Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Chapter 16 Emotional and Social Development in Middle Adulthood

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Emotional and Social Develop- ment in Middle Adulthood I.Theories of Midlife Development A.Erikson: Generativity vs. Stagnation B.Levinson’s Seasons of Life: Four tasks of midlife development C.Vaillant: gradual transition to middle adulthood D.Is there a midlife crisis? II.Stability and Change in Self-Concept A.Possible Selves B.Self-Acceptance: is Middle Age the “Prime of Life”? C.Coping with Daily Stressors III.The Big Five Personality Traits A.Personality profiles B.Changes over time IV.Relationships in Midlife A.Grandparenthood B.The sandwich generation V.Vocational life A.Job satisfaction B.Career Development C.Planning for Retirement

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Generativity  Reaching out to others in ways that give to and guide the next generation  Extending commitment beyond self and partner  May be realized through parenting or other family, work, and mentoring relationships Stagnation  Self-centered, self- indulgent, self-absorbed  Lack of interest in young people  Focus on what one can get from others, not what one can give  Little interest in being productive at work or developing talents Erikson’s Theory: Generativity vs. Stagnation

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Aging, Generativity, and Self- Perceptions of Women Figure 16.1 Self-ratings of 300 women (Adapted from Stewart, Ostrove, & Helson, 2001.)

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Well-adjusted:  low in anxiety, depression  high in autonomy, self-acceptance, life satisfaction Highly Generative Adults © Anneka/Shutterstock

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Levinson’s Four Tasks of Middle Adulthood Young–Old Seek new ways of being both young and old Destruction– Creation Acknowledge past hurtful acts, try to leave legacy for future generations Masculinity– Femininity Balance masculine and feminine parts of self Engagement– Separateness Balance engagement with and separateness from external world

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  “Keepers of meaning”: older people as guardians of their culture  “Passing the torch” to next generation  Focus on longer-term, less-personal goals © Blaj Gabriel/Shutterstock Vaillant’s View of Midlife

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Levinson reported that most of his sample had substantial inner turmoil (and presumably a major restructuring of personality during the transition to middle adulthood, due to concerns about aging. How common is this?  Vaillant describes a more gradual transition. Is There a Midlife Crisis?

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  “Midlife Development in the United States”  3, year-olds  What were the “turning points” in your life?  About ¼ thought they had had a midlife crisis, but many cited life changes that were unrelated to aging (such as work-related life changes).  Conclusion: less than ¼ of sample had had a true midlife crisis as defined by the researchers. Is There a Midlife Crisis? The MIDAS Study

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  What one hopes to become or fears becoming  Become fewer in number, more modest and concrete with age  Rely more on temporal than on social comparisons  Can be redefined by the individual, permitting affirmation of the self  Play protective role in self-esteem Possible Selves

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Good health and exercise  Sense of control and personal life investment  Positive social relationships  Good marriage  Mastery of multiple roles © michaeljung/Shutterstock Factors in Midlife Psychological Well-Being

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Effective coping strategies:  identifying positives  postponing action while evaluating alternatives  Personality changes that support coping:  complex, integrated, coherent self-descriptions, blending strengths and weaknesses  gains in emotional stability and confidence Coping Improvements in Middle Adulthood

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Women increase in “masculine” traits  Men increase in “feminine” traits  Theories:  parental imperative  (controversial) © Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Gender Identity in Middle Adulthood

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Big Five Personality Traits Roberts, B. and Hill, P. “Examining Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations Between Personality Traits and Social Well-Being in Adulthood”

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Changes in Big Five Personality Traits with Age  Basic, enduring individual dispositions persist  Changes occur in overall organization and integration of personality:  agreeableness and conscientiousness increase  neuroticism declines  extroversion and openness to experience remain the same or decrease slightly

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Often, more close relationships than in any other period:  ties to both older and younger generations  well-established friendships  For many people, a liberating time:  sense of completion  opportunity to strengthen social ties, rekindle interests © bikeriderlondon/Shutterstock Relationships at Midlife

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Middle-aged households typically well off compared with other age groups  Contemporary view of midlife marriage: expansion, new horizons  Need for review and adjustment of marital relationship  Marital satisfaction predicts psychological well-being © bikeriderlondon/Shutterstock Marriage in Middle Adulthood

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Rate for U.S. 50- to 65-year-olds has doubled over past 20 years  Midlifers adjust more easily than young adults:  practical problem solving  effective coping strategies  Contributes to feminization of poverty Divorce in Midlife

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  On average, begins in early fifties; can spend one-third of life as a grandparent  Significant milestone for most  Grandparenting styles influenced by proximity, age, gender, SES, ethnicity  Trends in grandparenting:  extended-family household  skipped-generation family  response to divorce of grandchildren’s parents Grandparenthood © Olesia Bilkei/Shutterstock

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  “Sandwich generation”  Factors include finances, location, gender, culture  Highly stressful:  time devoted to care averages 10 to 20 hours per week, more for women  emotional strain of witnessing parent’s decline  greatest stress for those sharing a household with ill parent Caring for Aging Parents

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Baby Boomers Caring for Aging Parents Figure 16.2 (Adapted from The MetLife Study of Caregiving Costs to Working Caregivers: Double Jeopardy for Baby Boomers Caring for Their Parents, June 2011, Figure 3. Reprinted by permission of the MetLife Mature Market Institute, New York, NY.)

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Contact and support decline because of demands of diverse roles  Still, siblings often feel closer, often in response to major life events © Blend Images/Shutterstock Siblings in Middle Adulthood

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Gender trends continue: men are less expressive than women  Fewer friends: become more selective, try harder to get along with friends  Many midlifers have discovered Facebook. Friendships in Middle Adulthood

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Important component of satisfaction and self-esteem:  attempt to increase personal meaning of vocational lives  increased job satisfaction, especially for men and for white-collar jobs; less for women and blue collar jobs  Intrinsic rewards of the job become more important with age.  Negative stereotypes of aging may hinder advancement such as denial of retraining. Vocational Life

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk  Invisible barrier to career advancement for women and minorities  Results from  lack of mentors, training opportunities  stereotypes about career commitment, managerial ability  prejudices toward gender role deviation (for women)  Many women deal with glass ceiling by leaving corporate environment The Glass Ceiling

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Ingredients of Effective Retirement Planning  Finances  Fitness  Role adjustment  After retirement, plans for active life is more important to happiness than financial planning. © bikeriderlondon/Shutterstock

Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Exploring Lifespan Development Third Edition  Laura E. Berk Readers may view, browse, and/or download material for temporary copying purposes only, provided these uses are for noncommercial personal purposes. Except as provided by law, this material may not be further reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, adapted, performed, displayed, published, or sold in whole or in part, without prior written permission from the publisher.