Chapter 13 Flashcards
Midlife crisis
a supposed period of unusual anxiety, radical self-examination, and sudden transformation that was once widely associated with middle age, but that actually had more to do with developmental history than with chronological age.
Big Five
the 5 basic clusters of personality traits that remain quite stable throughout adulthood
What are the big five?
○ To remember, use acronym OCEAN
- Openness: imaginative, curious, artistic, creative, open to new experiences
- Conscientiousness: organized, deliberate, conforming, self-disciplined
- Extroversion: outgoing, assertive, active
- Agreeableness: kind, helpful, easygoing, generous
- Neuroticism: anxious, moody, self-punishing, critical
What factors are linked to the big 5?
○ Education (conscientious ppl have higher rates of post-secondary graduation)
○ Marriage (extroverts more likely to marry)
○ Divorce (more often for neurotics)
○ Fertility (lower for women in recent cohorts who are more conscientious)
○ IQ (higher in people who are more open)
○ Verbal fluency (associated with openness and extroversion)
Political views (conservatives are less open)
ecological niche
the particular lifestyle and social context that adults settle into bc it is compatible with their individual personality needs and interests
social convoy
collectively, family members, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers who move thru life with an individual
consequential strangers
people who are not in a person’s closest friendship circle but nonetheless have an impact
I.e. Neighbours, coworkers, store clerks, local police officer, members of a religious or community group
Fictive kin
someone who becomes accepted as part of a family to which he or she has no blood relation
LAT
Living apart together
- Have separate residences, but especially when partners are older than 30, LATs may be committed to each other, functioning as a couple for decades
Consummate love
○ Passion is first
○ Shared confidences create intimacy
○ Finally commitment leads to enduring relationship
Empty nest
the time in the lives of parents when their children have left the family home to pursue their own lives
Generativity vs stagnation
the 7th of Erikson’s 8 stages of development. Adults seek to be productive in a caring way, perhaps through art, caregiving and employmen
Kinkeeper
a caregiver who takes responsibility for maintaining communication among family members
Sandwich generation
the generation of middle aged people who are supposedly “squeezed” by the needs of the younger and older members of their families. In reality, some adults do not feel pressured by these obligations, but most are not burdened by them, either because they enjoy fulfilling them or because they choose to take on only some of them or none of them
Unemployment associated with higher rates of:
child abuse, alcoholism, depression, and many other social and mental health problems
