Middle Adulthood Flashcards
(25 cards)
Generativity vs. Stagnation
Reaching out to others in a way that gives to and guides the next generation
Stagnation
Self-centered, self-indulgent, self-absorbed
Levinson’s Four Tasks of Middle Adulthood
- young-old
- destruction-Creation
- Masculinity-Femininity
- Engagement- Separateness
Young-old
Seek new ways of being both young and old
Destruction-Creation
Acknowledge past hurtful acts, try to leave legacy for future generations
Masculinity-Femininity
Balance masculine and feminine parts of self
Engagement-Separateness
Balance engagement with and separateness from external world
Vaillant’s View of Midlife
- “keepers of meaning”: older people as guardians of their culture
- “Passing the torch” to next generation
- Focus on longer-term, less-personal goals
Physical Development in Middle Adulthood
- Vision
- Hearing
- Skin
- Skeletal
- Women-menopause
- Men-reproductive changes
- Sexuality
Leading causes of death in midlife, united states
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Unintentional Injury
Longitudinal Trends in Mental Abilities
- Which one stays the most stable? - Verbal Ability
- Which one shows the most decline? - Perceptual speed
Strengths in Practical Problem solving
- evaluate real-world situations
- analyze how best to achieve goals that have high uncertainty
- aided by expertise
Strengths in Expertise
- extensive, highly organized knowledge base
- provides efficient, effective approaches to solving problems
- result of years of experience
Job choice
is affected by cognitive and personality characteristics
- affects cognition: complex work enhances cognitive flexibility (linked to SES, designing jobs to promote intellectual challenge)
Type A behavior Pattern (hostility and health)
- Angry, impatient, competitive
- prone to heart disease
- increased risk of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, stroke
Coping styles
Emotion-Centered Coping
Problem-Centered Coping
Emotion-Centered Coping
- internal, private
- control distress when the situation can’t be changed
Problem-Centered Coping
- Identify and appraise problems
- Choose and implement potential solutions
Hardiness
Control - regard most experiences as controllable
Commitment - find interest and meaning in daily activities
Challenge - View as normal part of life, chance for growth
Gender identity in Middle Adulthood
- Women increase in “masculine” traits
- Men increase in “feminine” traits
Changes in Big Five Personality Traits With Age
- Basic, enduring individual dispositions persist
- Changes occur in overall organization and integration of personality:
a. agreeableness and conscientiousness increase
b. neuroticism declines
c. extroversion and openness to experience remain the same or decrease slightly
Relationships at Midlife
Often, more close relationships than in any other period:
- ties to both older and younger generations
- well-established friendships
meanings of grandparenthood
- Valued Elder
- Immortality through descendants
- Reinvolvement with personal past
- opportunity for indulgence
Caring For aging Parent
Highly stressful:
- time devoted to care averages 10 to 20 hours per week, more time for women
- emotional strain of witnessing parent’s decline
- greatest stress for those sharing a household with ill parent
