life?

based on Baumeister and Vohs main needs for meaning:

• need for purpose

• need for values

• need for sense of efficacy

• need for self-worth

got these ideas from Viktor Frankl’s novel about how he lost everything in the Holocaust yet was still able to find meaning in life