Middle adulthood generally refers to the period between ages 40 to 60.

During this period, the middle-aged experience a conflict between generativity and stagnation. They may either feel a sense of contributing to the next generation and their community or a sense of purposelessness. Physically, the middle-aged experience a decline in muscular strength, reaction time, sensory keenness, and cardiac output. Also, women experience menopause and a sharp drop in the hormone estrogen. Men do have an equivalent to menopause, it is called andropause which is a hormone fluctuation with physical and psychological effects similar to menopause. Lowered testosterone levels result in mood swings and a decline in sperm count and speed of ejaculation and erection. Most men and women remain capable of sexual satisfaction after middle age. Compare Erikson's stages of psychosocial development.

Developmental Characteristics of Middle Adulthood (Ages 31-50)

Settling down, established in career and family Self-refection of goals and decisions, can be period of skepticism and self-questioning Adjustments to aging parents; often involves some types of care for parents Career development becomes a predominate concern as individuals seek to fulfill their earlier dreams Physical maturity peeks in the early thirties and then begins to decline Deadline decade-the halfway point of one=s life brings with it the realization of one=s mortality; that there is limited amount of time left to find fulfillment in life which can lead to mid-life crisis Divorcee and career changes can happen frequently as people search for fulfillment. As cultural bearers, norms and values of culture are passed to maturing children Involvement in civic and community organizations increases

Program Implications for Leisure Service Organizations

Leisure pursuits are among the significant means of achieving family growth as well as individual emotional health. Leisure is found primarily in the commercial sector with some involvement in public and private, nonprofit sectors (especially with children). The most frequent leisure activities are home and family centered. Physical activities are need as the body starts to decline. Physical activities can improve a persons general well being as well as improve work performance. Leisure service organizations should not be bound by stereotypes of what this group of people want to do in their free time. A variety of experiences need to be offered in innovative ways (e.g. time schedules, settings, bundling of services) to meet the needs of individuals and family units during this stage of life.

Activities begun in the early thirties determine the quality of subsequent life. Attention should be paid to making an orderly transition into lifetime sports and other activities that can be enjoyed throughout the rest of one=s life. Emphasis should be placed on self-directed rather than leader-directed activities.

Activities Sports: Golf, Tennis, Swimming, bicycling, volleyball, bowling and exercising. Involvement in team sports continues to diminish. Spectator sports, car camping, hunting and fishing become prevalent. Social: Social interactions become more prevalent and socializing become more important than sexualizing. Traveling becomes feasible again. Trips and tours can be important leisure outlets. Miscellaneous: Gardening, hobbies, crafts, driving.

Midlife Transition (40-45)

Modifying the dream; beginning of work on resolution of 4 midlife individuation polarities:
Young/Old Destruction/Creation Masculine/Feminine Attachment/Separateness

Working out affected by status at age 40

Advancing within stable life structure Serious failure of decline within stable structure Breaking out Advancement that produces change in structure Unstable life structure

Middle Adulthood by Samuel b.batara (31 - 50) 1. Management of the household

generativity vs stagnation (psychosocial crisis by

erik erikson) 2. 3. Child rearing Management of a career

4.

