Deck 16: Middle Adulthood: Emotional and Social Development

Question 1

The capacity to undergo continual change in order to adapt successfully and cope flexibly with the demands and responsibilities of life is called:

A) stock taking
B) dialectical thinking
C) maturity
D) transitioning

Answer 1

maturity

Question 2

Although she works in a bank, Cynthia sees herself as a creative, free-spirited artist. She says, "That is the real me." Cynthia is expressing her:

A) self-concept
B) self-bias
C) self-esteem
D) self-confidence

Answer 2

self-concept

Question 3

According to Erik Erikson, the midlife years are devoted to resolving the crisis of:

A) identity vs. role confusion
B) achievement vs. inadequacy
C) generativity vs. stagnation
D) autonomy vs. dependency

Answer 3

generativity vs. stagnation

Question 4

Elizabeth gets satisfaction from the professional and volunteer work she engages in because she knows it will benefit future generations by contributing to the world of politics, art, culture, and community. She is a leader in her field as well as a teacher and mentor. Elizabeth is expressing:

A) dialectical thinking
B) stagnation
C) generativity
D) autonomy

Question 5

Michael is at midlife, and although he has noticed a decline in his physical strength, it does not concern him despite the prevailing emphasis on youthfulness and attractiveness. Michael believes that his greater wisdom and maturity have more than offset his declining physical strength. Robert Peck explored the tasks confronting people at midlife. To which of the Peck's four tasks does this scenario most closely relate?

A) emotional flexibility vs. emotional impoverishment
B) mental flexibility vs. mental rigidity
C) valuing wisdom vs. valuing physical powers
D) socializing vs. sexualizing in human relationships

Question 6

When Joshua was a young adult, he placed more importance on attractiveness than on companionship in his relationships with women. Now that he has reached midlife, he places more emphasis on cultivating a caring, compassionate relationship than he does on physical attractiveness. Which of Peck's stages has Joshua accomplished?

A) emotional flexibility vs. emotional impoverishment
B) mental flexibility vs. mental rigidity
C) valuing wisdom vs. valuing physical powers
D) socializing vs. sexualizing in human relationships

Question 7

Now that their children have left their home, Marion and Steve are "empty nesters." In an effort not to feel empty and depressed, they have decided to take up Latin dancing in order to meet new people. They have also decided to volunteer at a local community organization in order to connect with people who need help. Which of Peck's stages are Marion and Steve confronting?

A) emotional flexibility vs. emotional impoverishment
B) mental flexibility vs. mental rigidity
C) valuing wisdom vs. valuing physical powers
D) socializing vs. sexualizing in human relationships

Question 8

Norbert had always relied on his fold-out map to get directions to places he needed to go. Now that he discovered an online service that he can use to download directions, he uses that instead. Not only is it quicker, it's easier for him to read now that he is experiencing diminished eyesight due to midlife changes. Which of Peck's stages is Norbert confronting?

A) emotional flexibility vs. emotional impoverishment
B) mental flexibility vs. mental rigidity
C) valuing wisdom vs. valuing physical powers
D) socializing vs. sexualizing in human relationships

Question 9

Dr. Randall is a traditional psychologist who believes that personality patterns are established during childhood and adolescence and then remain relatively stable over the rest of the life span. His view is most closely associated with which of the following?

A) trait models
B) situational models
C) interactionist models
D) ecological models

Question 10

Lisa is a graduate student in psychology. She rejects the approach to personality that views a person's behavior in terms of recurring patterns. She does, however, believe that a person's behavior is the outcome of the characteristics of the situation in which the person is in at the moment. Lisa is a proponent of which of the following?

A) trait models
B) situational models
C) interactionist models
D) ecological models

Question 11

Psychologists who subscribe to the notion that behavior is always a joint product of the person and the situation are proponents of which of the following?

A) trait models
B) situational models
C) interactionist models
D) ecological models

Question 12

Benjamin is 51 years old. He continues to live in the same community and holds the same job he has had for the last 15 years. He has also just celebrated his 25^th wedding anniversary. He feels that it is time to reappraise and explore his inner self at this midpoint in his life. According to Daniel Levinson, Benjamin is in which stage of a man's life?

A) late adult transition
B) male menopause
C) culminating life structure for middle adulthood
D) age 50 transition

Question 13

Jim is 42 years old and has decided to retire from teaching high school. Having decided at age 35 to get an advanced degree, he has now completed a doctoral degree and plans to become a teacher education professor. Although it involved much work, he says, "At least I won't be an old teacher, now I'll be a young professor." According to Daniel Levinson, Jim is in which stage of a man's life?

