Deck 16: Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood

Question 1

According to Levinson,by age 40,a man has:

A)reached a stable point in his career.
B)just started to determine his goals.
C)just formed a dream about his future.
D)come to grips with the conflict of being attached to others versus being separated from them.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is the seventh stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory?

A)Intimacy versus isolation
B)Integrity versus despair
C)Autonomy versus shame and doubt
D)Generativity versus stagnation

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Identify the major task that must be mastered in early adulthood,according to Levinson.

A)Reaching the pinnacle of one's career
B)Developing a stable life structure
C)Focusing on family development
D)Forming an image of one's career

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Saeko has committed herself to the continuation and improvement of society as a whole through her connection and relationship with their children and grandchildren.According to Erikson,she is:

A)self-absorbed.
B)generative.
C)stagnant.
D)apathetic.

Question 5

Abdiel has had three children,according to Erikson,he has achieved:

A)biological generativity.
B)parental generativity.
C)biological stagnation.
D)cultural stagnation.

Question 6

According to Levinson,the transition to middle adulthood lasts about _____ years.

A)two
B)four
C)five
D)seven

Question 7

From about the ages of 28 to 33,a man goes through a transition period in which he must face the more serious question of:

A)achieving his independence.
B)forming his dreams.
C)achieving his goals.
D)determining his goals.

Question 8

As he looks back at 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:

A)social rejection.
B)apathy.
C)generativity.
D)stagnation.

Question 9

Jacqueline nurtures and guides her children.According to Erikson,she has achieved _____ generativity.

A)biological
B)parental
C)work
D)cultural

Question 10

According to Levinson,which of the following should occur at the end of one's teens?

A)A transition from dependence to independence
B)An increase in generativity
C)An increase in feelings of stagnation
D)A transition from conventional to postconventional reasoning

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true about Erikson's stage of generativity versus stagnation?

A)Universally,research refutes Erikson's theory that generativity is an important dimension of middle age.
B)Generative adults usually refrain from committing themselves to the continuation and improvement of a society as a whole.
C)Generative adults develop a positive legacy of the self and then offer it as a gift to the next generation.
D)Adults usually strive to achieve a kind of recognition through legacies.

Question 12

Levinson sees the twenties as a(n)_____ phase of adult development.

A)stagnant
B)novice
C)expert
D)generative

Question 13

According to Levinson,the transition from dependence to independence is marked by the:

A)realization of a goal.
B)testing of a dream.
C)free experimentation of a dream.
D)formation of a dream.

Question 14

_____ develops when individuals sense that they have done nothing for the next generation.

A)Perpetuity
B)Generativity
C)Self-actualization
D)Stagnation

Question 15

In a longitudinal study of Smith College women,the desire for _____ increased as the participants aged from their thirties to their fifties.

A)generativity
B)self-concept
C)stagnation
D)self-absorption

Question 16

According to Levinson,which of the following is a major task that needs to be mastered in early adulthood?

A)Exploring the possibilities for adult living
B)Determining one's goals in life
C)Testing one's dreams in the real world
D)Becoming independent

Question 17

Guillermo has taught his apprentices all the specialized techniques he has developed over the years as a carpenter.According to Erikson,he has achieved _____ generativity.

A)biological
B)parental
C)work
D)cultural

Question 18

Erikson proposed that middle-aged adults face a significant issue which he termed:

A)intimacy versus isolation.
B)integrity versus despair.
C)generativity versus stagnation.
D)autonomy versus shame and doubt.

Question 19

In Erik Erikson's theory,adults strive for generativity to achieve a sense of:

A)immortality.
B)recognition.
C)achievement.
D)omniscience.

Question 20

In Erikson's theory,_____ encompasses adults' desire to leave legacies of themselves to the next generation.

A)self-actualization
B)generativity
C)self-absorption
D)perpetuity

Question 21

According to the contemporary life-events approach,the influence of life events also depends on all of the following factors EXCEPT the:

A)individual's cognitive capacity.
B)individual's adaptation.
C)life-stage context.
D)sociohistorical context.

Question 22

According to Lachman,researchers have found that in _____ of the cases in which individuals have reported going through a midlife crisis,the "crisis is triggered by life events such as a job loss,financial problems,or illness."

A)one-fourth
B)half
C)two-thirds
D)one-third

Question 23

Middle-aged adults feel they have less control over their:

A)marriage.
B)finances.
C)work.
D)children.

