MIDDLE ADULTHOOD

Chapter 15

Personality and Sociocultural

Development

Middle Adulthood

Personality and Sociocultural

Development

Tasks of middle adulthood

• Erikson

• Generativity vs. Self-Absorption

• People act within three domains:

• Procreative

• Productive

• Creative

Personality Continuity and Change

Studying Generativity in African

American and White U.S. Families

Hart and colleagues

• Scored higher

• Religion

• Role models

• More vigilant

Peck’s Issues of Adult Development

Middle Adulthood

Wisdom vs. Physical Powers

Socializing vs. sexualizing

Flexibility vs. impoverishment

Flexibility vs. rigidity

Older Adulthood

Differentiation vs. Preoccupation

Body Transcendence

vs. Preoccupation

Ego transcendence

vs. Preoccupation

Men and women

• Role strain

• Role conflict

• Reassess

Men

• Work vs. family

Women

• Family vs. work

Personal Reactions to Middle

Adulthood

Generation that runs things

• Realistic present

• Kinkeepers

Relationships with adult children

• Boomerang generation

• Empty nest transition

• Reciprocal relationships

Family and Friends:

Interpersonal Contexts

Young Adults Living with Parents

Relationships With Aging Parents

• Life expectancy

• Death of a parent

• Care for aging parents

• 10% of U.S. parents live with their children

Family and Friends:

Interpersonal Contexts

Life Expectancy for U.S.

Men and Women

Relationship With Aging Parents

Important Roles Played by

Grandparents

Friendship: A Lifelong Perspective

Marriage, divorce and remarriage

Age 40

40%

Second and third marriages

The Changing Family

Divorce and Widowhood in the U.S.

Why middle adulthood couples divorce

Divorce

Coping with life after

divorce

Strategies for Making a Positive Post-

Divorce Adjustment

Stepfamilies

Complex structures

Adjustments

Characterizations of second marriages

Blended families

Factors Physical Health

Physical and Financial

Resources

Specific Skills

Social Support Cognitive

Understanding of Events

Anticipation and

Preparation

Personality Factors

Life History

Factors Influencing Coping When Job

Loss Occurs

Environmental Influences on Mental

Health

Five-Factor Model

• Useful vocabulary

• Widely used

Traits

• Conscientiousness

• Agreeableness

• Neuroticism (Emotional stability)

• Openness to experiences

• Extroversion

Personality Structure

The “Big Five” Personality Factors

Key ideas

• Basic personality

• Key life events

• Agreeableness and conscientiousness

• Emotional stability

• Personality shaped

Personality Structure:

Stability or Change?