Emotional and Social Development in Middle Adulthood

Introduction to Middle Adulthood

Middle age is an important period of life. In middle adulthood, people face a number of changes, including midlife parenting, changing relationships with one's parents, and transitions in personal and professional responsibilities. In addition, people in late midlife generally experience retirement, which is an entirely new situation for them. Middle adulthood, therefore, should not be considered a period in which life simply continues as before; rather, it is a period when a person encounters entirely new conditions. Although the characteristics of middle adulthood vary from society to society and culture to culture, some general characteristics include increased social and family responsibilities, attainment of maximum status in the family, society, and one's profession, a continuing decline in physical health, and the development of personality through experience (Helson, Soto, & Cate, n.d.).

Although middle adulthood is an important part of people's lives, there is some debate about when it begins and ends. According to Levinson, it starts at age thirty-five and ends at age sixty-five (Hargrave, 2006). Within this broad period, three distinct phases can be identified.

The Three Phases of Middle Adulthood

In the ascendant phase, individuals are motivated by the drive to find and achieve higher standards for themselves and their families. At this stage, individuals are committed to different roles, must follow social norms, and are expected to meet the expectations of others in their society. Although all these responsibilities require personal sacrifices, they also enhance self-confidence and personal integrity. Individuals in this phase generally focus on self and identity. The ascendant phase is typically characterized by success and achievement, yet during it, an individual's negative emotions tend to overcome his or her positive emotions (Helson, Soto, & Cate, n.d.).

The executive phase is the second phase of middle adulthood, during which the individual reaches the highest possible position within a socially complex environment. Control over oneself and cognitive skills continue to improve, but individuals in this phase usually work under great pressure and tight time limits, and time spent on leisure activities decreases considerably. In this phase, an individual gains mastery over his or her skills and attains a high degree of competence and effectiveness (Helson, Soto, & Cate, n.d.).

The third phase of middle adulthood development is the acceptance phase. In this phase, individuals stop striving to achieve further goals and higher status as they become contented with their present position. Commitment to social and public goals declines, and individuals become more committed to personal interests. People become acutely aware of the diminishing time they have, yet their daily demand for time decreases because they no longer need to perform multiple roles simultaneously. The person in this phase typically becomes more spiritual and less concerned with complexity. People in this phase generally evaluate what they have accomplished during their middle adulthood and begin preparing themselves for the years ahead (Helson, Soto, & Cate, n.d.).

During middle adulthood, men and women begin to perceive themselves as belonging to a different generation with different needs. Many men and women in their fifties face the transition from being parents to becoming grandparents. They must also make decisions about their aging parents while managing their careers, causing significant emotional disturbance at a time of massive personal change ("Stress, mental health," 2011).

In addition, men and women in middle adulthood may become emotionally unsettled as they reflect on opportunities they have missed. The awareness that future opportunities will continue to diminish compounds this distress. A person in middle adulthood may face emotional turmoil stemming from dissatisfaction with both the past and the present ("Stress, mental health," 2011).

Emotional Development in Middle Adulthood

Women face particular emotional and psychological challenges during middle adulthood. One major source of difficulty is the responsibility of caring for multiple family members. After marriage, a woman often must care for both her own family of origin and her new family, increasing her vulnerability to emotional upheaval. Moreover, many women find themselves in a poverty trap as a result of part-time working, family caregiving, and inadequate pension provision. Widowed, divorced, and minority women are especially at risk. Women who work exclusively within the home also have a higher probability of experiencing dejection and low self-esteem ("Stress, mental health," 2011).

Research has also shown that during middle adulthood, the characteristic qualities associated with each sex tend to moderate — with each sex showing some increase in traits traditionally associated with the other. This is one source of emotional stress in midlife. One hypothesis holds that women between the ages of 43 and 52 will show increases in emotional stability, assertiveness, and cognitive engagement, with a reduction in traditionally feminine dependency traits. This shift may ultimately benefit women by building confidence and reducing dependence on others (Hargrave, 2006).

Many researchers link a person's thinking patterns to his or her emotional state. During middle adulthood, the many challenges a person faces can produce emotional instability, and the midlife period is commonly associated with what is called a midlife crisis. Central to this experience are the conflicting feelings of generativity and stagnation. Generativity refers to the sense of contributing something meaningful to the next generation — through family achievements, mentoring, or community involvement. A businessperson, for example, might experience generativity by training younger colleagues ("Adolescence and adulthood," n.d.).

Stagnation, by contrast, is the opposite feeling — a sense that one has nothing meaningful to pass on to the next generation. People experiencing stagnation may feel that they have failed to achieve the goals they once set for themselves, leaving them with the uncomfortable sense that their life has not progressed ("Adolescence and adulthood," n.d.).

According to researchers, people in middle adulthood typically experience both of these feelings. Those who manage to resolve the tension between generativity and stagnation successfully arrive at a sense of balance between present realities and future possibilities. Those who fail to resolve it may develop a sense of rejection and lose whatever motivation they had to contribute to the next generation ("Adolescence and adulthood," n.d.).

Men and women in middle adulthood thus face many emotional challenges that need to be worked through, including changing relationships, the formation of new relationships, the growing up of children, and shifts in gender roles. All of these require resolution if a person is to achieve happiness, emotional stability, and contentment.

Conclusion

Men and women in middle adulthood face many social challenges as well as emotional ones. These challenges, if met with the correct response, make a person socially and emotionally stable. The key social challenges — marriage, parenthood, and work — all directly shape a person's social circle and quality of life. Like all the other changes in this period, they carry both positive and negative potential depending on how a person responds to them. Ultimately, middle adulthood is best understood not as a time of stagnation, but as a period of transformation in which emotional resilience and social adaptability are tested and, when successfully navigated, strengthened.