Module 10
What did Levinson's research conclude about women in midlife transition?
Levinson reported that his stages, transitions, and the crisis of middle age hold for women as well as men.
Don and Ellie have been married for over 30 years. Their relationship has changed over the years in typical, predictable ways. Which of the following is likely to be MOST important in their relationship?
Security
Which of the following statements about intergenerational relations is TRUE?
Similarity between parents and an adult child is most noticeable in religion and politics.
In Vaillant's longitudinal study, factors at age 50 that were linked with being in the "happy-well" group at age 75 to 80 years of age included all of the following EXCEPT:
being wealthy.
Salvador, now 42 years old, ponders over what to wear, what to say, and what music to listen to. He knows that if he stays with what is comfortable, he will be seen as "old" to his kids and younger colleagues. At the same time, he doesn't want to feel like he belongs in the generation of his father. Levinson would say he is struggling with:
being young versus being old.
Middle adulthood is referred to as the sandwich generation because:
middle-aged adults may have to care for their own adolescent children as well as their elderly parents.
Younger adults are more likely to experience _____ love and older adults are more likely to experience _____ love.
romantic; affectionate
According to Levinson, one of the changes to middle adulthood requires that the adult male come to grips with four major conflicts. Which of the following is NOT one of these major conflicts?
Being attractive versus being unattractive
Which of the following places individuals on a continuum from disciplined to impulsive?
Conscientiousness
Which of the following is the conclusion of the study conducted by Costa and McCrae on approximately 1,000 men and women aged 20 to 96?
Considerable stability occurs in the five personality factors.
Marie struggles to take care of her small home with the little money she makes working at the church. When her daughter basically left her granddaughter at Marie's house and left with her boyfriend, Marie had no choice but to become a surrogate parent. Research would say Marie is likely to develop:
Depression
According to Levinson, which of the following is a major task that needs to be mastered in early adulthood?
Exploring the possibilities for adult living
Which of the following is NOT one of the main reasons that grandparents are thrust back into the "parenting" role they thought they had shed?
Filling the "empty nest"
Which of the following places individuals on a continuum from secure to insecure?
Neuroticism
Which of the following is a major difference between Levinson's and Valliant's views on midlife?
Valliant maintains that only a minority of adults experience midlife as a crisis.
Kevin was in a serious car accident and knows this will be a life-changing event for him. Fortunately, he has a large, supportive family. The contemporary life-events approach would consider his family support to be:
a mediating factor.
Ms. Jenkins is the most generous person in the neighborhood. Every summer she has a neighborhood cookout, and she's the first to offer help when someone is in trouble. These characteristics are most closely related to:
agreeableness.
It has been two weeks since Brianna's husband left her for someone else. She knows that this divorce will be a life-changing event for her. Even though she is distressed, she has coped with difficult things in the past, and is sure she will recover from this, too. The contemporary life-events approach would consider her appraisal to be:
an adaptation factor.
Jesse is known for setting goals and achieving them. When faced with a challenge or problem he will tackle it quickly and directly. His great health is partly due to his running skills, but also to his attention to his nutrition. These characteristics are most closely related to:
conscientiousness.
The _____ life-events approach focuses on the ways life events and the circumstances surrounding the events influence development.
contemporary
Marie struggles to take care of her small home with the little money she makes working at the church. When her daughter basically left her granddaughter at Marie's house and left with her boyfriend, Marie had no choice but to become a surrogate parent. Research would say Marie is likely to develop:
depression.
Michael, 33 years old, is married, a father of two, and getting established in his career. He finds himself torn between obligations to his family and his employer, and often ponders where his loyalties are and where to draw boundaries. According to Levinson, he is:
determining his goals.
Kevin's dream is to work with children as a physical therapist. He is committed to complete the years of higher education needed to achieve his dream, and stay active in volunteer work. According to Levinson, by planning the next few years of his life he is:
developing a stable life structure.
Steven's employer is downsizing and cutting jobs. He is worried about his future with the company. On his way home he purchases enough beer so that he'll be drunk by bedtime. He is responding in a typically male:
fight-or-flight manner.
According to Levinson, the transition from dependence to independence is marked by the:
formation of a dream.
In a recent study, _____ was strongly linked to middle-aged adults' positive social engagement in contexts such as family life and community activities.
generativity
Joshua, now in midlife, has been a Boy Scout leader since his children were small. He is taking great pride in watching his son take a leadership position in the scouts. His son is fulfilling Joshua's needs for:
generativity.
According to George Vaillant's longitudinal studies, _____ in middle-age was more strongly related than _____ to whether individuals would have an enduring and happy marriage at 75 to 80 years of age.
generativity; intimacy
Holly asked her husband, Cody, if he felt as if he was in crisis during his midlife years. Cody replied, "My thinking on a lot of things changed, but it wasn't a crisis." Cody's experience:
is consistent with current adult development experts.
Katelyn is a recent 43-year-old divorcee. She is likely to report feeling more _____ than her ex-husband, who is 45.
lonely
Researchers have primarily used _____ studies to assess stability and change across the life span.
longitudinal
According to research by Rossi, which of the following were found to have the closest relationships during their adult years?
mothers and daughters
In a survey conducted by AARP, the primary reason middle-aged and older men cited for wanting a divorce was:
no obvious problems; they just fell out of love
As an art studio professor, Dr. Brandywine is both smart and creative. He enjoys reading high-level books on the philosophy and neuroscience of supporting artistic endeavors, and communicating that information in an understandable way to his students. These characteristics are most closely related to:
openness
Researchers increasingly are finding that _____ is linking to being healthier and living longer.
optimism
Vivian feels overwhelmed by her schedule. Aside from demands at work, she is responsible for getting her children to various events, taking care of her mother's shopping, and managing her household. According to the Almeida and Horn study, she is experiencing:
overload stressors.
Whereas _____ is important in new relationships, especially in young adulthood, _____ becomes more important in middle adulthood.
passion; security
As he looks back over his life, Chris realizes that his work was not as important to him as he believed, and that he lost too much valuable time with his children. If he could do it over again, he would work less and spend more time with his children. According to Erikson, Chris is experiencing some degree of:
stagnation
_____ develops when individuals sense that they have done nothing for the next generation.
stagnation
According to Levinson, the _____ rests on how effectively the individual reduces the four major conflicts and accepts each of them as an integral part of his being.
success of the midlife transition
Michelle's employer just announced through email that there will be a restructuring of the company and jobs will be eliminated. She quickly hurried down the hall to talk to her friend Phyllis. She is responding in a typically female:
tend and befriend manner.
D'Angelo and his wife just had their last child move out of the house. They had lived vicariously through their children, letting their sports activities and various achievements dominate their lives. Now they may experience _____, which includes a decline in marital satisfaction after children leave the home.
the empty nest syndrome
Megan and Bill have had a difficult marriage from the beginning. They finally divorced later in life. Their reason for staying together so long, consistent with a survey conducted by AARP, was because of:
their children.
In a survey conducted by AARP, the primary reason middle-aged and older women cited for wanting a divorce was:
verbal, physical, or emotional abuse.