This paper will focus on the latter part of middle adulthood. Middle adulthood represents the time in life between ages 34 to 60 (Newman & Newman, 2015). Since the middle adulthood is the longest stage of the life cycle, this paper will focus on an individual within the age of 45- 60. Individuals in the middle adulthood stage begin to develop concerns about future generation. They feel the need to contribute to the world through family and work. These feelings and thoughts are referred to as generativity. Erik Erikson refers to the problem posed at this stage as generativity vs. stagnation (Newman et al., 2015). Stagnation occurs when an individual is self-centered and unwilling to help society move forward. Several changes begin to …show more content…
Sam is a 60 year old, retired prison guard who was diagnosed with depression at the age of 56. Sam felt that all his life he struggled with hopelessness, but never felt the need to seek out any professional support other than his family. Sam stated, “I would feel down on myself, but never put much thought into it.” Sam’s first involvement with psychiatric services came shortly after the death of his son. Sam relayed that this was a difficult time for him. He was forced to retire due to a medical condition, his youngest daughter had started her own family and then tragedy stuck Sam’s oldest child and only son committed suicide. Sam stated that he felt that his world had just ended and he himself could not find any reason to live. Sam noted that he became angry and would avoid any contacts with his family. He even contemplated leaving his wife, whom he was happily married to for 35 years. Sam explained that he simply gave up, he stopped watching his diet, he started smoking again after giving it up for 10 years and he would often not get out of bed for days. One could surmise that Sam had entered a state of stagnation. He had lost so much that he isolated himself, gave up on his future and due to these feelings it placed him in a state of stagnation (Van Hiel, Mervielde, & de Fruyt, 2006). Sam’s medical doctor had noted several changes in his demeanor, …show more content…
Sam is considered to be in his middle adulthood. As stated previously, according to Erikson’s life span model this period is referred to as “generativity vs. stagnation” or stage 7 (Erikson, 1950). Generativity vs. stagnation is the main psychosocial conflict one is experiencing during this period (Newman et al., 2015). During this phase, individuals are attempting to find a balance between generativity and stagnation (Van Hiel et al., 2006). According to Erikson (1950), generativity is “primarily the concern in establishing and guiding the next generation.” Generativity and parenting can be closely linked because it is through our parenting skills that we begin to mentor and teach the next generation (Van Hiel et al., 2006). Through these activities we are providing guidance to our own children, which in turn will affect society as a whole. Please note that parenting is not the guaranteed path to generativity. Some research has even suggested that fostering and facilitating generative activity with older adults can improve their level of independence and even improve their quality of life (Ehlman & Ligon,
This stage involves an individual reflecting on themselves and their life in order to determine if they are content with the life they lived or if they have any regrets. If the young adult is unable to establish contentment and peace, then frustration and regret results because the individual becomes saddened they didn’t live a better life (Potter, Perry, et al. 2013). Unfortunately, this patient is experiencing despair because he is currently divorced living alone. Although his children visit him often, they live out of town and are busy with their own lives. Additionally, his present diagnosis of pneumonia and rhonchi facilitate the deterioration of his health as well as his past medical history (cataract and femoral surgery).
Greg is a forty-one year-old man, who is retired from the military. He is in stage seven of Erikson’s psychosocial development called Generativity vs. Stagnation, which includes middle adulthood, forty to sixty-five years of age. According to Capps (2004), Erikson defines generativity as “the concern in establishing and guiding the next generation” (p. 25). This stage claims the largest stretch of time on Erikson’s chart encompassing middle adulthood. Greg has become successful throughout this stage and has a feeling of accomplishment by being active in his home and community. Stagnation represents an individual that is disconnected or uninvolved in their community because they fail to find away to contribute to society. Greg realized he was
For all teens, the transition into adulthood is generally seen as a challenging and scary process. For teens diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as their caregivers, this transition is often more complicated. The period of transition for individuals with ASD into adulthood is intensely more challenging due to their “unique characteristics, the lack of services that address the special needs of such individuals in adulthood, and the expectations of society for a typical path to adulthood in the face of atypical problems” (Geller and Greenberg, 2009, pg. 93). Without the necessary resources to transition, teens with ASD find themselves unprepared for life at work, in college, or community living. Through this paper, the reader will obtain knowledge in regards to what ASD is, the barriers it yields concerning the transition into adulthood, and the effects it has on the individual as well
Hiller, S. M., & Barrow, G. M. (2011). Aging, the individual, and society. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Through real life examples this essay explored the three domains cognitive, physical and social/emotional. It is evident that people in their early adulthood portrays the structure set out in these domains and proofs that the theories explored are close to accurate. Nigel’s interview showed that all domains interrelated and that his experiences matched most theories. His journey as an emerging adult is only the beginning.
