Chapter Sixteen
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Believed major psychological challenge of
the middle years is generativity versus
stagnation
Generativity — ability to generate or
produce; based on instinctual drive toward
procreativity (bearing and rearing children)
Stagnation — rejection of generativity drive
can result in a life stripped of meaning and
purpose
Generativity can consist of parenting one’s
own children, helping others with their
children, being engaged in projects that will
influence future generations
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Midlife transition — the years from 40 to
45; psychological shift into middle
adulthood often accompanied by a crisis
during which people fear they have more to
look back upon than forward to
Midlife crisis — time of dramatic self-doubt
and anxiety during which people sense the
passing of their youth and become
preoccupied with concern about the
imminence of their own mortality; may be
imposed from external factors such as work
downsizing, menopause, your child leaving
the nest, or death of a parent or friend
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Midlife usually identified around age 35 for
women and age 40 for men; women reach it
about five years earlier mostly due to
reproductive awareness
Due to unrealized dreams, life losses
psychotherapy during this time should not
be overlooked
Midlife can be prime of life if the person has
continued to develop in their area of
expertise or interest; there is little loss of
intelligence
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Middle-aged adults, especially professionals,
are often earning more money than young
adults; tend to be geographically and
vocationally settled; most have built systems of
social support and my be involved in endearing
romantic and social relationships as well as
have children
Flip side of middle adulthood is overwhelming
responsibility of taking care of your own family,
helping with your aging parents and remaining
in the workplace all at once
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Life-events approach focuses on the particular
challenges that are likely to face people at this
time of life rather than focus on phases or
stages
Stressful life events in middle adulthood may
consist of: death of a spouse, child, parent or
sibling; changes in health; caring for one’s
parents; financial difficulties; concern about
one’s appearance, weight or aging; moving;
change in employment; changes in
relationships; changes in responsibilities at
work
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Many middle-aged women do not
experience “empty nest syndrome” and take
advantage of their new time by being in the
workplace and finding life satisfaction in
other activities besides childrearing and
homemaking
Supportive social network, positive attitude
and a sense of control help to mitigate the
effects of stress
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Personalities tend to mature rather than be
shaped by environmental conditions,
expression of personality traits is
influenced by culture
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The “big five” personality traits tend to
show stability over time
Some trends of group personality changes
over the years, but introverted tend to
remain introverted, extroverted tend to
remain extroverted
Neuroticism declines over time;
agreeableness and conscientiousness
increase over time; extraversion and
openness to new experience declines
slightly over time
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Parents are stressed when adolescents do
not exerts self-control and have to direct
them in multiple areas of their life
Children who are young adults may still be
financially reliant upon their parents; some
still live at home; parents balance between
staying in touch with the young adult and
interfering with their life choices
Living at home as a young adult differs
according to culture as well as location
Married children present new family
members (in-laws) who may or may not
enrich their parents’ lives
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Grandparents have to balance interfering
with possibly neglecting their grandchildren
Having grandchildren is viewed as a positive
life event
Grandparents spend a higher proportion of
their time with their grandchildren in
recreational and educational activities
Grandchildren tend to spend more time
with their grandmothers than with their
grandfathers all the way through
adolescence
Grandchildren tend to be more involved
with maternal grandparents than paternal
grandparents
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Grandparents tend to have resources such
as trips available for grandchildren, but
parents do the caretaking
Grandparents have less influence on their
grandchildren when they live with them;
conflict between adult children and
grandparents ensue over parenting
Some grandparents end up the custodial
parent to their grandchildren; changes the
lifestyle of the middle adult and places
emotional challenges as well as balancing
issues
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Most elderly parents live near one of their
middle-aged children
Most burden of taking care of the elderly
parents falls on the middle-aged daughter
Sandwich generation refers to middle-aged
daughter taking care of her own children
and/or grandchildren as well as her ageing
parents
Middle-aged female may also be working
causing more stress; if lucky she will have a
sibling living near by to help out
There are cultural differences in who, how
and where elderly parents live and reside
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Most people in middle adulthood have at
least one living sibling
Nature of sibling relationships reflect the
childhood relationship
Some sibling relationships get better as
they take care of ageing parents together
On the other hand, sibling relationship may
suffer if only one of the siblings is taking
care of the elderly parent
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Adults in middle adulthood tend to have a
lower number of friends
Middle-aged adults place value on the
friends they do have
Their friends tend to mirror them in
interests, activities and years of mutual
experiences
Male friends tend to be more competitive
and less likely to be intimate than female
friends
Loss of a friend is felt very deeply