Nurturing the marriage relationship

Crisis in Middle Adulthood: Age 4565

Erikson stated that the primary psychosocial task of middle adult- hoodages 45 to 65is to develop generativity, or the desire to expand one's influence and commitment to family, society, and future generations. In other words, the middle adult is concerned with forming and guiding the next generation. The middle adult who fails to develop generativity experiences stagnation, or self-absorption, with its associated self-indulgence and invalidism. Perhaps middle adulthood is best known for its infamous midlife crisis: a time of reevaluation that leads to questioning long-held beliefs and values. The midlife crisis may also result in a person divorcing his or her spouse, changing jobs, or moving from the city to the suburbs. Typically beginning in the early- or mid-40s, the crisis often occurs in response to a sense of mortality, as middle adults realize that their youth is limited and that they have not accomplished all of their desired goals in life. Of course, not everyone experiences stress or upset during middle age; instead they may simply undergo a midlife transition, or change, rather than the emotional upheaval of a midlife crisis. Other middle adults prefer to reframe their experience by thinking of themselves as being in the prime of their lives rather than in their declining years. During the male midlife crisis, men may try to reassert their masculinity by engaging in more youthful male behaviors, such as dressing in trendy clothes, taking up activities like scuba diving, motorcycling, or skydiving. During the female midlife crisis, women may try to reassert their femininity by dressing in youthful styles, having cosmetic surgery, or becoming more socially active. Some middle adult women try to look as young as their young adult children by dying their hair and wearing more youthful clothing. Such actions may be a response to feelings of isolation, loneliness, inferiority, uselessness, nonassertion, or unattractiveness. Middle-aged men may experience a declining interest in sexuality during and following their male climacteric (male menopause). Fears of losing their sexual ability have led many men to leave their wives for younger women to prove to others (and to themselves) that they are still sexually capable and desirable. In contrast, middle-aged women may experience an increasing interest in sexuality, which can cause problems in their primary relationship if their significant other loses interest in sexual activity. This leads some middle-aged women to have extramarital affairs, sometimes with younger sexual partners.

The field of life-span development seems to be moving away from a normative-crisis model to a timing-of-events model to explain such events as the midlife transition and the midlife crisis. The former model describes psychosocial tasks as occurring in a definite age-related sequence, while the latter describes tasks as occurring in response to particular life events and their timing. In other words, whereas the normative-crisis model defines the midlife transition as occurring exactly between ages 40 and 45, the timing-of-events model defines it as occurring when the person begins the process of questioning life desires, values, goals, and accomplishments.

Generativity vs stagnation The seventh stage is that of middle adulthood. It is hard to pin a time to it, but it would include the period during which we are actively involved in raising children. For most people in our society, this would put it somewhere between the middle twenties and the late fifties. The task here is to cultivate the proper balance of generativity and stagnation. Generativity is an extension of love into the future. It is a concern for the next generation and all future generations. As such, it is considerably less "selfish" than the intimacy of the previous stage: Intimacy, the love between lovers or friends, is a love between equals, and it is necessarily reciprocal. Oh, of course we love each other unselfishly, but the reality is such that, if the love is not returned, we don't consider it a true love. With generativity, that implicit expectation of reciprocity isn't there, at least not as strongly. Few parents expect a "return on their investment" from their children; If they do, we don't think of them as very good parents! Although the majority of people practice generativity by having and raising children, there are many other ways as well. Erikson considers teaching, writing, invention, the arts and sciences, social activism, and generally contributing to the welfare of future generations to be generativity as well -- anything, in fact, that satisfies that old "need to be needed." Stagnation, on the other hand, is self-absorption, caring for no-one. The stagnant person ceases to be a productive member of society. It is perhaps hard to imagine that we should have any "stagnation" in our lives, but the maladaptive tendency Erikson calls overextension illustrates the problem: Some people try to be so generative that they no longer allow time for themselves, for rest and relaxation. The person who is overextended no longer contributes well. I'm sure we all know someone who belongs to so many clubs, or is devoted to so many causes, or tries to take so many classes or hold so many jobs that they no longer have time for any of them! More obvious, of course, is the malignant tendency of rejectivity. Too little generativity and too much stagnation and you are no longer participating in or contributing to society. And much of what we call "the meaning of life" is a matter of how we participate and what we contribute.

This is the stage of the "midlife crisis." Sometimes men and women take a look at their lives and ask that big, bad question "what am I doing all this for?" Notice the question carefully: Because their focus is on themselves, they ask what, rather than whom, they are doing it for. In their panic at getting older and not having experienced or accomplished what they imagined they would when they were younger, they try to recapture their youth. Men are often the most flamboyant examples: They leave their long-suffering wives, quit their humdrum jobs, buy some "hip" new clothes, and start hanging around singles bars. Of course, they seldom find what they are looking for, because they are looking for the wrong thing! But if you are successful at this stage, you will have a capacity for caring that will serve you through the rest of your life.

