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Adapted from Arnett’s Human Development: A Cultural Approach, 1 st Edition
 What changes do people undergo during middle adulthood?
 What are the “good things” that are associated with middle age?
 What is generativity?
 What is a major risk associated with the sandwich generation?

Information Processing in Middle Adulthood
Speed, Attention, and Memory
 Perceptual speed declines in middle adulthood
 Decline in ability to focus attention
 Disregard the irrelevant information
 Decline in ability for divided attention

 Two kinds of intelligence
 Fluid intelligence—information processing, discerning relations and processing speed
 Crystallized intelligence—accumulation of knowledge
 Fluid intelligence rises and declines
 _____________________________
 Not a large decline in memory tasks

 _____________________________
 Experience important
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Allows for efficient processing of information
Leads to automaticity
A form of crystallized intelligence

 Self-Development peaks:
 Self-acceptance favorable
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Identity seems more favorable
Increased autonomy
 Collectivist cultures
 May emphasize relations to others more than self-development

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Midlife sees a decline in restrictive gender roles
 India—Middle adulthood women gain position in the family and in religious matters
In many cultures women in midlife are still deemed unattractive
Cultures vary in women achieving status and authority

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More opportunity but still not equal
High status tradeoff
 Could cause frustration as women have to sacrifice family goals for status
Men more flexible in midlife
Marital roles more egalitarian but women still do bulk of household chores

 Mid-life parents have young adult or emerging adulthood children
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Unmarried adult children at home tend to be welcomed—Southern Europe and
Japan
Adult children leaving the home is both sad and happy time—Northern Europe,
U.S., UK
 Returning home positive if there are goals
 Parents still provide financial support

 Becoming a grandparent is a new role
 Daily household chores including childcare
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Involvement influenced by distance, and relationship with in-laws
Daughter-in-law relationship important
Grandmothers tend to be more involved
Role tends to be enjoyed

 Erikson’s theory—Generativity versus Stagnation
 Generativity is the motivation to contribute to the well-being of future generations
 Parenting, mentorship, tutoring

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Jung credited with coining the term mid-life crisis
Levinson and Jung believed it a time of feeling confusion and turmoil
Research has failed to find consistent evidence of a midlife crisis
Negative life events can occur but not specific to middle adulthood

 Personality largely remains stable by some measurements
 Some changes may occur throughout the lifespan