Sam Mercado lives like any other high school student, but acquires an appreciation and enjoyment that many lack. When asked what he was most thankful for, he answers with the life that his parents provide him and all the opportunities he receives. Continuing on, he says that he plans to be a strict parent, which showed me that he understands the important role of parents in a child’s life. Although he retains respect for his own parents, he points out that he wouldn’t stop being with someone if his parents disliked that partner. This indicates that he also contains a deference for others and trusts his own judgment. In addition to respecting others, he also enjoys spending time with his friends and prefers to be around others when he’s
In today’s culture, the number of issues that the average person has to face on a daily basis, are astronomical. Millennials, in particular, have been greatly affected by this, so much so that a new phase in the human lifespan has been created just for them! Dubbed “emerging adulthood” by psychologist Jeffrey Arnett, plopped smack dab in the middle of adolescence, and adulthood, this phase captures any, and all doubts that 20-29 year olds are plagued with. From their economic standing, to racial, ethnic, and identity issues, and to disabilities ranging from both mental, and physical, this phase captures every single uncertainty, fear, and qualm that one person can possibly have in a neat little package.
Generativity vs. stagnation is Erikson's seventh stage of development, which occurs in adulthood. Generativity includes responsibilities such as raising children and being productive in a job. Adults who do not perform these tasks become stagnant.
From the life course perspective, midlife behavior has both antecedents and consequences. Earlier life experiences can serve either as risk factors or as protective factors for the health and well-being during this stage of development. According to the study Journey from Childhood to Midlife completed by Werner and Ruth Smith in 2001, by middle adulthood, most people have noted a balancing in their lives and improvement in overall quality of their lives. The period of early adulthood had provided positive turning points such as community college, marriage to a stable partner or military service. A contributing factor is relationships that provided emotional support as well. The presence of a nurturing caregiver from infancy, as well as emotional support along the way from extended family, peers, and caring adults outside the family created a positive environment for the person to continue along the life course. Erik Erikson, Karl Jung and Daniel Levinson are three prominent developmental theorists on human development on the journey of life.
As people progress through life at some point they come to a point when Generativity and stagnation begin between ages 40-60 years old. During this time men and women reminiscing about their contribution to family, relationships, work, and society in the context of how their legacy will be sustained past their lifespan. Berger (2014) clarify this broad application to as satisfying someone’s need to be productive or generative particularly “through parenthood, caregiving, and employment” as it pertains their input toward guiding later generations (p. 646).
Middle adulthood is a complex time period that requires a multidimensional outlook to understand all of the processes and changes that are taking place. The many changes during middle adulthood include physical, cognitive and social differences. Many of these changes create significant stress and it is important to understand ways of coping with the anxiety. Many of these coping mechanisms include mindfulness and cultivating a sense of self-efficacy and mastery (pg. 482). There are many changes during middle adulthood that may require stress management techniques and interventions.
I do believe that there is such a thing as a mid life crisis. There are multiple causes that can cause a midlife crisis, mostly being outside sources such as issues with a career and issue with children. But many sources of a midlife crisis can be from within a person. Such a deep sense of reject, a fear of humiliation among among successful colleagues. When people go through a life crisis they will cope in different ways. Something that I read on the huffington post, to paraphrase a crisis does not just appear in a out of thin air. It come from a long time of exhaustion and sudden acknowledgement of the passage of time. But that usually begins to panic about health issue.
With perseverance of stage six, I have now entered the seventh stage of life. The seventh stage focuses on generativity vs. stagnation. McAdams (2009) states, “To be generative is to generate a legacy of the self for the good of future generations,” (p. 382). There are four types of genera...
At this stage, the main question they asked themselves are “how can I contribute to the world? And “Do I have a purpose in life and am I contented?” (Cherry, 2015). Generativity refers mainly about one’s ability to care for anotherperson; parenting is an important event during this life course. My client being a single mother and essentially the one who raised and support her daughter, feels contented and convince that she accomplished this field. Her main purpose of her life right now is to provide for her daughter and to help her family members that are less fortunate back in Philippines, allowing her to have a sense of worth and fulfillment in life. Other objective of this physiological stage of life is self satisfaction, compared to the other previous stage where they rely mainly on others opinion and social comparison at this age self worth and own’s view of self is valued (Foster & Levitov, 2012). Working as a nurse for almost 30 years, this line of work gives her self fullfillment knowing that she is contributing and serving the community. Stagnation on the other hand is the opposite of generativity, it refers to failure to contribute to the society or care for someone else other that yourself. Individuals that fail to attain generativity tends to be uninvolved or detached from their community, creating a feeling of unproductivity and decrease self worth
As stated by Cronin and Mandich (2016), there are changes in patterns of participation in major life areas in late adulthood such as work, educational pursuits and recreation and leisure. Based on the finding, the factors which contribute to these changes are physical limitations, discrimination, lack of fund and resources, lack of financial support and lack of assistance or social support which can increase their predisposition for having poor sense of purpose in