Care: Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood, 40 to 65 years)

Psychosocial Crisis: Generativity vs. Stagnation Main Question: "Will I produce something of real value?" Virtue: Care Related Elements in Society: parenting, educating, or other productive social involvement

Generativity is the concern of establishing and guiding the next generation. Socially-valued work and disciplines are expressions of generativity. Simply having or wanting children does not in and of itself achieve generativity. During middle age the primary developmental task is one of contributing to society and helping to guide future generations. When a person makes a contribution during this period, perhaps by raising a family or working toward the betterment of society, a sense of generativity- a sense of productivity and accomplishment- results. In contrast, a person who is self-centered and unable or unwilling to help society move forward develops a feeling of stagnation- a dissatisfaction with the relative lack of productivity. [edit] Central tasks of Middle Adulthood

Express love through more than sexual contacts. Maintain healthy life patterns. Develop a sense of unity with mate. Help growing and grown children to be responsible adults. Relinquish central role in lives of grown children. Accept children's mates and friends. Create a comfortable home. Be proud of accomplishments of self and mate/spouse. Reverse roles with aging parents. Achieve mature, civic and social responsibility. Adjust to physical changes of middle age. Use leisure time creatively. Love for mothers

Adulthood or Middle Age

From the period of twenties and thirties, the individual arrives at middle age in the forties and fifties. Middle age is characterized by competence, maturity, responsibility and stability. This is the time when one wants to enjoy the success of job, satisfaction derived from the family and social life. People look forward to the success of their children. Attention gets more focussed on health, the fate of children, aging parents, the use of leisure time and plans for old age. For women, menopause occurs between the ages of forty-five and fifty. Menopause is supposed to be accompanied by some distressing physical and psychological symptoms in women. Men during this period show greater concern towards their health, strength, power and sexual potency. Midlife is also viewed as a period of creativity and significant contribution to society. It is found that the best works of scientists, writers and artists are produced during the late forties and early fifties. Ericsson characterises the middle adulthood as a phase of crisis involving generativity versus self-absorption. Unless a person makes this a periodof meaningful contributionhe/she may becomepreoccupied with selfish needs and desires. Themidlife transition is also aperiod of turbulence of theforties. People start viewingthemselves as becomingolder and become conscious of their mortality which leads to emotional instability. Theyalso engage in taking stock of their lives to assess the extent to which they have realizedtheir dreams. Such reassessments often lead to occupational changes and changes in marital relationships such as divorce. For most people who are employed in regular jobs, the end of the middle adulthood years involves the task of coming to terms with possibleretirement from work life and the associated readjustments in life. Characteristics of Middle Adulthood Competence, maturity, responsibility and stability Attention focused on children Plans for old age Occurrence of menopause in women.

My research background is in social, emotional and personality development from childhood through adulthood. My students and I are currently conducting research in the general areas of individual differences in emotional and personality development during early and middle adulthood, with a particular focus on identity and character development. There are several characteristics of this research that makes it unique in the field of developmental psychology. Namely, the general theoretical and methodological framework is life span and contextual in nature, and it is grounded in the basic premises underlying the field of positive psychology. Thus, our research is aimed at gaining a better understanding of the positive characteristics and experiences of individuals while they develop a sense of meaning as they age. What is dependent personality disorder: Dependent personality disorder (DPD) is one of a group of conditions called anxious personality disorders, which are marked by feelings of nervousness and fear. DPD also is marked by helplessness, submissiveness, a need to be taken care of and for constant reassurance, and an inability to make decisions.