A) midlife transition
B) male menopause
C) culminating life structure for middle adulthood
D) age 50 transition

Question 14

Angelina and Reginald have been married for 30 years. Angelina has always been the homemaker and Reginald has always been the provider. Their marriage can be characterized as:

A) nontraditional
B) traditional
C) caretaker
D) none of these

Question 15

Levinson's research on women at midlife revealed that women in midlife transition recognized that their efforts to combine love and marriage, motherhood, and a full-time career:

A) were deeply satisfying on all levels
B) did not provide as much satisfaction as they hoped
C) resulted in equality in the workplace and in the home
D) resulted in less of a burden regarding homemaking

Question 16

In 2010, women who have reached the top of their professions reported:

A) balancing family and career has become easy
B) very different observations of balancing family and career goals than those in Levinson's 1980s study
C) they believe it is possible to be both mother and worker
D) being a mother is not as important to society as working in a paid job

Question 17

In cross-cultural studies of men, researchers found that in general, younger men (aged 35 to 54) tended to be _____________ whereas older men (aged 55 and over) tended to be ___________.

A) competitive; passive
B) passive; competitive
C) passive; aggressive
D) submissive; receptive

Question 18

Deidra is 55 years old and postmenopausal. She no longer tries to look younger by coloring her hair and applying makeup because she doesn't believe anyone is fooled into thinking she is younger. She believes she looks better without it and there are more important concerns. Sheehy would characterize Deidra as having:

A) a midlife crisis
B) an identity crisis
C) postmenopausal zest
D) postmenopausal adjustment

Question 19

The incorporation of both male-typed and female-typed characteristics within a single personality is called:

A) misogyny
B) androgyny
C) bi-genderism
D) androidism

Question 20

According the research of McCrae and Costa cited in your textbook, a person's personality across the adult years tends to:

A) fluctuate
B) show continuity
C) show instability
D) none of these

Question 21

Andrea is 55 years old. She is caring for her ailing parents as well as raising her two grandchildren. These obligations show her that she is a bridge between the generations. Andrea is part of what is known as the:

A) bridge generation
B) sandwich generation
C) linkage generation
D) silent generation

Question 22

The social network of family, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers through which we achieve a sense of self-worth, acceptance, and psychological well-being is referred to as a:

A) social convoy
B) social safety net
C) social system
D) none of these

Question 23

According to the U.S. Census figures cited in your textbook, approximately what percent of people in middle adulthood are married?

A) 33
B) 50
C) 66
D) 90

Question 24

Early in the marriage ___________ usually wanted more time alone, while it was more often ____________ who wanted more time alone in long-standing marriages.

A) the wife; the husband
B) the husband; the wife
C) neither; the husband
D) the wife; neither

Question 25

Most married couples measure their financial success by:

A) their pooled earnings
B) the husband's income
C) the wife's income
D) their total net worth

Question 26

Who is more likely to have engaged in EMS (extramarital sexual relations) over a lifetime?

A) women
B) men
C) neither
D) it cannot be determined

Question 27

The highest incidence of having had a secondary sex partner among women occurs during which group?

A) married women
B) dating women
C) cohabiting women
D) none of these

Question 28

Christine has been sharing confidences and personal feelings with her co-worker Bernard. Although she is somewhat taken aback because she has not shared these feelings with her husband, it can be said that Christine is engaging in:

A) emotional infidelity
B) sexual infidelity
C) emotional instability
D) expressive infidelity

Question 29

Which of the following women would be more likely to divorce?

A) Maria, who graduated from college with a degree
B) Anne, married at 17, who did not finish high school
C) Leslie, who has been married for 28 years
D) Dale, who has a house and five children

Question 30

Compared with married, never-married, and widowed adults, both parties to a divorce have:

A) more financial strain
B) social isolation
C) physical distress
D) all of these

Question 31

How does divorce affect men and women at midlife?

A) women become depressed and have lower achievement goals while men become more outgoing and action-oriented
B) men become depressed and have lower achievement goals while women become more outgoing and action-oriented
C) both men and women become depressed and have lower achievement goals
D) both men and women become more outgoing and action-oriented

Question 32

Beatrice had always been a stay-at-home mom. After her divorce, she lost her main source of income. Beatrice is referred to as a:

A) dislocated divorcee
B) redundant housewife
C) displaced homemaker
D) none of these

Question 33

Which of the following is true concerning divorced men who do not remarry?

