22 - Adulthood: Psychosocial Development

1. 22 - Adulthood: Psychosocial Development

3. Major theories • Erikson’s Stages • Generativity vs. stagnation • Maslow’s stages • 5. Self-actualization • 4. Success and esteem • 3. Love and belonging • 2. Safety • 1. Physiology

4. Midlife crisis • 40’s • Anxiety, self-reexamination, transformation • Related more to developmental history than age

5. Intimacy

6. Intimacy needs are lifelong • Met by: family, friends, coworkers, & romantic partners (the social convoy)

7. Family bonds: Parent-Adult child relationships • Become closer as both generations mature (Improves with age) • May deteriorate if they live together • Familism • Belief that family members should support each other

8. Adult siblings • Become more supportive than earlier • Help to cope with children, marriage, and elderly relatives

9. Family bonds

10. Marriage and happiness • Married people (In satisfying marriages) • Happier, Healthier, Richer • Learning to understand and forgive each other promotes happiness • Cohabitation before marriage • Decreases happiness after marriage • Domestic violence is most likely to occur early in a relationship

11. Children and happiness • Happiness is highest before children • Decreases with birth of first child • & additional children • Decreases again when children reach puberty • Teenage years • Happiness improves afterchild raisingyears (Empty nest) • Children become more independent

12. Empty nest • (After children leave) • Improves relationships • Parents are alone again • More time for their relationship • More money available • Longtime partners • Stay together because of love & trust

13. Divorce and separation • Almost 1 out of 2 marriages ends in divorce in the U.S. • About 1/3 of all first marriages end in divorce • Remarried people have a greater chance of divorce than first married • Adults are affected by divorce in ways they never anticipated • Very distressed marriages = happier after divorce • Emotionally distant marriages (most in U.S.) = less happy than they thought they would be

14. Consequences of divorce • Can last for decades • Divorce reduces income, severs friendships, and weakens family ties • Income, family welfare, and self-esteem = lower among formerly married than still married or never married

15. Generativity • Erikson’s Generativityvs. Stagnation • Satisfied by • Creativity • Caregiving • Guiding the next generation • Employment

16. Caregiving for children • Your biological children • Parent must change to adopt to developmental stages of child.

17. Caring for aging parents • Sandwich generation • Sandwitched between their children and their parents • Few adult children are full-time caregivers • Therefore, not technically sandwitched • Often only one child bears the burden • Creates resentment • Caregiving for parents is often based on the child’s personality

18. Employment

19. Employment = generativity • Unemployed = higher rates of child abuse, alcoholism, depression & other problems. • Happiness is not necessarily related to income • Income has doubled (in last 50 years) but happiness has not • Work meets generativity needs to: • Use personal skills • Be creative • Advise coworkers as a friend or mentor

20. Working for more than money • Extrinsic rewards (Outside - External) • Salary • Health insurance • Pension • Intrinsic rewards (Inside – internal) • Intangible rewards • Job satisfaction • Self-esteem • Pride in contributing • Feeling needed