1. Chapter 12
Midlife
Robin Lee, Middle Tennessee State University

2. Midlife
Midlife is the life stage
from 40s to 60s

3. Erikson: Generativity vs stagnation
Generativity: being productive, on the job, at home (parenting), and in activities (hobbies, pastimes), or
Stagnation: feeling at a dead end, no sense of purpose in life.

4. Post-formal thought (Labouvie-Vief)
Is there an adult stage of Piaget’s theory?
Piaget’s last stage, formal operations, ended at adolescence
Post–formal thought (adults)
Adult intelligence open to different perspectives, decisions based on feelings, creative expression, open to exploring new areas and interests.

5. The “Big 5” Latest personality theory
Emotional stability: Stable, normal mental health Extraversion: Warm, outgoing, sociable, Openness (to experience): Seeks new eperiences, sometimes assumes risks Conscientiousness: Industrious, reliable, hard working, disciplined Agreeableness: Kind, empathic, willing to compromise, easy to get along with

6. Seattle Longitudinal Study
Combined cross-sectional and longitudinal research methods
Intelligence peaks in late 40s and 50s then gradually declines
Performance subtests on the WAIS IQ test decline more than verbal tests from age 20 to 50

7. Fluid and crystallized intelligence
Crystallized intelligence: Accumulated over the life span, increases with age, begins to fall in 60s
Fluid intelligence: ability to reason quickly in new intellectual tasks. Begins to decline in early adulthood.

8. Peak career performance
Peak career performance is during midlife

9. Aspects of aging
Selective optimization with compensation Sandwich generation Elderhostel Caregiving grandparents

10. Sex and age Menopause Female sexual dysfunction
Male erectile dysfunction