11 14 13 Mid life Development 40 65 Years Generativity A capacity to care for others in a broader way than previous stages To nurture that which outlives the self Stagnation Being self centered and self indulgent with a lack of concern about contributing to the welfare of society Developmental Tasks of Adulthood Levinson Young Old Finding positive meaning in being older Destruction Creation Becoming more aware of how we have acted in a harmful way toward others and trying to correct it Seen mostly in siblings Mostly seen with sisters Masculinity Femininity Becoming more androgynous Males become more nurturing Women become more assertive and is viewed okay in society Engagement Separation Resolving issues of work and family Men back off with ambition and women become more ambitious Mainly because of child rearing mom is more able to lean into career a bit more Opt Out Revolution Women were leaving the workforce staying home and raising children What Makes Us Happy Family Meaningful philosophy of life Goes along with having shared interests with spouse your meaningful philosophy for life should be similar to spouses Purposeful work Doesn t mean you have to have a career it s whatever is purposeful to you being a stay at home mom etc The three grand essentials of happiness are Something to do someone to love and something to hope for Alexander Chalmers Stability vs Change Stability Adult personality is stable over time Change Adult personality is a continual process of change and growth Do People Change 2000 40 year olds Think about their personality o 52 stayed the same o 39 changed a little o 9 changed a lot So 91 felt personality was relatively stable Five Stable Factors of Personality OCEAN 1 Openness 2 Conscientiousness 3 Extraversion 4 Agreeableness 5 Neuroticism Openness Imaginative or practical Variety or routine Independent or Conforming Conscientiousness Organized or disorganized Careful or careless Disciplined or impulsive Extraversion Sociable or retiring Fun loving or somber Affectionate or reserved Agreeableness Soft hearted or ruthless Trusting or suspicious Helpful or uncooperative Neuroticism Calm or anxious Secure or insecure Self satisfied or self pitying In General Agreeableness and conscientiousness increase in middle age Neuroticism declines Extraversion and openness either do not change or decrease slightly Personality is responsive to life experiences change but that change exists within boundaries These changes which have been verified cross culturally could be said to reflect a settling down or maturity A person who scores high or low on a particular trait is likely to retain that standing throughout adulthood
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