Life in the Middle:
Understanding Development in
Middle Adulthood
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You can’t help getting older, but
you don’t have to get old.
George Burns
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Family Life Cycle Development
Childhood
Later
Early
Adulthood
Adulthood
Middle
Adulthood
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Erikson
Erikson believed that “each
stage of life is associated
with a specific psychological
struggle, a struggle that
contributes to a major
aspect of personality.”
Generativity vs. Stagnation
(middle adulthood)
 Develops an interest in
giving back to the next
generation, leading and
guiding
 May include parenting
to achieve this
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Levinson
 States that the life course goes through a
sequence of definable stages (seasons); none
more important than another
 Change goes on in each season
 Each season is colored by the ones before
 Each shift requires a transition
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Physical Changes in Middle
Adulthood
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Elements of Physical Development
Changes in physical development
 Sensory – vision, hearing, smell, taste and
touch
 Muscle ability
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Elements of Physical Development
 Wellness
 Life expectancy change
 Energy levels
 Weight gain
 Exercise
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Nutrition and Wellness
• Eat many different colors and types of vegetables and
fruits.
• Make sure at least half of the grains are whole grains.
• Eat only small amounts of solid fats and foods with
added sugars.
• Eat seafood twice a week.
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Cognitive Development
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Horn
 Some types of intelligence decline, but others do not
 Some individuals decline, but others do not
 The type of decline that happens to everyone
happens very late in life
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Crystalized Intelligence
Crystalized intelligence demonstrates the cumulative
effect of culture and learning of task performance and
is measured by tests of verbal ability and cultural
knowledge; a store of knowledge from the surrounding
culture.
Crystalized intelligence
(click on link)
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Fluid Intelligence
Fluid intelligence depends on the proper functioning of
the nervous system. It is measured by tasks that show
age-related declines (speeded tasks, tests of reaction
time); on-the-spot reasoning ability.
Fluid Intelligence
(click on link)
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Preventing Memory Loss
Preventing Memory Loss
(click on link)
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Societal Changes
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Societal Changes
 Abrupt shift in jobs (the buggy whip situation)
 No longer staying in the same job
until retirement
 Advances in technology have created changes in
employment status / retention
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Societal Changes
 What it costs to live in today’s world; increasing
financial demands of “normal living”
 Technology – continued learning, finances and/or
stress
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Top Jobs Threatened by Technology
Jobs Threatened by Technology
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Societal Changes
 Escalation of drug use has nearly tripled among
50-59 year old adults since 2002.
 A new survey finds that adults aged 45 and over
are more than three times as likely to drink alcohol
almost every day as those under 45.
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Societal Cultural Shift
 Lessening impact of religion and “the church”
 Shift in schools from authoritarian entities
 Mobile society
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Societal Cultural Shift
Technology Timeline; 1920s to Present
(click on link)
20’s
50’s
80’s
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2000’s
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Family and Social Relationships
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Family and Social Relationships
Living with Integrity: The Sandwich Generation
The Sandwich Generation
(click on links)
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Relationships
Grandparents as Parents
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Relationships
Adult children who move back home are
often referred to as boomerang children
Boomerangers and Kidults
(click on link)
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Relationships
Social media
Facebook
Twitter
MySpace
Pinterest
Instagram
Others?
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In conclusion…
It’s a new and changing world. Middle
adulthood offers many challenges, including
physical and cognitive changes as well as
societal and cultural changes that must be
coped with. Even relationships are different in
middle adulthood.
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Questions?
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Resources
Journals:
 American Psychological Association. (2014). Daniel Levinson biography.
https://vivo.apa.org/display/n8724
 Levinson, D. (1986). A conception of adult development. American
Psychologist. Vol. 41, No. 1, 3-13. January.
Textbooks:
 Dacey, J. , Travers, J. and Fiore, L. (2009). Human development across the
lifespan. (7th). Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill
 Santrock, J. (1997). Life-span development. (6th). New York, NY: McGrawHill.
 Welch, K. (2012). Family life now. 2nd. New York, NY: Allyn & Bacon.
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Resources
Websites:
 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
Free Online Brain Games
http://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/brain_games.html
 Colorado State University Extension Office
Grandparents: As parents.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/consumer/10241.html
 Harvard Health Publications
Preventing memory loss: Seven preventative steps.
www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Preventing_memory_loss.htm
 Huffington Post
40 Signs You Are Middle Aged.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/28/middle-age_n_3830194.html
 Middleage.org.
Definition-When or What is Middle Age?
www.middlege.org/definition.shtml
 Study Mode
Human Growth and Development – Daniel Levinson. Daniel flash cards and quizzes.
http://www.cram.com/flashcards/human-growth-development-daniel-levinson-821338 – flash cards
http://www.cram.com/flashcards/games/human-growth-development-daniel-levinson-821338 –
games
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Resources
Websites:
 The University of Alberta’s Cognitive Science Dictionary
Crystalized Intelligence. Contributed by Cassie Jacknicke, November 24, 1995.
http://penta.ufrgs.br/edu/telelab/3/control.htm
 The University of Alberta’s Cognitive Science Dictionary
Fluid Intelligence. Cassie Jacknicke, November 24, 1995.
http://penta.ufrgs.br/edu/telelab/3/fluid_in.htm
YouTube™:
 Progression
Best Time-lapse video shows little girl growing into an old woman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzskiJxcGT8
 Sandwich Generation
Living with Integrity: The Sandwich Generation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoLgfRNW124
 Technology Timeline; 1920s to Present
From The Invention of Television to the Advent of Advertising, From the First Computers to the
Internet… the Convergence of Turning Television into Computers. This is a 20 minute video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXewcY6l_VA
 The Sandwich Generation
The Sandwich Generation, those caught between their aging parents and young children, includes
some 20 million Americans.
 http://youtu.be/YhXrHD7qWDk8k0
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