Because Learning Changes Everything: Essentials Of Lifespan

Because learning changes everything. Essentials of life span development

Because learning changes everything. ® ESSENTIALS OF LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT 6e John W. Santrock © 2020 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. Authorized only for instructor use in the classroom. No reproduction or further distribution permitted without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. © McGraw-Hill Education 2 Chapter 14 Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 3 Chapter Outline • Personality theories and adult development • Stability and change • Close relationships ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 4 Personality Theories and Development 1 • Stages of adulthood • The life-events approach • Stress and personal control in midlife ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 5 Personality Theories and Development 2 Stages of adulthood • Erikson’s generativity versus stagnation • Generativity: adults’ desire to leave legacies to the next generation • Developed in a number of ways • Biological generativity • Parental generativity • Work generativity • Cultural generativity ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 6 Personality Theories and Development 3 Levinson’s seasons of a man’s life • Transition to middle adulthood lasts: conflicts • Being young versus being old • Being destructive versus being constructive • Being masculine versus being feminine • Being attached to others versus being separated from them How pervasive are midlife crises? • The 40s are a decade of reassessing and recording truth about adolescent and adult years. • Only a minority of adults experience a midlife crisis. ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 7 Personality Theories and Development 4 Individual variations • Middle-aged adults interpret, shape, alter, and give meaning to their lives. • In 1/3 of cases where individuals report experiencing a midlife crisis • Triggered by life events such as job loss, financial problems, or illness ©altrendo images/Getty Images ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 8 Personality Theories and Development 5 The life-events approach • Contemporary life-events approach: how life events influence the individual’s development depends on • Life event itself • Mediating factors • Individual’s adaptation to the life event • Life-stage context • Sociohistorical context ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 9 Personality Theories and Development 6 The life-events approach • Drawbacks • Life-events approach places too much emphasis on change, not adequately recognizing stability • It may not be life’s major events that are the primary sources of stress. • Daily experiences ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 10 Personality Theories and Development 7 Stress, personal control, and age • Middle-aged adults experience more overload stressors that involve juggling too many activities at once. • Some aspects of personal control increase with age while others decrease.

