MIDDLE ADULTHOOD: Emotional and social development

Theories of Self in TransitionTheories of Self in Transition

Maturity and Self-Concept– Maturity: capacity to undergo continual change

in order to adapt successfully and cope flexibly with the demands and responsibilities of life.

Self-Concept: The view we have of ourselves through time as “the real me.”

Stage ModelsStage Models

Generativity versus stagnation (Erikson) The concern in establishing and guiding the

next generation.

PeckPeck

Robert Peck’s 4 tasks at midlife:– Valuing wisdom versus valuing physical

powers– Socializing vs. sexualizing– Cathectic flexibility v cathectic impoverishment– Mental flexibility v mental rigidity

Trait ModelsTrait Models

Behavioral traits that constitute the core of personality: extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

Behavior as the outcome of the characteristics of the situation in which the person is momentarily located.

Situational ModelsSituational Models

Behavior is always a joint product of the person and the situation.

Interactionist ModelsInteractionist Models

Gender and Personality at Gender and Personality at MidlifeMidlife

Levinson’s Theory of Male Midlife Development– Midlife transition (40-45)

– Entry life structure for middle adulthood (45-50)

– Age 50 transition(50-55)

– Culminating life structure for middle adulthood (55-60)

– Late adult transition (60-65)

Levinson’s Theory of Women’s Levinson’s Theory of Women’s Midlife DevelopmentMidlife Development

Primarily Homemakers– Women center lives in domestic sphere

Traditional Marriage– The women are homemakers and the men are

provisioners Single Successful Career Woman:

– Afraid of “single” stigma

WomenWomen

Midlife Transition Career Woman Compromise of work and family

WomenWomen

Ravenna Helson and the Mills Longitudinal Study Subjects at Midlife– Women: Turmoil in 40s, stability by 52– Men: greatest productivity after 50– Homemaker women: adjustments with empty

nest.– Blue collar workers both genders: time of

decline

WomenWomen

Continuity and Discontinuity in Gender Characteristics

Men and women move in opposite directions across the life span with respect to assertive and aggressiveness.

Unisex pattern emerges in later life.

Personality Continuity and Discontinuity Sandwich generation: responsibilities for

aging parents and minor children; bridge across generations.

PersonalityPersonality

The Social MilieuThe Social Milieu

Familial Relations Married Couples (Lauer and Lauer) Successful couples:

– Positive attitude toward one’s spouse– Marriage is a long-term commitment and a

sacred institution.

Extramarital Sexual RelationsExtramarital Sexual Relations

Sex not the lure for EMS. Loneliness, emotional excitement, and

wanting to prove “still young.”

Separation and DivorceSeparation and Divorce

College-educated wives: less risk Married young : higher risk Longer a marriage survives: less risk Larger family, own home: less risk Wife’s economic independence: higher risk Empty nest transition: impacts marital

stability

Life as a SingleLife as a Single

Displaced Homemaker: a woman whose primary activity has been homemaking and who has lost her main source of income because of divorce from or death of husband.

6 of every 10 divorced men remarry. 3 of every 4 divorced women remarry. Men more likely to remarry: larger pool

RemarriageRemarriage

StepfamiliesStepfamilies

60% of remarrieds are parents. More than one-third of children will live in

stepfamily before they are 18. The more complex the social system the

greater opportunity for conflict. Opportunity for positive adaptation.

Empty nest: period of life when children have grown up and leave home.

Empty-nest syndrome: a parent who has found her or his meaning in life primarily in the children often experiences a profound sense of loss when children are gone.

Adjustment is gradual.

Adult Children and Adult Children and GrandchildrenGrandchildren

Daughters and daughters-in-law face most pressures.

Best scenario: financially independent generations with separate residences.

Caring for Elderly ParentsCaring for Elderly Parents

FriendshipsFriendships

Friendships play a vital part in happiness and health.

Women in midlife have more friends. Men have more acquaintances. Women maintain family contacts, and

friendships take up where marriages leave off.

The WorkplaceThe Workplace

Job Satisfaction Alienation: a pervasive sense of

powerlessnes, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation and self-estrangement.

The inability to gain a sense of self-actualization in their work.

Older people more satisfied with jobs than younger people.

Job BurnoutJob Burnout

Midlife Career ChangeMidlife Career Change

Half of Americans polled had switched jobs at least once and 43% said a future switch was likely.

Unemployment has adverse effects on physical and mental health

Stages of behavioral and emotional reactions to unemployment:– Shock, relief, relaxation– Concerted effort to find new job– Self-esteem begins to crumble– Resignation and withdrawal; conscious decision to

change careers

Unemployment and Forced Unemployment and Forced Early RetirementEarly Retirement

Dual-Earner CouplesDual-Earner Couples

61% of married couples are dual earners.