HDFS 2710 Final

social clocks

ideas that certain life events will have happen at a certain age

social rules

one’s we are born with and ones we gain as we move along the lifespan.

roles will increase as we get older

conflict → competing roles

overload → too many roles

life course perspective

• integrates work and family over time

• focus on the trajectory-path of our life experience

• focus on how we transition to our roles, to changes in our lives

• honors those not always following “social clocks”

• honors all family structure

• looks at multiple roles and multiple layers

• gives us a multi-dimensional view of our lives

• focus on context

developmental tasks in early adulthood

1. exploring intimate relationships

2. childbearing

3. work

4. lifestyle

exploring intimate relationships in early adulthood

• explore forming lifelong relationships

• combine emotional closeness, shared interests, and shared worldview, sexual intimacy

• marriage is central context

childbearing in early adulthood

• decisions on whether to have children

• parenting balance with everything else

• fertility rates

• timing of entry into parenting varies

work in early adulthood

• balancing work, family, parenting, and intimate relationships

• where we experience a sense of personal identity, social status

• possibility of work

lifestyle of early adulthood

• tempo and pace

• balancing work and leisure

• establishing social relationship

• how we organize our time and resources

• health and fitness

• boundaries!!!

psychosocial crisis in early adulthood

intimacy vs isolation

central process of early adulthood

mutuality of peers

• relationships are our center

• the radius of significant relationships continues to change

coping strategy in early adulthood

love

core pathology in early adulthood

exclusivity

• shutting others out- at a level where it is distractive to relationships

views on mid-life

crisis vs. transition

crisis

negative view on mid-life

transition

positive view of midlife

developmental tasks in middle adulthood

1. managing a career

2. nurturing intimate relationships

3. expanding caring relationships

4. managing family life

managing a career in middle adulthood

• feeling competent in our work

• keeping up and matching our skills with the demands of our careers

• dealing with mid-life career changes

• balancing work and family life

Nurturing intimate relationships in middle adulthood

• learning how to communicate

• working out the conflict

• making time for relationships, making them matter

what do romantic relationships need in mid-life?

1. communication with each other

2. flexibility

3. emotionally close

4. compatible personalities

5. agree on how to handle conflict

6. healthy sexual relationships

7. Choice of leisure activities to enjoy together

8. Positive influence from friends and family

9. ability to manage finances

10. agree on spiritual beliefs

11. pay attention to our relationship, as if we are dating

12. Praise our partners for positive things

expanding caring relationships in middle adulthood

• Balancing relationships in family life

  • remember: there are many possible family stages at this life stage

• reaching out to others; opening up your world

Managing family life in middle adulthood

• setting up goals, managing resources, and setting priorities

• maintain all that makes us family members

  • “sandwich generation”

psychosocial crisis in midlife

generativity vs stagnation

generativity

being generous to other life stages; giving something back; concerned with human kind

stagnation

lack of growth or movements in ones life, STUCK, not going anywhere

central process in mid-life

person-environment interaction

creativity

person-environment interaction in mid-life

interaction between our social environment- the fit it has with who we are- our skills, needs, interpersonal style

creativity in mid-life

getting rid of old ways/ patterns that aren’t working for us in favor of new ways/ patterns

coping behavior in mid-life

care

• helps us extend generativity; a commitment of care; “ethic of care”

core pathology in mid-life

rejectivity

• rejects any new ideas, new ways of thinking, new relationships… beyond being stuck