Ch 12: Midlife

Question 1

When are people middle aged?

Answer 1

Age 40 to 65, in US surveys half of all people in their late sixties and early 70s call themselves middle aged

Question 2

In middle age, do people feel worse about their looks and are less interested in sex?

Answer 2

People feel just as good about their looks as they do in their 20s

Question 3

In middle age, do people grow more intelligent?

Answer 3

We reach our intellectual peak in Midlife but ability to master new tasks declines

Question 4

How does personality change in middle age?

Answer 4

Increase in being conscientious and having different priorities such as nurturing the next generation

Question 5

Do people become wise in middle age?

Answer 5

Not necessarily, age does not produce wisdom, but adults get wiser after traumatic events

Question 6

Are people happy in middle age?

Answer 6

Depending on level of generativity

Question 7

What are the changes in sexual performance in aging women and men?

Answer 7

Men change the most, erectile dysfunction and menopause

Question 8

What is the impact of menopause on women during sex?

Answer 8

More painful

Question 9

How do people have good body image and gratifying sex in middle and later life?

Answer 9

Not having unrealistic expectations, slow down sex, stay healthy, be conscious of your appearance, find a partner who appreciates you as a sexual being, use lube or hormone replacement therapy

Question 10

What tips does the text offer for keeping Midlife intellectual capacities fine tuned?

Answer 10

take care of physical health, exercise, be passionate about learning new things, search for careers that involve people oriented work, adopt selective optimization with compensation

Question 11

What is the Seattle Longitudinal Study?

Answer 11

Definitive study of the effect of aging on intelligence, conducting and comparing the results of cross sectional and longitudinal studies

Question 12

What is crystallized intelligence?

Answer 12

Knowledge base, storehouse of accumulated information

Question 13

What is fluid intelligence?

Answer 13

The ability to quickly master new intellectual activities

Question 14

What is selective optimization with compensation?

Answer 14

Paul Balte’s 3 principles for successful aging and living: focus on our most important activities and shed less important ones , work hard in these top ranking areas, rely on external aids when we cannot cope on our own

Question 15

What are the big 5 dimensions?

Answer 15

5 basic temperamental qualities used to measure personality
Neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness, agreeableness

Question 16

What does conscientiousness have to do with promoting adult success?

Answer 16

They have more stable marriages, less likely to be unemployed, are healthier and live longer

Question 17

What fosters wisdom and what are the attributes of wisdom?

Answer 17

embrace uncertainty, sensitive to other perspectives, self transcendence, humility

Question 18

What does research say about happiness during adulthood?

Answer 18

People are happiest in their 60s and 70s, money can’t buy happiness but you need to be financially comfortable, success does not necessarily make you happy, government affects well-being

Question 19

What is generativity?

Answer 19

finding meaning from nurturing the next generation, caring for others, or enriching the lives of others through their work

Question 20

What primary task is during middle adulthood?

Answer 20

Generativity vs stagnation

Question 21

What is hedonic happiness?

Answer 21

well-being defined as pure pleasure

Question 22

What is eudaimonic happiness?

Answer 22

well-being defined as having a sense of meaning and life purpose

Question 23

What is a commitment script?

Answer 23

Type of autobiography produced by highly generative adults that involve childhood memories of feeling special, being unusually sensitive to the misfortunes of others, having a strong enduring mission from adolescence and redemption sequences

Question 24

What are redemption sequences?

Answer 24

Characteristic theme of highly generative adult autobiographies in which they describe tragic events that turned out for the best

Question 25

What is post formal thought?

Answer 25

adult form of intelligence, being sensitive to different perspectives, making decisions based on feelings, and being interested in exploring new questions

Question 26

What are the functions grandparents serve in families?

Answer 26

Family watchdogs, caregivers

Question 27

What problems do contemporary grandparents face?

Answer 27

Their children are unable to be effective parents, physical overwhelm

Question 28

What situations make parent care particularly stressful?

Question 29

What are family watch dogs?

Answer 29

basic role of grandparents, monitoring younger family members well-being and intervening to provide help in crisis

Question 30

What are caregiving grandparents?

Answer 30

grandparents who have taken full responsibility for raising their grandchildren

Question 31

What is parent care?

Answer 31

adult children’s care for their disabled older parents