Chapter 14: Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood Flashcards
Erikson’s generativity vs. stagnation
generativty: adults’ desire to leave legacies of themselves to the next generation; stagnation: individuals sense that they have done little or nothing for the next generation
Levinson periods of adult development
Teens: transition from dependence to independence
20s: novice phase of adult development
30s: time for focusing on family and career
40s: man has a stable career and must look forward to the kind of life he will lead as a middle-aged adult
Contemporary life-events approach
an approach emphasizing that how a life event influences the individual’s development depends not only on the life event but also on mediating factors, the individual’s adaptation to the life event, the life-stage context, and the sociohistorical context
fight or flight
the view that when men experience stress, they are more likely to become aggressive, withdraw from social contact, or drink alcohol
tend-and-befriend
Taylor’s view that when women experience stress, they are more likely to seek social alliances with others, especially female friends
social clock
the timetable according to which individuals are expected to accomplish life’s tasks, such as getting married, having children, or establishing a career
Big five factors of personality
emotional stability (neuroticism), extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness
Costa and McCrae
Big Five Personality Study on college-educated men and women 20-96 years old
cumulative personality model
states that with time and age, people become more adept at interacting with their environment in ways that promote stability of personality
empty nest syndrome
a term used to indicate a decrease in marital satisfaction after children leave home
