Middle Adulthood

1
Middle Adulthood

• 40 to 65
• Previously, from the time the children left home
  until formal retirement.
• Complicated by children staying home longer and
  retirement age getting older (and younger).

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Physical Transitions

• Recognition of changes that have gradually been
  taking place since about age 20
• More relevant in Western culture which values a
  youthful appearance
• Reaction dependent largely on self-concept

3
Appearance and aging

• Effects greater for
• Attractive women
• Athletic men
• Double standard for women still evident older
  men described in more flattering terms than older
  women

4
Height, Weight, Strength

• Settling process
• Women drop about 2 inches
• Men drop about 1 inch
• Body fat/weight ratio increases
• Loss of about 10 of strength between 20 and 60

5
Vision

• Loss of visual acuity
• 20/20 at 20
• 20/25 at 50
• 20/45 at 80
• Presbyopia loss of near vision or
  far-sightedness
• Onset typically about age 40-45
• Glaucoma increased pressure in the eyeball
  eventually leading to tunnel vision

6
Hearing

• Presbycusis loss of the ability to hear high
  frequency sounds
• Gender differences men show greater loss,
  beginning at about age 55
• Partly related to environmental factors, men are
  more likely to work in highly noisy places

7
Reaction Time

• Gradual increase in reaction time by about 20 by
  age 60
• Balanced by high levels of practice, especially
  with complex or highly rehearsed behaviors
• Effects decreased in individuals who get adequate
  exercise

8
Sexuality

• Frequency declines but enthusiasm increases
• Liberating effects of having children grown,
  typically greater economic stability, pregnancy
  no longer an issue.
• Males start to need more time to gain an
  erection, volume of ejaculate is smaller
• Females having thinning of vaginal walls, and
  vaginal entrance may be compressed

9
The Female Climacteric

• The transition from the ability to have children
  to being unable to do so.
• Most notable sign Menopause, the cessation of
  menstruation
• Also marked by reduction of production of
  estrogen and proestrogen
• Other symptoms
• Hot flashes
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Joint aches
• Heart irregularities

10
Psychological effects of Menopause

• Highly variable reactions depending on individual
  and culture
• Adverse impact usually a function of womans
  expectations
• Non-Western women report fewer menopause related
  symptoms
• Some social class differences, with lower SES
  showing more symptoms, perhaps related to more
  traditional gender roles

11
The Male Climacteric

• A more gradual process for men than for women
• Gradual reduction in testosterone production, but
  still able to have children, often into the 80s
• Most typical symptom is enlargement of the
  prostate gland, starting at about age 40 and
  effecting 50 of men by age 80

12
Health in Middle Age

• Typically a healthy period
• Less likely to be involved in accidents, and once
  children leave, lower rates of infections,
  allergies, and respiratory illness

13
Gender effects

• Men more likely to have severe, chronic,
  life-threatening illnesses
• Heart attacks, hypertension, cancer, etc
• Women have higher incidence of illness, but more
  likely to be minor, short term, and
  non-threatening
• More research targeted to mens illnesses
• Men likely face more environmental threats

14
Personality types and heart disease

• Based on mid 70s studies at Harvard
• Type A Personalities competitive, impatient,
  easily frustrated, high levels of hostility
• Type B Personalities non-competitive, patient,
  high frustration tolerance, low levels of
  aggression and hostility
• Significant relationship between Type A and heart
  disease

15
Cancer

• Risk factors
• Genetics
• Environment
• Personality variables survivors are
• Low on stoic acceptance, hopelessness and denial
• High on Fighting Spirit, optimistic, and close
  family ties.
• Related research with people with AIDS suggest
  attitude effects immune system

16
Cognitive Development

• Controversy over effects of age on IQ
• Cross sectional studies have problems with
  cohort effects
• Longitudinal studies have problems with practice
  effects
• Results mixed
• Increase with longitudinal studies
• Decrease with cross-sectional studies

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Types of Adult Intelligence

• Fluid Intelligence Ability to deal with NEW
  problems and situations
• Tends to decline with age, although motivation
  may be an issue
• Crystallized Intelligence ability to use the
  store of knowledge, skills and strategies gained
  through education and experience to solve
  problems
• Tends to improve with age

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Selective Optimization

• The process by which people concentrate on
  particular skill areas to compensate for losses
  in other areas (including loss of interest in
  other areas)
• Results in general compensation for any lost
  intellectual abilities in middle age
• Ability remains intact.

