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Adolescent/Adult Development
Middle Adulthood: Psychosocial Development – Ch. 22
Apr 16-19, 2010Class #35-36
Personality Throughout Adulthood
Personality is a major source of continuity provides coherence and identity
The Big Five
Several researchers have found evidence for the existence of five basic dimensions of personality through factor analysis
5 factors are independent of one another
Everyone can be placed along a continuum for all 5 factors/traits
The Big Five
Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Emotionality (also referred to as
Neuroticism) Intellect (also referred to as
Openness)
What researchers say…
From a review of literature the following are some of the important characteristics of the five factors: The factors are dimensions, not types, so
people vary continuously on them, with most people falling in between the extremes
The factors are stable over a 45-year period beginning in young adulthood
The factors and their specific facets appear heritable
The factors are considered universal Knowing one's placement on the factors is
useful for insight and improvement through therapy
What Are These Five Factors?
Extraversion Bold versus timid Outgoing versus introverted Talkative versus silent
Agreeableness Friendliness versus indifference to others A docile versus hostile nature Compliance versus hostile noncompliance
Conscientiousness Responsible versus irresponsible Hardworking versus lazy Cautious versus rash
What Are These Five Factors?
Neuroticism Adjustment versus anxiety Level of Emotional stability Dependence vs. independence
Openness Reflection of an inquiring intellect Flexibility versus conformity Rebelliousness versus Subduedness
Environment generally reinforces basic temperament significant changes can make people act
differently death of a spouse, divorce, illness, career change,
etc.
Developmental Changes in Personality
Gender Convergence
Gender convergence—a tendency for men and women to become more similar as they move through middle age
Gender crossover—the idea that each sex takes on the other sex’s roles and traits in later life.
Gender Convergence
These ideas are partly biosocial, “shadow side,” and cultural Barnett and Hyde (2001) believe that this
change is historically-based the past century witnessed changes every decade
and gender roles changed today’ middle-aged generation is probably less
likely to converge since male-female differences in personality less apparent
The “Midlife Crisis”
A period of unusual anxiety, radical reexamination, and sudden transformation widely associated with middle age, but probably more related to developmental history than to chronological age
The “Midlife Crisis”
The idea was promoted by Sheehy (1976) and Levinson (1978), but no large study has found such a crisis
Family is most important support system If one’s own family is not doing that job,
“fictive kin” may be found treated as family by this group
Social convoy—group of people who form relationships with an individual through which they guide and socialize that person as he or she moves through life
Family Relationships in Midlife
Partners
Having an intimate relationship is a source of happiness, comfort, and self-respect; for 70 percent of middle-aged Americans, this achieved with a spouse
For some divorced, widowed, or never-married middle-aged adults, intimacy may be achieved by cohabitation
Marital Happiness
Not all people are in good/happy relationships relationship may be destructive but worldwide, spouse abuse far more
common among younger married couples than among middle-aged spouses
Marital Happiness
Often regain some of closeness of early marriage less stress from kids higher incomes more time together
Studies in various cultures show that marital happiness in midlife is true
In general, marriage relationships likely to get better over time
Divorce and Remarriage
Not all couples become closer after years of marriage, divorce has more impact
reduces income, weakens family ties when long-terms social bonds especially needed
Most divorced remarry within 5 years Remarriage offers benefits to both men and
women Second marriages end in divorce more often
than first marriages do
Marriage is likely to benefit middle-aged adults
Middle-aged women are at a disadvantage for marrying, remarrying beginning at aged 45, there are more
women than men men tend to marry younger women
The Marriage Market for Middle-Aged Adults
Kinkeeper—the person who takes primary responsibility for celebrating family achievements, gathering the family together, and keeping in touch with family members who live far away most likely to be middle-aged most are women, but men also can take the
role
Other Relatives
Aging Parents
Relationship with Parents improves with time
Familism—the idea that family members support one another because family unity is more important than individual freedom and success stronger with ethnic minorities
Siblings
Siblings often become closer to each other in the second half of life than in early adulthood
They help one another with problems with teenage children, stressful marriages, and family contacts
Siblings
Childhood Echoes—the relationship in middle and late adulthood is influenced by family values instilled in childhood closeness can also be affected by
childhood rivalries, but these may be put aside at this point
Adult Children
Relationship with Children improves with maturity of children
Seven-nation survey: 75 percent of middle- aged parents communicated with adult children several times a week
Adult Children
Forms of Parental Support monetary various services like babysitting
Some children return home, referred to as “swollen nest”
Young adult children less likely to leave home, especially if parents in good health and they themselves are financially needy
Grandchildren
Personality, ethnicity, national background, and past parent-child relationship affect nature of grandparent-grandchild relationship as does child’s age and personality
Bond closer if grandchild young parent is first to have children grandparent neither too young nor too old to
spend time/energy interacting
Remote grandparents—respected and loved emotionally distant grandparents
Involved grandparents—active in day to day life, live near, see often
Companionate grandparents—independent, with own lifestyle and household, choose how generational interaction occurs
Most grandparents want to be companions
Types of Grandparents
Immigrant Grandparents
Happily become involved, especially when all speak a common language
Often live in the same household Children seem to develop better when
they are cherished and guided by a large family
Surrogate Parents
Surrogate parents—grandparents who take over the raising of their grandchildren as a result of their adult children’s extreme social problems if parents too poor, too young, drug or alcohol
addicted, single, newly divorced, then— possibility of surrogate parenting increases
Surrogate Parents
Grandparents furnish stability, guidance, and patience
Responsibility takes a toll if it lasts too long can impair health and well-being
More than one in three grandparents witness divorce of an adult child
Grandparents typically provide extra help when their newly divorced child receives custody of children
If their adult child does not have custody, they may be shut out grandparents in such situations may sue for
visitation rights
After Adult Children Divorce
90 percent of men and 75 percent of women in the United States are employed
Worldwide, work is a welcome part of life Most jobs provide more joy than stress
Work in Middle Adulthood
Overall Trends
Meaningful work becomes more important as an individual ages salary and benefits tend to rise with seniority lower rates of
absenteeism being fired or quitting seeking a new job
Many middle aged workers have worked for the same employer for more than five years
There may be unexpected job loss as a result of downsizing and restructuring or relocation of company
Dealing with Job Stress
Some people addicted to long hours and hard work, or “workaholism”
Both men and women are physically and psychologically healthier if they have multiple roles
Stress in one area of life can be relieved by support from other areas
Scaling Back
Begin to deliberately balance work life with other concerns Place limits on work hours or responsibilities
One partner may work part-time or at a less critical and lower paying job Or partners may take turns; one focuses on
employment, the other on child care
Rethinking and shifting toward retirement