FRHD 1020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Sandwich Generation, Androgyny, Midlife Crisis
29 May 2018
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MIDDLE YEARS OF THE FAM
• Middle years
o Include
▪ 40 or 45 to 60 years old
• diverse so generalizations only fit part of population
▪ currently
• midlife generation = baby boomers
o 2011- median age of population= 39.9
▪ expected to rise to 44 by 2021
o Time of transition
▪ Midlife parents must adapt to changes in their own lives
▪ Their kids are becoming independent
o Stressors
▪ Most negative stressors involving
• Own health
• Loved one dies
• Financial problems
▪ Differences
• Old boomers
o Concerned about others
• Young boomers
o Interpersonal tension
▪ Helpful resources
• Family
• Close friends
• Professionals
o Stages
▪ Levinson
• Early adult transition
o independence
• Adult world entrance
o experimenting
• Transition
o Lifestyle adjustments
• Settling down
o Stability
• Pay off years
o Self direction and self evaluation
▪ Erikson
• First
o Evaluation and transition
• Second
o Liberation, experimentation, and innovation
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o Midlife crisis?
▪ Extreme strain during evaluation
• Actually rare
• More of a personal discovery, not a crisis
• Parent generation at midlife
o Evaluation
▪ Oneself
• Generativity
o Includes
▪ Mentoring
▪ Creating art
▪ Advocacy and involvement in service organizations
o Gender differences
▪ Men
• More esteemed
o Career
o Public life
▪ Women
• Less esteemed
o Having kids
o Raising kids
• Empty nest syndrome
o Last kid leaves home
▪ Cons:
▪ Depression
▪ Uselessness
▪ Pros:
▪ Happiness
▪ Marital satisfaction
• Identity
o Women encouraged to have separate identities
▪ Baby boomers = first generation
• Why
o Work
o Divorce
• Confidence and competence
o Women
▪ Power in jobs
o Men
▪ Relax from demands
• Mortality
o Factors
▪ Death of parents/people own age
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• Worsened if grandparent
o Senior generation
• Men die at this age
o Especially gay men
▪ AIDS
▪ Physical aging
• Includes
o Gray hair
o Wrinkles
o Loss of physical power
• Stigmatized by society
o Maintain youth image with
▪ Medicine
▪ Fashion
o But if over 50
▪ Worry about health not
appearance
▪ Career
• Determine if dream is attainable
o Yes
▪ Find new one
o No
▪ Alter plans
• Crisis
o Stock taking
▪ Questions
• Change in values and circumstances?
• Continue same career for 20 more years?
o Many want something different
▪ Excitement
▪ Security
o Life changing event
▪ Death
▪ Marriage break up
o Distress
▪ Not reaching goals
▪ Close relationships
• Diverse because
o Increasing life expectancy
• Involve
o Kids
o Parents
o Grand kids
find more resources at oneclass.com
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