What do most researchers in developmental psychology believe regarding the concept of a midlife crisis?

100. What did Levinson conclude about females in midlife transition?

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101. Daniel Levinson's theory of adult development has been criticized because it:

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102. What do most researchers believe regarding the concept of a midlife crisis?

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103. In the individual variations view of middle adulthood development, it is important torecognize that:A. the vast majority of individuals face a long and turbulent mid-life crisis.B. some individuals may experience a mid-life crisis in some contexts of their lives butnot others.C. a mid-life crisis is actually a random and uncommon phenomenon.D. the less-publicized female mid-life crisis revolves around the loss of fertility.

104. What theory emphasizes the influence of life experiences on personalitydevelopment?

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Erikson stated that the primary psychosocial task of middle adult‐ hood—ages 45 to 65—is 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.

Although more than 25 percent of Americans over age 35 think they have had a midlife crisis, more than half of these were no more than "stressful life events," says Cornell University sociologist Elaine Wethington.

And contrary to the traditional view, she says, women are just as likely as men to believe they have had a midlife crisis.

The associate professor of human development bases her conclusions on the largest study ever done on midlife, funded by the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development. Her research, based on the study's midlife crisis section, which she conducted, is based on intensive follow-up surveys of 724 respondents aged 28 to 78 years and is published in the October 2000 issue of the journal Motivation and Emotion. The larger study is called the "Midlife in the United States Study."

A midlife crisis is defined by researchers as personal turmoil and coping challenges in people age 39 through 50 brought on by fears and anxieties about growing older. Most people who told the researchers they had had a midlife crisis, however, were describing stressful life events that had occurred before age 39 or after age 50, rather than the type of turmoil defined as a midlife crisis. Wethington notes that the stressful life event identified by many respondents is a challenging situation brought on by specific transitions or events that may or may not be associated with typical aging, such as a life-threatening illness or job insecurity.

Wethington reports that one-fourth of her adult population sample said they had experienced a midlife crisis; of those aged between 40 and 53, however, about one-third thought they had had one. The average age of the "crisis" was 46. About one-fifth of those who said they had suffered a midlife crisis said it was the result of their awareness that they were aging and time was passing them by. Few connected the crisis to feelings of impending mortality or approaching death.

Nevertheless, the midlife crisis is not universal for either men or women. "Most Americans readily recognize the term 'midlife crisis' and pretty much agree that such a crisis occurs on a widespread basis in people's 40s," says Wethington. "Yet, previous studies, including our own, debunk the midlife crisis as an inevitable, nearly universal experience of psychological turmoil in the 40s or at any age, for that matter."

She notes that although most people characterize a midlife crisis as a negative thing, many responses hinted that the myth of the midlife crisis has its good side. "Many people at midlife use the so-called midlife crisis as a tool for constructing meaning in their lives. They see this time as a time to catch up to where they would like to be or expected to be when they were younger," says Wethington.

What do most researchers now believe regarding the concept of a midlife crisis quizlet?

Terms in this set (26) What do most researchers believe regarding the concept of a midlife crisis? The idea of midlife crisis has been exaggerated.

Which best summarizes the research on the midlife crisis?

Which best summarizes the research on "midlife crisis"? Most middle-aged people experience some questioning of self during midlife, but few experience a true midlife crisis.

Do most people experience a midlife crisis in middle adulthood?

A national survey of Midlife in the United States conducted a poll to determine how many people experience midlife crises. Approximately 26% of the participants reported having a midlife crisis. Most survey participants reported that their midlife crisis occurred before age 40 or after 50, however.

Who coined the term midlife crisis and considered it a part of normal psychological development?

Psychoanalyst Elliott Jacques coined the term “midlife crisis” in the 1960s. Jacques noted that patients in their mid- to late-30s seemed to go through a depressive period and sudden lifestyle changes as they confronted the idea of their own mortality.