Middle Adulthood

Adulthood - Personality Repair or Continued Growth?

• Some suggest that the tasks of adulthood are related to repairing the damage of past developmental stages. 
• Humanistic psychology (e.g. Maslow, 1968), however proposes that individuals are on a continuous path of growth. Thus a person can never say `this is me' and expect it to be set in stone. There are continual re-assessments and corrections that add new meanings to life and self.
• Do life events lead to changes in behaviour or bring out old personality patterns?

Erik Erikson's seventh stage of psychosocial development, 'generativity vs. stagnation', focuses on the individual's need to contribute to society and provide for others [such as their children] - and the feelings of satisfaction that come with 'giving back' and 'making a difference'. Stagnation occurs when the individual feels a lack of connection or involvement with their community.

The Big Five

Studies suggest that personality changes are less common in midlife than in the years before age 30. A large cross-cultural study indicates that 'the big five' personality characteristics are quite stable across adulthood (McCrae et al., 1999). 

1. Neuroticism – anxious, moody, self punishing, critical
2. Extroversion – outgoing, assertive, active
3. Openness – imaginative, curious, artistic, open to new experiences
4. Agreeableness – kind helpful, easygoing, generous
5. Conscientiousness – organised, deliberate, conforming, self disciplined

Nevertheless, the study did find some shifts over the middle stages of the life-span: Agreeableness and Conscientiousness increased slightly in midlife while the the other three declined (McCrae et al., 1999). The increases in in the first two personality traits are consistent with Erikson’s theory of generativity becoming more important in midlife.

Robert Peck's Development of Erikson's Theory 

Psychologist Robert Peck (1956) suggested that Erikson's two stages for the last 40-50 years of life is insufficient to deal with the ongoing process of development. He consequently described additional stages with seven conflicts of adult development.

According to Peck (1956), four conflicts are relevant to midlife:
1	Valuing wisdom vs valuing physical strength: an adjustment based on reducing energies and physical well-being.
2	Socialising vs sexualising: this may be due to social constraints or biological changes.  There is a greater stress on companionship and less on sex and competitiveness.
3	Cathectic (emotional) flexibility vs cathectic impoverishment as families split, friends move and old interests cease to be the central focus.
4	Mental flexibility vs mental rigidity: the adjustment to new ideas and ways of doing things as opposed to old values and experiences.