Dependent Personality Disorder: Dependent Personality Disorder. DPD is one of the most frequently diagnosed personality disorders. It appears to occur equally in men and women, and usually appears in early to middle adulthood. People with DPD become emotionally dependent on other people and spend great effort trying to please others. People with DPD tend to display needy, passive, and clinging behavior, and have a fear of separation. Other common characteristics of this personality disorder include the following:

1:Inability to make decisions, even everyday decisions, without the advice and reassurance of others 2: Avoidance of personal responsibility; avoidance of jobs that require independent functioning and positions of responsibility 3: Intense fear of abandonment and a sense of devastation or helplessness when relationships end; often move right into another relationship when one ends

4:Over-sensitivity to criticism 5: Pessimism and lack of self-confidence, including a belief that they are unable to care for themselves 6: Avoidance of disagreeing with others for fear of losing support or approval 7: Inability to start projects 8: Difficulty being alone 9: Willingness to tolerate mistreatment and abuse from others 10: Placing the needs of their caregivers above their own 11:Tendency to be nave and to live in fantasy

Psychosocial Development in Middle Adulthood:

Psychological Shifts: In the middle of life, American baby-boomers have gravitated toward psychological extremes. According to The New York Times, Americans aged 45 to 54 had the highest rate of suicide in 2007, a statistic usually held by people over 80 years old. However, a 2008 Gallup telephone poll of more than 340,000 people found that those over 50 years old had the highest rate of happiness. The University of Wisconsins Institute on Aging reported in 2004 that men overall, and people of either gender who were who married or had outgoing personalities, were less prone to depression than women in general or people who were single or shy. Social Shifts:

People in their teens and 20s tend to have the highest stress rates as they worry about their futures and keep the focus of their lives narrow to achieve life goals. In middle age, upon achieving or abandoning those goals, some may turn inward and become isolated. Others will enjoy the fruits of their labors and turn outward, helping younger generations and developing a deeper sense of their own value. Many people become more attuned to internal feelings, Atkinson writes, and recognize a desire to be of service to others. The Importance of Connectedness In a 2010 blog entry for the online version of Psychology Today magazine, University of California professor of psychiatry Tamara McClintock Greenberg speculates that ever-changing technology may play a role in the psychosocial development of the modern middle-aged. Young people who have grown up with online social connections may find them more rewarding than middle-aged people who havent. The reality is, much of our population does not feel connected online, she writes. Such a lack of connection may explain more severe depression among some middle-aged people.

Basic Strengths, Production and Care: Now work is most crucial. Erikson observed that MiddleAdulthood-age is when we tend to be occupied with creative and meaningful work and with issues surrounding our family. Also, Middle adulthood is when we can expect to be in charge, the role weve longer envied. The significant task is to perpetuate culture and transmit values of the culture through the family (taming the kids) and working to establish a stable environment. Strength comes through care of others and production of something that contributes to the betterment of society, which Erikson calls generativity, so when were in this stage we often fear inactivity and meaninglessness. As our children leave home, or our relationships or goals change, we may be faced with major life changesthe mid-life crisisand struggle with finding new meanings and purposes. If we dont get through this stage successfully, we can become self-absorbed and stagnate. Significant relationships are within the workplace, the community and the famil. The Developmental Task Concept:

From examining the changes in your own life span you can see that critical tasks arise at certain times in our lives. Mastery of these tasks is satisfying and encourages us to go on to new challenges. Difficulty with them slows progress toward future accomplishments and goals. As a mechanism for understanding the changes that occur during the life span. Robert

Havighurst(1952, 1972, 1982) has identified critical developmental tasks that occur throughout the life span. Although our interpretations of these tasks naturally change over the years and with new research findings. Havighursts developmental tasks offer lasting testimony to the belief that we continue to develop throughout our lives. Havinghurst (1972) defines a developmental task as one that arises at a certain period in our lives, the successful achievement of which leads to happiness and success with later tasks; while leads to unhappiness, social disapproval, and difficulty with later tasks. Havighurst uses lightly different age groupings, but the basic divisions are quite similar to those used in this book. He identifies three sources of developmental tasks (Havighurst, 1972).

1:Tasks that arise from physical maturation. For example, learning to walk, talk, and behave acceptably with the opposite sex during adolescence; adjusting to menopause during middle age 2:Tasks that from personal sources. For example, those that emerge from the maturing personality and take the form of personal values and aspirations, such as learning the necessary skills for job success. 3:Tasks that have their source in the pressures of society. For example, learning to read or learning the role of a responsible citizen.