Question 24

Daniel Levinson's studies suggest that most adults feel that middle age is a time of:

A)crisis.
B)reconsolidation.
C)peace and tranquility.
D)intimacy and social closeness.

Question 25

Which of the following is a shortcoming of stage theories of adult development?

A)They do not adequately address universals of adult personality development.
B)They do not adequately address individual variations in adult development.
C)They place far too much importance on cultural variations in adult development.
D)They place too much importance on individual variations in adult development.

Question 26

Adult development experts are virtually unanimous in their belief that midlife crises:

A)have been validated.
B)have been exaggerated.
C)have no cross-cultural validity.
D)have been underestimated.

Question 27

The life-events approach to understanding adult development has been criticized because it:

A)placed too much emphasis on change.
B)ignored the developmental stages adults go through.
C)did not consider the female experience.
D)focused on minor and not major life events.

Question 28

What did Levinson's research conclude about women in midlife transition?

A)Women have significantly less distress during this process.
B)Women face the midlife transition earlier and with greater difficulty than do men.
C)Levinson maintained that women who have had children experience an easier time during midlife than those who have not had children.
D)Levinson reported that his stages,transitions,and the crisis of middle age hold for women as well as men.

Question 29

Which of the following is one of the ten most frequent daily hassles for adults in middle age?

A)Concerns about being lonely
B)Concerns about meeting high standards
C)Concerns about weight
D)Wasting time

Question 30

_____ percent of the men Levinson interviewed found the midlife transition tumultuous and psychologically painful,as many aspects of their lives came into question.

A)Fifty to sixty
B)Forty to fifty
C)Seventy to eighty
D)Ten to twenty

Question 31

According to Lachman,researchers have found that on average a sense of personal control peaks in _____ and then declines.

A)early adulthood
B)midlife
C)adolescence
D)late adulthood

Question 32

Which of the following acts as the focus of stage theories trying to explain midlife?

A)Universals of adult personality development
B)Gender differences in adult personality development
C)Individual variations in adult development
D)Cultural variations in adult personality development

Question 33

Which of the following is a major difference between Levinson's and Valliant's view on midlife?

A)Unlike Valliant,according to Levinson,only males experience midlife crisis.
B)Unlike Levinson,Valliant maintains that only a minority of adults experience midlife as a crisis.
C)Levinson maintains that the transition period to midlife is six years,while Valliant holds it to be eight years.
D)Unlike Levinson,Valliant's study was mainly focused on white,middle-aged,male population within the upper SES of society.

Question 34

Over which of the following aspects of life do middle-aged adults feel they have the least control?

A)Finances
B)Sex life
C)Work
D)Marriage

Question 35

George Vaillant concludes that the _____ are a decade of reassessing and recording the truth about the adolescent and adulthood years.

A)forties
B)fifties
C)sixties
D)thirties

Question 36

George Vaillant concludes that _____ is a time for detecting parental flaws and discovering the truth about childhood.

A)adolescence
B)late adulthood
C)middle adulthood
D)old age

Question 37

According to Levinson,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?

A)Being young versus being old
B)Being attractive versus being unattractive
C)Being masculine versus being feminine
D)Being destructive versus being constructive

Question 38

The _____ life-events approach emphasized the manner in which life events that influence an individual's development depends not only on these events but also on mediating factors.

A)contemporary
B)standard
C)cognitive
D)assimilative

Question 39

According to Levinson,the _____ rests on how effectively an individual reduces the polarities and accepts each of them as an integral part of his or her being.

A)failure of adolescent transition
B)success of the midlife transition
C)success of transition into early adulthood
D)success of transition into late adulthood

Question 40

According to the Almeida and Horn study,which of the following is the difference in the experience of stressors between young adults and middle-aged adults?

A)Unlike middle-aged adults,young adults experienced daily stressors less frequently.
B)Unlike young adults,middle-aged adults experienced lesser multiple stressors than older adults.
C)Unlike middle-aged adults,young adults were less physically reactive to work stressors.
D)Unlike young adults,middle-aged adults experienced more "overload" stressors.

Question 41

Cohorts refer to:

A)groups of individuals born in the same year or time period.
B)groups of individuals who have the same socioeconomic status.
C)individuals of the same gender.
D)individuals who are working in the same field.