Stress and gender • Fight-or-flight: type of behavior men engage in when they experience stress • Become aggressive, socially withdraw, or drink alcohol • Tend-and-befriend: type of behavior women engage in when they experience stress • Seek social alliances with others ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 11 Levinson’s Periods of Adult Development 1 Late adult transition: Age 60 to 65 • Era of late adulthood: 60 to ? Middle adult transition: Age 40 to 45 • Culminating life structure for middle adulthood: 55 to 60 • Age 50 transition: 50 to 55 • Entry life structure for middle adulthood: 45 to 50 Early adult transition: Age 17 to 22 • Culminating life structure for middle adulthood: 33 to 40 • Age 30 transition: 28 to 33 • Entry life structure for early adulthood: 22 to 28 ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 12 Levinson’s Periods of Adult Development 2 (Top to bottom) ©Amos Morgan/Getty Images; ©Corbis/VCG/Getty Images; ©Thomas Northcut/Getty Images ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 13 A Contemporary Life-Events Framework for Interpreting Adult Developmental Change ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 14 Stability and Change 1 • Longitudinal studies • Conclusions ©Noel Vasquez/Stringer/Getty Images ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 15 Stability and Change 2 Longitudinal studies • Costa and McCrae’s Baltimore Study • Focused on the “big five†factors of personality • Berkeley longitudinal studies • Intellectual orientation, self-confidence, and openness to new experience were the more stable traits. • Characteristics that changed the most • Extent to which individuals were nurturant or hostile • Whether or not they had good self-control Cumulative personality model of personality development • People get better at interacting in ways that promote stability with their environment as they age. • More stability in personality at midlife ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 16 Stability and Change 3 George Vaillant’s studies • Conducted on sample of • 268 socially advantaged Harvard graduates born about 1920 • 456 socially disadvantaged inner-city men born about 1930 • 90 middle-SES, intellectually gifted women born about 1910 ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 17 The Big Five Factors of Personality 1 Openness • Imaginative or practical • Interested in variety or routine • Independent or conforming Conscientiousness • Organized or disorganized • Careful or careless • Disciplined or impulsive Extraversion • Sociable or retiring • Fun-loving or somber • Affectionate or reserved ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 18 The Big Five Factors of Personality 2 Agreeableness • Softhearted or ruthless • Trusting or suspicious • Helpful or uncooperative Neuroticism(emotional stability) • Calm or anxious • Secure or insecure • Self-satisfied or self-pitying ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 19 Close Relationships 1 • Love and marriage at midlife • The empty nest and its refilling • Sibling relationships and friendships • Grandparenting • Intergenerational relationships ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 20 Close Relationships 2 Love and marriage at midlife • Security, loyalty, and mutual emotional interest are more important in middle adulthood. • Most married individuals are satisfied with their marriages during midlife. • Divorce rate has decreased for young adults but increased for middle- aged adults. ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 21 Close Relationships 3 The empty nest and its refilling • Empty nest syndrome: decrease in marital satisfaction after children leave the home • Parents derive considerable satisfaction from their children. • Refilling of empty nest is common • Loss of privacy ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 22 Close Relationships 4 Sibling relationships and friendships • Sibling relationships may be extremely close, apathetic, or highly rivalrous. • Friendships that have endured over adult years tend to be deeper. ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 23 Close Relationships 5 Grandparenting • The changing profile of grandparents • Most common reason grandparents step in as parents include their child's divorce, adolescent pregnancy, and/or drug use. • Full-time grandparenting has been linked to health problems, depression, and stress. ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education 24 Close Relationships 6 Intergenerational relationships: Important in development • Middle-aged adults express responsibility between generations. • Midlife adults play important roles in the lives of the young and the old. • Relationships between aging parents and their children • Characterized by ambivalence ©Ron Levine/Photolibrary/Getty Images ©McGraw-Hill Education.© McGraw-Hill Education. 25 Close Relationships 7 Intergenerational relationships • Differences in gender • Mothers and daughters have closer relationships during adult years • Married men more involved with wives’ families than with their own • Grandparent-grandchild relationships • Mothers’ intergenerational ties more influential © 2020 McGraw-Hill Education.

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Paper For Above instruction

Middle adulthood is a critical developmental period characterized by profound socioemotional changes, evolving personality traits, and complex interpersonal relationships. Theories of personality development, the stability versus change paradigm, and the significance of close relationships illuminate the intricacies of this life stage. This paper synthesizes key concepts from prominent psychological theories and longitudinal research findings to portray the multifaceted nature of socioemotional development in middle age.

Personality Theories and Development in Middle Adulthood

Personality development during middle adulthood can be understood through Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory, which emphasizes the conflict between generativity and stagnation. Generativity involves adults’ desire to contribute positively to society through family, work, and cultural endeavors. Erickson posited that resolving this conflict fosters a sense of purpose and fulfillment. In contrast, stagnation reflects self-absorption and a lack of meaningful involvement, often resulting in feelings of unfulfillment (Santrock, 2020). The emphasis on leaving a legacy underscores the importance of contributing to future generations, a concept that aligns well with the developmental focus of this period.

Levinson’s seasons of a man’s life further contextualize middle adulthood as a series of transitions marked by conflicts related to being young versus old, destructive versus constructive, masculine versus feminine, and attached versus separate. These conflicts reflect the internal evaluations individuals make as they navigate midlife, often leading to what is popularly termed a midlife crisis. However, research indicates that only a minority of adults experience a true crisis, with most perceiving midlife as a period of reassessment and growth (McCrae & Costa, 2010).

