Middle Adulthood Personality

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Middle AdulthoodPersonality Sociocultural
Development

• Generativity
• Midlife Crisis
• A Unique Generation
• Marriage/Divorce/Remarriage
• Work Change

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Erik Erikson

• Generativity
• Versus
• Stagnation
• (Self-Absorption)

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GenerativityPeople Act within 3 Domains

• 1- Procreative Domain
• By giving and responding to the needs of the next
  generation
• 2- Productive Domain
• By integrating work with family life and caring
  for the next generation
• 3- Creative Domain
• By contributing to society on a larger scale

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StagnationSelf-Absorption

• People focus on the triviality of their life, and
  feel that they have made only a limited
  contribution to the world.
• People devalue whatever accomplishments they have.

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Robert Peck (1968)7 Issues of Adult Conflict

• Middle Adulthood
• 1- Valuing wisdom vs. valuing physical powers.
• 2- Socializing vs. sexualizing in human
  relationships
• 3- Cathectic (emotional) flexibility vs.
  cathectic impoverishment
• 4- Mental flexibility vs. mental rigidity.

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Robert Peck (1968)7 Issues of Adult Conflict

• Older Adulthood
• 1- Ego differentiation vs. work-role
  preoccupation
• 2- Body transcendence vs. body preoccupation
• 3- Ego transcendence vs. ego preoccupation

7
George Vaillant

• Middle adulthood is keeping the meaning vs.
  rigidity
• Adults seek to extract the meaning from their
  lives by accepting the strengths and weaknesses
  of others.
• Those who are rigid become increasingly isolated
  from others.

8
Daniel Levinson

• Early Adulthood (20s) leaving the family and
  having the dream
• Late 30s men settle down and establish
  themselves moving toward the dream
• Between 40 45 people move into the midlife
  transition or a time of questioning

9
Daniel Levinson

• Between 40 45 people move into the midlife
  transition or a time of questioning
• They focus on finite nature of life
• They realize they will not live forever
• They concentrate on the present
• They begin to doubt the value of their
  accomplishments
• They experience their first signs of aging

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Daniel Levinson

• This period of assessment may lead to a MIDLIFE
  CRISIS, a stage of uncertainty and indecision
  brought about by the realization that life is
  finite.
• Success taking new roles, mentoring younger
  children, and changing careers
• Failure stagnation and decline

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Well-Being in MidlifeCarol Ryff

• 1- Self-Acceptance
• 2- Positive Relations with People
• 3- Autonomy
• 4- Environmental Mastery
• 5- Purpose in Life
• 6- Personal Growth

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• What is your dream?
• Have you accomplished it?
• What are the factors that will help you avoid
  midlife crisis?

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Men and Middle AgeFour General Paths

• 1- Transcendent generative man
• 2- pseudo developed man
• 3- A man in midlife crisis
• 4- Punitive disenchanted man

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Four Types of Midlife WomenTerri Apter (1995)

• 1- Traditional women
• 2- Innovative women
• 3- Expansive women
• 4- Protesters

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Menopause

• Marks the point at which a traditional pregnancy
  is no longer possible.
• Marks the ceasing of menstruation
• The production of estrogen and progesterone begin
  to drop

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Symptoms with the Change in Hormone Production

• Aching joints
• Feeling of dizziness
• Heart palpitations
• Severe distress
• Hot flashes

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Estrogen Replacement TherapyPros
Cons

• Reduces hot flashes
• Reduces loss of skin elasticity
• Decreases the thinning of the bones
• May reduce risk of osteoporosis
• May reduce the risk of stroke and colon cancer
• May slow the mental deterioration in Alzheimers
• Reduces coronary heart disease

• Risk of breast cancer rises
• More incidents of cancer of the uterine lining
• Increases in benign fibroid tumors in the uterus
• Associated with abnormal blood clots

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• Does menopause produce psychological problems?
• Expectations
• Culture

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• Can women get pregnant after menopause?

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Group Activity

• Assign a doctor in each group.
• Discuss the family history of each woman
  regarding
• stroke, heart disease, colon cancer,
  Alzheimers disease, high cholesterol, cancer
  in the uterine lining, breast cancer
• Decide whether these women should go for estrogen
  replacement therapy or not.

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A Unique Generation

• The Kinkeepers
• The Empty Nest Syndrome
• The Sandwich Generation
• Boomerang Children
• Grandparenting

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Three Types of Grandparents

• 1- Involved
• 2- Companionate
• 3- Remote

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Four Symbolic Roles for Grandparents

• 1- Being There
• 2- Family National Guard
• 3- Arbitrator
• 4- Maintaining the Familys Biography

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Satisfaction in Marriage

• The frequent pattern is U-shaped
• Marital satisfaction begins to decline after
  marriage
• It falls to its lowest point following the birth
  of children
• It begins to grow after the children leave
  adolescence
• It reaches its highest when the kids have left
  home

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Myths of Marriage

• Everything will work out fine if we love each
  other.
• Always consider the other person first.
• Emphasize the positive keep criticisms to
  oneself.
• If things go wrong, focus on the future.
• See oneself as a couple first and then as an
  individual.
• Whats mine is yours.
• Marriage makes people happier than they were
  before.
• What is best for the children will be best for us.

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Myths of Divorce

• Because we no longer love each other, nothing can
  work out any more.
• Always consider oneself first.
• Emphasize the negative and criticize everything
• If things go wrong, focus on the past.
• See oneself as an individual first and then as
  part of a couple.
• Whats yours is mine.
• Divorce makes people unhappy.
• What is best for us must be devastating for the
  children

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Divorce

• The breakup of marriage is usually the
  culmination of a long process of emotional
  distancing.
• The final decision is usually done by one
  partner.
• Divorce is usually associated with misconception
  of marriage.
• Divorce is usually conceived as a kind of
  failure.
• Divorced men and women have higher rates of
  alcoholism, physical illness, and depression.
• Divorced men have the highest rate of remarriage.

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Job Change and Stress

• Individuals often react to career loss in ways
  that are similar to the grief response triggered
  by the death of a loved one.
• Shock and disbelief
• Anger and protest
• Bargaining
• Depression

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Job Change and Stress

• Individuals often react to career loss in ways
  that are similar to the grief response triggered
  by the death of a loved one.
• Shock and disbelief
• Anger and protest
• Bargaining
• Depression

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Job Change and Stress

• Job loss is more difficult for middle-aged
  people.
• They may have more identity invested in it/
• They may be the target of age discrimination.
• They may have to take a job that is lower in
  status and pay.

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Job Change and Stress

• Burnout and emotional exhaustion
• Working hard to attain a goal and failing to do
  so.
• Lack of extrinsic or intrinsic reward.
• Being realistic minimizes burn out.

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• Research shows that older workers have less
  absenteeism, hold their jobs longer, are more
  reliable, and more willing to learn new skills.
• Who would you rather hire
• Young adults
• middle-aged adults
• old adults