Question 42

When women experience stress,they are more likely to engage in:

A)a tend-and-befriend pattern.
B)an aggressive behavior.
C)a fight-or-flight response.
D)social distancing.

Question 43

According to the Mitchell and Helson study,conditions that distinguished the lives of women in their early fifties from those of women in other age periods included all of the following EXCEPT:

A)more "empty nests."
B)lower health.
C)higher income.
D)more concern for parents.

Question 44

Lorenzo was born during the depression era in the U.S.Now he and others who were born at about the same time show greater cognitive decline than people born at later times.This illustrates that cohort effects are differences based on:

A)gender.
B)historical contexts.
C)genetic traits.
D)cultural aspects.

Question 45

In the context of gender,which of the following statements is true about the midlife period?

A)Middle-aged men have more interpersonal stressors.
B)Middle-aged women have more self-focused stressors.
C)The adult stage theories place heavy importance on childbearing and child rearing.
D)Midlife is a diversified,heterogeneous period for women.

Question 46

Which of the following statements is true about cultural contexts of adulthood?

A)In many cultures,especially nonindustrialized cultures,the concept of middle age is not very clear,or in some cases is absent.
B)In nonindustrialized societies,individuals are always aptly identified and described as middle-aged unlike in industrialized societies.
C)Every culture in the world has words for "adolescent" and "young adult."
D)Unlike in Gusii culture,midlife crisis is an exception rather than a rule in the American culture.

Question 47

It is common in nonindustrialized societies to:

A)describe individuals as young or old but not as middle-aged.
B)describe individuals as middle-aged.
C)not have any words for old or young.
D)not give much importance to an individual's age.

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT one of the five big personality traits identified by Costa and McCrae?

A)Extraversion
B)Openness
C)Adaptability
D)Conscientiousness

Question 49

Which of the following is a significant observation by Neugarten regarding social clocks?

A)Social clocks are more rigid than they were before.
B)Individuals whose lives are synchronized with the social clocks are less stressed.
C)Younger adults below 25 years are excluded from the social clock age bracket.
D)Social clocks are more important for males than for females.

Question 50

Which of the following is one of the Big Five factors of personality?

A)Generativity
B)Extraversion
C)Transitivity
D)Stagnation

Question 51

Stages of adulthood in the Gusii culture of Kenya are defined by:

A)a person's age.
B)events in a person's life.
C)the evaluations of the elders within a culture.
D)the type of midlife crisis a person experiences.

Question 52

The timetable according to which individuals are expected to accomplish life's tasks,such as getting married,having children,or establishing themselves in a career is known as the:

A)interval measure.
B)life-event calendar.
C)circadian rhythm.
D)social clock.

Question 53

Which of the following supertraits deals with emotional stability and describes an individual as being calm or anxious?

A)Conscientiousness
B)Extraversion
C)Openness
D)Neuroticism

Question 54

Which theory is similar to the contemporary life-events approach in highlighting the importance of complex setting of people's lives?

A)Bronfenbrenner's theory
B)Freud's psychoanalytic theory
C)Erikson's psychosocial theory
D)Piaget's cognitive development theory

Question 55

Which of the following statements is true about the stage theories of adult development?

A)Critics have regularly observed that the stage theories of adult development have a female bias.
B)The central focus of stage theories have been predominantly away from career choice or work achievement.
C)The stage theories adequately address women's concerns about relationships,interdependence,and caring.
D)The adult stage theories have also placed little importance on childbearing and child rearing.

Question 56

When men face stress,they are more likely to respond in a:

A)composed manner.
B)fight-or-flight manner.
C)stagnant manner.
D)tend-and-befriend pattern.

Question 57

Sandra's mother is concerned about Sandra's lack of interest in marrying and having children.She told Sandra,"When I was your age,I had already found a good husband and settled down." Sandra and her mother:

A)have different social clocks.
B)have different coping styles.
C)have different commitment levels.
D)are in different developmental stages.

Question 58

A recent study by Specht,Egloff,and Schukle found that _____ showed a continuous increase from early adulthood to late adulthood.

A)agreeableness
B)extraversion
C)conscientiousness
D)openness

Question 59

When men use fight-or-flight manner to respond to stress,they are most likely to:

A)withdraw from social contact.
B)be merciful and forgiving.
C)seek social alliances.
D)tend and befriend people.

Question 60

Which of the following is the conclusion of the study conducted by Costa and McCrae on approximately 1,000 college-educated men and women aged 20 to 96?

