Describe what Erikson meant by “generativity” and “stagnation.” What do these look like
in middle adulthood?
generativity: adults’ desire to leave legacies of themselves to the next generation
1. biological: legacy through offspring
2. parental: guiding children
3. work: developing skills and values to pass down to others
4. cultural: create, renovate, or conserve aspect of culture that is passed down
stagnation: develops when individuals sense they have done little or nothing for the next
generation
Summarize Levinson’s periods of adult development, including age ranges and defining
features.
22-28: entry life structure for early adulthood
- determine goals
early adult transition: age 17 to 22
- novice phase of adult development → free experimentation
22-28: entry life structure for early adulthood
- determine goals
28-30: age 30 transition
- focus more on family + career development
- BOOM (Becoming One’s Own Man)
33-40: culminating life structure for early adulthood
- 40: reached a stable location in his career
middle adult transition: age 40 to 45
- being young vs. being old
- being destructive vs. being constructive
- being masculine vs. being feminine
- being attached to others vs. being separated from them
- Are midlife crises a thing? Support your answer with research.
only a minority of adults experience a midlife crisis
- Levinson views midlife as a crisis
- Vaillant (“Grant Study) views it as a minority
more attributed to negative life events than age
emotional instability of individuals did not significantly increase during middle-aged years in a
longitudinal study
Discuss why stage theories are problematic, especially for adulthood. How does the
contemporary life-events approach attempt to deal with this?
stage theories put too much emphasis on development crises (ex. midlife crises)
individual and unique experience ! and variation !
contemporary life-events: how life events influence individual development does not depend
only on the life event itself but also on mediating factors, adaptation, life-stage context, and
sociohistorical context
focuses more on change
- does not focus on stability + daily hassles / everyday stressors vs. actual huge life events
- How does personal control change over the course of adulthood?
more “overload” stressors → too many commitments / activities at once
less physically reactive, but slight increase in psychological distress
decrease in sense of personal control with other aspects (ex. children, sex life), but increase in
other areas compared to younger adults (ex. finances, work, marriage)
Describe contrasting strategies men and women tend to use in the face of stress.
women are more vulnerable to social stressors + seek help
- tend-and-befriend: likely type of behavior for women, seek social alliances with others
men do fight-or-flight: become aggressive, socially withdraw, or drink alcohol (??? help)
- According to Vaillant’s research, what factors at age 50 are associated with being “happy-
well” in late adulthood?
are not heavy smokers
2. do not abuse alcohol
3. have a stable marriage
4. have good coping skills
- What aspects of love relationships tend to be most important during middle adulthood?
How does this compare to early adulthood?
security, loyalty, and mutual emotional interest = most important !
engage in mutual activities and enjoy good health together
however, divorce rate increases (???????) in middle adulthood
10.Name the primary reasons that middle-aged and older women, and men, seek divorce.
mature = perils of divorce are fewer and less intense (more resources, disposing of
possessions, etc.)
women who initiated a divorce → self growth and optimism
66% of women initiated divorce vs. 41% of men who did
women: verbal, physical + emotional abuse, alcohol / drug abuse, cheating
men: fell out of love, cheating, different values / lifestyles
11.What does research say about the “empty nest syndrome?” In general, how do parents
react when their children leave home? What about if they return?
empty nest syndrome: decrease in marital satisfaction after children leave the home
- for most parents, marital satisfaction increases in the years after child rearing has ended
- quality of time spent together > quantity
“permaparenting”: where parents don’t let go of their young adult children when they should
- impede children’s movement toward independence and responsibility
“helicopter parents”: hover too closely to ensure children’s success → slow process of becoming
responsible
“lawn mower parent”: prevent child from experiencing adversity, stress, or failure → children
don’t know how to cope with such experiences
12.Summarize research on sibling relationships and friendships in adulthood.
extremely close, apathetic, or highly rivalrous
- majority in adulthood = close, often provide practical and emotional support
- more likely to develop depression with poor sibling relationships
friendships that have endured = tend to be deeper
13.Discuss various roles grandparents can play, including that of full-time caregiver. Why
does this happen, and how do they fare?
- formal: proper + prescribed role, showed interest in grandchildren but did not give child-
rearing advice - distant: benevolent but action was infrequent
- fun-seeking: informal and playful
play important roles in grandchildren’s lives when family crises occur
- step in as parents are involved in divorce, adolescent pregnancy, or drug use
- full-time grandparenting → health problems, depression, and stress
facilitate women’s participation in the labor force by providing child care
14.What is meant by the “sandwich generation?” How do adult relationships vary among
mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons?
“sandwich generation”: middle adults who are responsible for both their children and caring for
their elderly parents
Big Five Traits
the Big Five: openness to experience (open-mindedness), conscientiousness (control),
extraversion (social skills), agreeableness (connection to others), and neuroticism (emotional
stability)
personality changed most during early adulthood
How does extraversion change over adulthood?
- extraversion was complex and had to be subdivided
How does dominance change over adulthood?
- dominance increased (adolescence → middle adulthood)
How does vitality change over adolescence and adulthood
- vitality increased in adolescence and decreased in early / late adulthood
How does agreeableness and conscientiouness change in adulthood?
- agreeableness + conscientiousness increased in early + middle adulthood
How does neuroticism change in adulthood?
- neuroticism decreased in early adulthood
