For middle adult development, there are three main theories:
Erikson, Levinson and Valliant.
Erikson's theory says that there are different -psychological
conflicts at different stages of life. In middle age adults go
through the conflict of generativity versus stagnation. During this
time period adults can become more generative in that they have a
greater commitment to the community and the integration of personal
goals with the welfare of the larger social community. Generativity
involves reaching out to others in ways that give to and guide the
next generation. It involves any activities that outlive the self
and ensure society's continuity and improvement including children,
ideas, works of art, etc. Middle age adults feel a need to be
needed, they want to make a contribution that will survive their
death. On the less positive side, there can be stagnation. For some
people when they have achieved certain life goals like marriage,
children, vocation, they become self-centered and self-indulgent,
place on security and comfort first and are self absorbed.
Generativity is a prominent concern for middle-age adults as it is
part of an expanding identity that gives purpose and meaning to
life and promotes psychological fulfillment.
According to Levinson, middle age is a time to reassess the
relation to the external world. Around 40, people evaluate their
success in meeting early adulthood goals. They experience confusion
as they act to modify their life (marriage, family, work). Some
make drastic changes or others smaller changes. Some may be
disappointed into having fully realized their early adulthood dream
and feel added pressure to find a more satisfying path before it is
too late. Others who may have reached their goals may question
their priorities in terms of what good their accomplishments are to
others. Adults have to conform 4 developmental tasks, which require
them to reconcile 2 opposing tendencies with self:
* Young-Old: The middle age person seeks new ways of being both
young and old. This means giving up certain youthful qualities,
retaining and transforming others, and finding positive meaning in
being older.
* Destruction -Creation: Past hurtful and destructive acts towards
others are countered by a strong desire to become more creative -
making something of value to the self and others and participating
in activities that advance human welfare. There is an awareness of
mortality.
* Masculinity-Femininity: comes to term with both parts of self and
creating a balance. For women this means becoming more autonomous,
dominant and assertive.
* Engagement-Separateness: the middle-aged person must create a
better balance between engagement with the external world and
separateness. For Women who have devoted themselves to child
rearing or who have unfulfilling jobs they move toward greater
involvement in work and wider community. Men or career-oriented
women, they typically pull back from ambition and achievement and
become more in touch with self.
According to Levinson virtually all people experience considerable
frustration and turmoil and can result in a mid life crisis. Due to
the double standard of aging, women have more trouble than men
accepting being older. Men adopt "feminine" traits of nurturance
and caring, whereas women take on "masculine" trains of autonomy,
dominance, and assertiveness.
Valliant says that in middle age adults become guardians of their
culture, they carry peak responsibility for function in society.
They are the guardians of their culture and they pass on the torch
to the next generation. Unlike Levinson, Valliant did not find
mid-life crisis to be very prevalent.
Therefore, these theories also see middle age as a time for
re-adjustment of values and priorities. This must be taken into
consideration when assessing a 40 year old client. Also all three
theories suggest that activities involving the outside community
are important. Erikson sees positive development at this time of
life as engaging in activities that give to next generation and the
community. Levinson's stresses the psychosocial changes of this
time that can result in the turmoil of this time and mid-life
crisis due to an awareness of the limited time ahead and
reassessment of earlier goals which prompt people to change their
life structure. Valliant's theory sees this as a time for a quieter
life.