19
Psycho-Social Development

• Eriksons Generativity vs. Stagnation
• Generativity Individuals contribution to
  family, community, work, and society as a whole.
  Furthering the next generation, creativity and
  artistic output
• Stagnation lack of psychological success,
  feelings of triviality, limited contributions to
  the world, still seeking new careers, desperate
  attempts to hand on to youth

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Levinsons Seasons

• Midlife transition 40-45
• Middle adulthood 45-50
• Age 50 transition 50-55
• End of Middle Adulthood 55-60
• All marked by
• Focus on finite nature of life
• Present vs. future orientation
• Confront knowledge that all goals wont be met

21
The Midlife Crisis

• A stage of uncertainty and indecision brought
  about by the realization that life is finite
• High visibility cases get attention, but
  transition is relatively smooth for most people
• Levinsons research marked by small N and only men

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Other models of midlife

• Normative Crisis model essentially Eriksons
  idea of universal stages uniformly occurring.
• Life Events model The timing of events in an
  adults life rather than just age determine the
  course of adult personality development
• First child
• Children leaving home
• Children returning home

23
Stability research

• Evidence that adult personality is relatively
  stable across the variables of
• Neuroticism
• Extroversion
• Openness
• Even temperedness
• Disorganization
• Affection
• Self-confidence

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Marriage

• Typical U shaped pattern of marital satisfaction
• Sources of satisfaction
• Friendship of spouse
• Marriage as a long term commitment
• Agreement on aims and goals
• Agreement about sexuality (but not frequency)

25
Divorce

• Only about 20 of divorces occur after age 40
• More difficult for older women than men due to
  narrower partner market and decreased likelihood
  of vocational experience

26
Remarriage

• 75-80 of people who divorce end up marrying
  again, usually within 2-5 years
• Gender differences more difficult for older
  women due to the pre-existing marriage gradient

27
The Second (plus) Marriage

• Partners tend to have more realistic expectations
• Entry into relationship is likely to be more
  cautious
• Partners tend to show greater role flexibility
• May be subject to different kinds of stressors
  than first marriages
• Blending families
• Practice at escape

28
The Empty Nest Syndrome

• A parents feeling of unhappiness, worry,
  loneliness and depression resulting from their
  childrens departure from home.
• Typically a relatively short-term, temporary
  phenomena
• Most difficult for women who followed the
  traditional social role mode.

29
Benefits of Empty Nests

• Spouses have more time for each other
• Few distractions from spouses own interests
• Sexuality improves

30
Boomerang Children

• Young adults who return, after leaving home for
  some period to live in the homes of their middle
  aged parents
• Typically explained by economic issues
• More likely in young men (24-34) than in young
  women (older marriage age?)
• Women may face more limits living at home than
  men do
• Moms more likely to approve than Dads

31
The Sandwich Generation

• Couples (or individuals) who in middle adulthood
  must care for both their children and their aging
  parents
• The product of both later marriage and childbirth
  and the increased life expectancy of older adults

32
Issues in caring for parents

• Role reversals
• Level of financial need
• Live-in?
• Extra burden usually given to the wife.

33
Grand parenting styles

• Involved grandparents actively engaged with
  grandchildren and have significant influence over
  grandchildrens daily lives
• Companionate grandparents act as supporters and
  cheerleaders, but take a relaxed approach and
  less responsibility
• Remote grandparents detached, distant and show
  little interest in the grandchildren

34
Jobs at Midlife

• Changing criteria for job satisfaction
• More here-and-now concerns
• Pay
• Working conditions
• Company policies
• The older, the greater the reported job
  satisfaction
• Likely screened into a job they like.

35
Job Issues Burnout

• A situation that occurs when highly trained
  professionals experience dissatisfaction,
  disillusionment, frustration and weariness from
  their jobs.
• Tends to occur most often in Human Service type
  jobs
• Most likely in people who have idealism and high
  work incentive
• Leads to growing cynicism, indifference and lack
  of concern with the quality of work produced

36
Burnout Prevention

• Realistic job appraisal
• Job structures that include at least some
  exposure to The Big Picture
• Peer and supervisor support
• Appropriate levels of time off, continuing
  education, and alternative assignments
• Ability to experience small victories

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Unemployment in Midlife

• Has greater impact than at other times
• Increasingly frequent with economic changes
• Influences self-image and self-confidence
• Leads to more severe psychological symptoms
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Suicide

38
Career changes at Midlife

• Reasons
• Old job has changed, grown boring, forces them to
  do more with less, or experienced technology
  changes
• New job offers different motivation, change in
  expectations, chance for variety, better meets
  earlier job satisfaction criteria
• Often returns mature workers to entry level
  status, with job peers significantly younger than
  they are

39
Leisure at midlife

• Sadly, mostly in front of the TV (30 of 70
  available leisure hours)
• For many, a systematic effort to identify and
  master activities they plan to pursue during
  retirement
• Sometimes a method to identify a second career

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