Middle Adulthood

1
Middle Adulthood

• Generativity vs. Stagnation
• Family Life Thriving or surviving?

2
Developmental Tasks

• Managing a career
• Nurturing an intimate relationship
• Expanding caring relationships
• Managing the household
• Psychosocial Crisis Generativity vs. Stagnation

3
Generativity operationalized

• Loyola Generativity Scale-complete and score
• Generative concern
• Generative commitment
• Generative action
• Generative narrative

4
Stagnation

• Defined as lack of involvement and inclusivity,
  self-absorption, lethargic, apathetic in
• Self
• Relationship
• Work
• Community

5
Developmental stages of families

• Remaining single
• Partnered, no children
• Before children
• When children are in early and middle childhood
• When children are adolescents
• When children are adults
• When parents become grandparents

6
Questions to consider

• 1. How does life at these stages provide an
  opportunity for generativity?
• What might interfere with generativity?
• Grandparents parenting
• What happens then?

7
The Scope of the Situation

• In WA state, 61,900 children live in
  grandparent-headed households
• In 35,761 of these, neither parent is present
• 71 under age 60
• 13 living in poverty
• Nationwide, 6 million living with grandparents,
  2.5 million without parents present
• 71 under age 60
• 19 living in poverty
• Why does this happen?
• Divorce
• Teen parenting
• Death or disability of parent
• Substance dependence of parent
• Incarceration of parent

8
As developmental psychologists, consider and
discuss

• How might the role of parent of grandchildren
  create role strain, role conflict or role loss?
• Consider the developmental taskshow would
  parenting a grandchild contribute to or detract
  from accomplishment of them?
• In what ways might this experience impact the
  psychosocial crisis, generativity vs. stagnation?
• What research questions would help us understand
  how to provide support?
• What type of support would improve developmental
  outcomes for the family members?

9
Research Possibilities

• Develop a hypothesis relating to grandparents who
  are parenting.
• Compare notes with 1 or 2 people near you.