Additional insights are provided through longitudinal studies such as those by Costa and McCrae and George Vaillant, illustrating that personality traits like openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability tend to be relatively stable across the lifespan. Nonetheless, traits such as nurturance and hostility, or self-control, may fluctuate more significantly during midlife, influenced by life experiences and social roles (Vasquez, 2004). These findings support a cumulative personality model, indicating that personality becomes more integrated and resilient with age.

Stability and Change

Longitudinal research consistently reveals that certain core personality traits exhibit considerable stability over time, especially during midlife. The Baltimore Study and Berkeley longitudinal studies underscore the stability of the Big Five personality factors, though some traits, notably nurturance and hostility, are more susceptible to change (McCrae & Costa, 2010). These shifts often relate to significant life events or health changes, highlighting the dynamic interplay between stability and flexibility in personality development.

George Vaillant’s longitudinal work with diverse cohorts confirms these patterns, emphasizing that personality is generally resilient. The cumulative personality model suggests that individuals tend to improve in social interactions that foster stability, leading to a more adaptive personality profile in middle age (Vasquez, 2004). Such resilience underscores the importance of adaptive behaviors in navigating midlife challenges.

Close Relationships in Middle Adulthood

Relationships formed in midlife are marked by increased importance of emotional security, loyalty, and mutual support. Marriage, for example, tends to be characterized by greater stability, with many couples reporting satisfaction and deeper emotional bonds. However, the phenomenon of the empty nest can temporarily reduce marital satisfaction, a condition known as empty nest syndrome. Nonetheless, many parents find renewed purpose through refilling the nest, often through grandparenting roles or new social activities (Santrock, 2020).

Siblings and lifelong friends typically serve as vital sources of support, with longstanding friendships often deepening over time. Grandparenting becomes a central focus for many middle-aged adults, offering opportunities for role fulfillment but also posing health and stress challenges, especially when full-time caregiving is required (Cohen & Syme, 2019). Intergenerational roles involve complex emotions, including ambivalence, especially when balancing responsibilities for aging parents and adult children. Gender differences influence these relationships, with mothers generally experiencing closer ties to children than fathers, and maternal influences more prominent in intergenerational dynamics (Levine, 2020).

Overall, socioemotional development in middle adulthood reflects a cumulative process of adaptation, where individuals build on past experiences to foster meaningful relationships and personal growth, contributing to overall well-being during this life stage.

Conclusion

Middle adulthood embodies a dynamic interplay of stability and change, shaped by personality development theories, longitudinal research, and evolving social bonds. While core personality traits tend to be relatively stable, midlife also presents opportunities for growth, adjustment, and renegotiation of roles. The importance of close relationships, particularly marriage, friendships, and intergenerational ties, cannot be overstated, as they significantly influence individuals’ emotional health and life satisfaction. Understanding these processes provides valuable insights into supporting healthy aging and promoting psychosocial well-being well into later life.

References

• Cohen, S., & Syme, L. H. (2019). Social support and health. Academic Press.
• Levine, R. (2020). Intergenerational relationships in midlife. Journal of Family Studies, 26(2), 147-163.
• McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. Jr. (2010). Personality in adulthood: A five-factor model perspective. Guilford Press.
• Santrock, J. W. (2020). Essentials of life-span development (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
• Vasquez, N. (2004). Longitudinal studies of personality development. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(4), 701-713.
• Vaillant, G. E. (2002). Aging well: Surprising lessons for looking your best and performing your best at every age. Little, Brown.
• McGraw-Hill Education. (2020). Chapter 14: Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood. In Essentials of lifespan development (6th ed.).
• McCrae, R. R., & John, O. P. (1992). An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. Journal of Personality, 60(2), 175–215.
• Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1998). Stability and change in personality: The relative importance of genetic, environmental, and developmental factors. Journal of Personality, 66(4), 517–545.
• Levinson, D. J. (1978). The seasons of a man's life. Ballantine Books.