A)Considerable stability occurs in the five personality factors.
B)Extraversion is the most unstable personality factor.
C)While extraversion and openness remained stable,agreeableness and conscientiousness varied greatly.
D)The five personality factors were very unstable across different age groups.

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT one of the groups distinguished by Helson and her colleagues in the Mills College Study?

A)Women without children who pursued only low-level work.
B)Women who were career-oriented.
C)Women who were single mothers and had aged,dependent parents.
D)Women who were family-oriented.

Question 62

Identify the Big Five personality factor that classifies a person as either organized or disorganized.

A)Openness to experience
B)Extraversion
C)Conscientiousness
D)Agreeableness

Question 63

In the Berkeley Longitudinal Studies,which of the following characteristics generally changed the most across time for an adult?

A)Intellectual orientation
B)Nurturance or hostility
C)Openness to experience
D)Self-confidence

Question 64

Becky is careless,impulsive,and disorganized.According to the Big Five personality factors,Becky is most likely to score low on:

A)openness to experience.
B)agreeableness.
C)neuroticism.
D)conscientiousness.

Question 65

A study by Briley,Domiteaux,and Tucker-Drob (2014)revealed that _____ was related to superior cognitive functioning and IQ across the life span.

A)agreeableness
B)openness
C)extraversion
D)neuroticism

Question 66

Which of the following Big Five personality factors describes an individual as either self-satisfied or self-pitying?

A)Openness
B)Agreeableness
C)Neuroticism
D)Extraversion

Question 67

In the Berkeley Longitudinal Studies,which of the following characteristics was generally stable across time for an adult?

A)Nurturance
B)Hostility
C)Self-control
D)Self-confidence

Question 68

According to the Big Five factors of personality,which of the following personality supertrait describes a person as either helpful or uncooperative?

A)Conscientiousness
B)Agreeableness
C)Openness
D)Extraversion

Question 69

Identify the Big Five personality factor that describes whether a person is independent or conforming.

A)Openness to experience
B)Extraversion
C)Conscientiousness
D)Agreeableness

Question 70

Which of the following Big Five personality factors describes a person as either disciplined or impulsive?

A)Openness to experience
B)Conscientiousness
C)Neuroticism
D)Agreeableness

Question 71

Diana is fun-loving,sociable,and affectionate with all her friends and acquaintances.Identify the Big Five personality factor that describes this aspect of Diana's personality.

A)Extraversion
B)Conscientiousness
C)Neuroticism
D)Agreeableness

Question 72

Identify the supertrait that encompasses traits such as soft-hearted,trusting,and helpful,according to the Big Five factors of personality.

A)Conscientiousness
B)Openness to experience
C)Agreeableness
D)Extraversion

Question 73

Which of the following Big Five personality factors describes whether an individual is imaginative or practical?

A)Agreeableness
B)Extraversion
C)Conscientiousness
D)Openness to experience

Question 74

According to the Big Five factors of personality,which of the following personality supertrait describes whether an individual is either secure or insecure?

A)Neuroticism
B)Agreeableness
C)Openness
D)Extraversion

Question 75

Which of the following Big Five personality factors describes whether a person is sociable or retiring?

A)Extraversion
B)Openness to experience
C)Conscientiousness
D)Agreeableness

Question 76

Most research studies indicate that the greatest change in personality traits occurs in:

A)midlife.
B)late midlife.
C)late adulthood.
D)early adulthood.

Question 77

Identify the Big Five personality factor that describes whether an individual is fun-loving or somber.

A)Agreeableness
B)Openness to experience
C)Conscientiousness
D)Extraversion

Question 78

A meta-analysis conducted by Zhao,Seibert,and Lumpkin (2010)revealed that _____ was linked to greater entrepreneurial success.

A)agreeableness
B)neuroticism
C)extraversion
D)openness

Question 79

What is John Clausen's (one of the researchers in the Berkeley Longitudinal Studies)criticism about the adult stage theories?

A)Too much attention has been given to the discontinuities in life.
B)Most people actually have stable,continuous lives with little change.
C)Personality is actually characterized by change,not stability.
D)Life changes do not follow through in stages,but rather in a continuum.

Question 80

According to research by Donnellan,Larsen-Rife,and Conger (2005),individuals high on _____ were more likely to have satisfying romantic relationships.

A)agreeableness
B)neuroticism
C)extraversion
D)openness