Midlife

1
Midlife

• Ch 12 (pg. 365 393)
• November 26, 2007

2
Today we will discuss

• Midlife (Ch 12)
• Personality
• Intelligence
• Interpersonal Relationships

3
Middle Age A Cultural Construct

• Chronologically
• Longest stage of life
• Years between ages 40 and 65 (text)
• Contextually
• Varies by culture
• Varies from person to person

4
Personality during Midlife

• Ideas about change in personality
• Peoples personalities really dont change.
• Entering new life stages or having life
  transforming experiences radically change us as
  people.
• As we get older, we grow more confident and
  competent.

5
Personality during Midlife1 Personality
doesnt change (much)

• Results from the Big Five (Costa McCrae)
• Design
• Explored 5 broad dimensions of personalityextrave
  rsion, openness, neuroticism, agreeableness and
  conscientiousness
• Results
• Conclusion

6
Personality during Midlife1 Personality
doesnt change (much)

• New Results on Big Five (McCrae et al., 1999)
• Design
• Examine Big Five across adult life span in 5
  cultures
• Participants between 18 and 50
• Results
• Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness over
  time
• Agreeableness and Conscientiousness over time
• Results consistent (on average) across all
  cultures
• Conclusion

7
Personality during Midlife 2 Personality
changes with major events

• Study 1 (McAdams) Major life events
• Design
• Interviewed people about pivotal life events
• Results
• Study 2 (McAdams) Generativity
• Design
• Gave tests of different aspects of Eriksons
  generativity

8
Personality during MidlifeGenerativity vs.
Stagnation

• Eriksons 7th Stage
• Focus shifts outward
• Generativity

• When do not achieve generativity, feel stagnant,
  without a sense of purpose in life

9
Personality during Midlife 2 Personality
changes with major events

• Study 1 (McAdams) Major life events
• Design
• Interviewed people about pivotal life events
• Results
• Study 2 (McAdams) Generativity
• Design
• Gave tests of different aspects of Eriksons
  generativity.
• Results

10
Personality during Midlife 3 We gradually get
more mature with age

• Valiant, 1977
• People over age 35 used more mature defense
  mechanisms
• Mitchell Helson, 1990
• In a longitudinal study, women reported getting
  more self confident in midlife and that the 50s
  was their prime of life
• Women who were relatively mature in their 20s
  tended to grow most with age

11
Identity during MidlifeIs there a Midlife
Crisis?

• Conceptualized as a crisis of identity
• Stressful period triggered by review and
  reevaluation of ones life
• Awareness of mortality
• Extensive research fails to support the reality
  of a midlife crisis as a normative experience

12
Identity during MidlifeMidlife as a Transition

• May be stressful, but no more so than some events
  of young adulthood
• Midlife review
• Introspective review and reappraisal of values
  and priorities
• Whether or not this develops into a crisis
  depends less on age and more on individual factors

13
Intelligence during Midlife

• Early findings
• Verbal scores stayed more stable
• Performance scores dramatically declined
  beginning in the 20s
• Conclusion
• Problem
• Cross-sectional design
• Why is this a problem?

14
Intelligence during MidlifeThe Seattle
Longitudinal Study (Schaie)

• Design
• Cross-sequential design
• Measured 5 basic cognitive abilities
• Results
• Overall intelligence peaks in the late 40s and
  early 50s.
• Age patterns differ for different tests
• Fluid intelligence
• Crystallized intelligence
• Conclusion

15
Interpersonal Relationshipsduring Midlife

• Ties with family of origin tend to recede in
  young adulthood
• In midlife this may change as individuals begin
  to care for aging parents
• Also, new relationship begins for some

16
Interpersonal RelationshipsRelationships with
Aging Parents

• Usually close and affectionate
• Frequent contact, mutual help
• Filial maturity
• learn to accept and meet aging parents dependency
  needs
• Balancing help with autonomy

17
Interpersonal RelationshipsCaring for Aging
Parents

• Sandwich generation
• Competing need to raise or launch children and to
  care for elderly parents
• Intergenerational solidarity
• Caregiver burnout
• Physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that
  affects adults who care for aged relatives
• Strains can lead to abuse, neglect, or even
  abandonment
• Important Families and friends should recognize
  that caregivers have a right to feel discouraged,
  frustrated, and put upon. Community support
  groups may reduce the strains and burdens of
  caregiving

18
Next class we will discuss

• Later Life Physical Development (Ch 14)