A) rates of alcoholism tend to rise
B) rates of drug abuse tend to rise
C) rates of car accidents tend to rise
D) all of these

Question 34

Approximately what proportion of recent marriages were remarriages in 2000?

A) one-half
B) one-quarter
C) one-third
D) one-sixth

Question 35

The likelihood that a woman will remarry:

A) increases with age
B) increases with increasing levels of education
C) decreases with age
D) is not affected by age or education

Question 36

"Blended families" are comprised of:

A) parents and/or children coming from different ethnic groups
B) parents and/or children who practice different religions
C) children and/or parents who are from different age groups
D) children from previous marriages and/or adopted children

Question 37

Having been divorced for three years, Tyler's mother has just told him that she will remarry. Tyler is most likely to feel what emotion?

A) acceptance
B) apprehension
C) joy
D) relief

Question 38

Maureen's two children have left home. Her daughter is going to college and her son is getting married. Now that the children have left, Maureen and her husband have a household that is called a(n):

A) empty nest
B) vacated household
C) dislocated family
D) none of these

Question 39

Millie, Jack, and Sharon are stepchildren in a blended family. Adrienne asks her friend who also has stepchildren for some advice to help maintain mealtime harmony. The best advice she can give is to:

A) insist on the stepparent's meal choices so that the stepchildren will quickly become accustomed to them
B) enforce strict table manners
C) take a "don't sweat the small stuff" attitude
D) punish children who express their dislike for unfamiliar food

Question 40

Since there is no time for the evolution of parenting techniques in the blended family, it is probably best to:

A) not yield to compromise
B) discuss parenting/discipline techniques prior to the marriage
C) allow each parent to discipline in their own way even if they conflict
D) all of these

Question 41

Many women in the sandwich generation are subjected to role-overload stresses similar to those experienced by younger women. This is probably due to:

A) caring for elderly parents
B) caring for children and/or grandchildren
C) dealing with their own age-related issues
D) all of these

Question 42

People of the sandwich generation who are caring for elderly parents might be seeking alternative solutions for elder care. Such innovations might include:

A) social adult day care
B) Meals on Wheels
C) GROW
D) all of these

Question 43

Which of the following is true regarding midlife people and friendship?

A) Midlife women are more likely than midlife men to have intimate friendships.
B) Support from a close friend can help those unhappy with their marriages.
C) Close friends are apt to fulfill everyday emotional needs.
D) All of these are true.

Question 44

Many employed midlife men and women experience what kind of relationship with regard to their occupational status?

A) They put more emphasis on self-fulfillment.
B) They put more emphasis on monetary rewards.
C) They put more emphasis on relations with co-workers.
D) They put more emphasis on relations with superiors.

Question 45

Cecilia is feeling her job does not contribute anything to society. She feels powerless to make any changes within the structure of the job and feels isolated. This type of job burnout is related to:

A) alienation
B) association
C) psychosis
D) social interaction disorder

Question 46

According to the research cited in your textbook, workers report that job satisfaction:

A) is lowest at the beginning of one's career.
B) is lowest at the end of one's career.
C) is lowest at the midpoint of one's career.
D) declines steadily from beginning to end.

Question 47

Which of the following factors affect(s) job satisfaction?

A) self-direction
B) flexibility
C) purpose
D) all of these

Question 48

Tonya has just lost her job. If she follows the typical pattern of how people react to unemployment, she will first:

A) feel a loss of self-esteem and experience high levels of anxiety and doubt
B) concentrate on finding a new job
C) undergo a sequence of shock, relief, and relaxation
D) enter a state of resignation and withdrawal

Question 49

Long-term unemployment often leads to all of the following EXCEPT:

A) child abuse
B) alcoholism
C) family quarreling
D) relief and relaxation

Question 50

Which of the following statements is true concerning retirement?

A) Whether or not one's spouse is retired is an important factor in retirement satisfaction.
B) The retirement experience is similar whether a person's spouse is also retired or not.
C) There are few if any adjustments to be made in retirement for the majority of retirees.
D) None of these statements is true concerning retirement.

Question 51

Describe the "crisis" of midlife in terms of Erikson's stage theory.

Question 52

Identify and describe Robert C. Peck's four tasks that confront midlife adults.

Question 53

Discuss the three approaches to personality.

Question 54

Describe the empty nest syndrome and contrast it with empty nest.