Deck 12: Middle Adulthood 34 to 60 Years

Question 1

Which aspect of career management refers to such behaviors as working effectively in a group, influencing co- workers, communicating with clients or customers, and comparing oneself to others?

A) Authority relations
B) Evaluation
C) Interpersonal skills
D) Skill demands

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The combination of extensive knowledge required for the work and experience with a variety of problem-solving strategies gives middle adults an advantage with respect to

A) managerial resourcefulness.
B) self-sufficiency.
C) getting away with spending less hours at the office.
D) getting the shift or vacation schedule they request.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

People who distill complex ideas into a simple message and link their message to experiences that are personally relevant to their followers are

A) using upward comparison.
B) charismatic leaders.
C) using downward comparison.
D) exercising their authority.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the current views on the most important component of effective leadership?

A) A prime adaptive ego quality
B) Social integration related to authority recognition
C) A component of personality development
D) A relationship among people

Question 5

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between work and an individual in middle adulthood?

A) There is reciprocity between work and individual development.
B) Work plays a minor role in terms of psychosocial development.
C) No relationship exists between work and individual development.
D) Psychosocial development influences work, but work does not influence psychosocial development.

Question 6

How is the nature of the workplace predicted to change over the coming 20 years?

A) To a more centralized, hierarchical model
B) To a more decentralized, fee-for-service model
C) To a more caring, humanistic model
D) To a more secure, job-for-life model

Question 7

Which of the following reflects the substantive complexity of a job?

A) Exposure to physical and emotional hazards
B) On-the-job training
C) Repetitive technical skills
D) Independent judgment and decision making

Question 8

Which group had the lowest unemployment rate in 2012?

A) African Americans with less than high school education level
B) European Americans with a college graduation
C) Hispanic/Latino with some college experience but no degree
D) Asian Americans with high school graduation

Question 9

Effective leaders in the workplace should

A) balance self-interest with the good of the group.
B) work only for their self-interest.
C) ignore the dynamics among group members.
D) create a rigid, hierarchical leadership structure.

Question 10

The strains of middle adulthood result largely from

A) work on identity formation.
B) efforts to complete an education.
C) trying to balance many demanding roles.
D) trying to diet and quit smoking.

Question 11

Which of the following might make it difficult to make a midlife career change?

A) Knowing you have gone as far as possible in the current career
B) Wanting to return to one's career after a period of being the primary parent and homemaker
C) Fearing the possibility of disappointing important loved ones by failing in the new career
D) Being fired from one's current job

Question 12

Juanita is considered to have intellectual flexibility. Because of this, she is likely to be able to

A) carry out only one task at a time.
B) be a supportive supervisor.
C) see a problem from one rather than several perspectives simultaneously.
D) consider conflicting information on a topic.

Question 13

Because Jamison's engineering job is one that can be described as substantively complex, Jamison will likely develop new levels of

A) intellectual flexibility.
B) competitiveness.
C) role conflict.
D) task completion.

Question 14

In an international comparison, which of the following was related to less family-work conflict across all 48 countries that were studied?

A) Responsibility for children
B) Responsibility for elders
C) Marriage
D) Job responsibility

Question 15

In comparison to workers in Western European countries, U.S. workers

A) have a more powerful labor union structure.
B) work 250 hours longer per year.
C) work fewer hours.
D) are more cooperative.

Question 16

As leader of the neighborhood crime watch committee, Theo is describing what he hopes the neighborhood will be like after the committee is functioning for the coming year or two. What leadership assumption does this best exemplify?

A) Leadership is a relationship among people.
B) Leadership is directly related to the complexity of tasks.
C) Leaders have an impact on the achievement of goals.
D) Leaders provide a sense of vision and direction.

Question 17

Dakota was named New Sales Associate of the Year and will be presented with an award next Friday night at the mandatory awards banquet. She has worked hard for the award and wants the raise associated with her sales production, but is frustrated about the date and time of the awards banquet as it is the same as the high school football game opener in which her children participate in the band and on the team. This is an example of

A) spillover from work and family roles.
B) role overload.
C) complementary roles.
D) role conflict.

Question 18

Which of the following contributes to greater job satisfaction?

A) Job flexibility
B) Marital flexibility
C) Dual earners in the same field
D) Job travel

Question 19

The term managerial resourcefulness refers to

A) a teamwork approach.
B) a problem-solving process.
C) the substantive nature of a job description.
D) the reliance on previous solutions for new and different problems.

Question 20

Authority relations refer to

A) meeting new skill demands in the workplace.
B) a stagnated relationship with an intimate partner.
C) the hierarchical structure which involves supervision and control.
D) a psychosocial crisis in middle adulthood.

Question 21

In an international comparison, which characteristics of a job consistently produced work-family conflict?

A) Job responsibility
B) Salary
C) Friendship with co-workers
D) Commute

Question 22

In an international study of IBM workers in 48 countries, work was consistently more likely to create            in family life than family life was to________   in work.

A) good communication; facilitate productivity
B) satisfaction; create satisfaction
C) harmony; be disruptive
D) conflict; be disruptive

Question 23

As he observed interactions among married couples while they discussed a difficult issue, Gottman found that couples in long-enduring, satisfying relationships

A) had five negative statements to one positive statement.
B) had an equal number of positive and negative statements.
C) had five positive statements to one negative statement.
D) did not have any conflicts.

Question 24

What is likely to be the impact on Carl's family members when he experiences negative work-related stressors?

A) It will create a closer bond between him and his children.
B) It will create a closer bond between his children and their mother.
C) It will prevent him from using effective parenting strategies with his children.
D) It will increase his wife's sense of overload.

Question 25

If a wife receives encouragement and support from her husband for participating in the paid labor market, then the couple is more likely to experience

A) dyadic adaptation.
B) marital satisfaction.
C) enmeshment.
D) internal competition.

Question 26

How is menopause related to culture?

A) Hot flashes are considered sexually alluring in some cultures.
B) Menopause is associated with illness and depression in all cultures.
C) In cultures that admire older women, the symptoms of menopause are less severe.
D) Menopause is culturally determined. In some societies, women continue to be fertile into their 80s.

Question 27

The involution and atrophy of the female's reproductive organs is called

A) the launching period.
B) a threshold.
C) attachment.
D) climacteric.

Question 28

Of the following, who is most likely to be distressed by family-work conflict?

A) Mora and Frank, grandparents
B) Harry, a husband
C) Gladis, a wife
D) Zoey and Charlie, children

Question 29

Which of the following statements best describes the impact of joblessness for men?

A) Joblessness allows a man to increase his capacity to be generative.
B) Joblessness can decrease a man's ability to achieve generativity.
C) When unemployed, a man's family plays little role in his mental state.
D) Job loss for men is associated with hopefulness about the future.

Question 30

Vital, harmonious couples are able to affirm each other's concerns because they have

A) an effective communication system.
B) been married a long time.
C) no conflicts or major arguments.
D) not changed developmentally since they were married.

Question 31

Harvey and Frederica are a dual-career couple. Their marital satisfaction is most likely maintained when

A) Frederica experiences spillover.
B) Harvey is insensitive to Frederica's work and family roles.
C) Harvey supports Frederica's involvement in work roles.
D) both Harvey and Frederica's gender roles are rigid and traditional.

Question 32

Which of the following is usually found in a long-lasting, happy marriage?

A) The partners sacrifice individuality for the sake of being a strong couple.
B) The partners never disagree.
C) The partners find pleasure and comfort in each other's company.
D) The partners avoid situations that may require change in their relationship.

Question 33

The physical symptoms associated with the climacteric among women are most likely due to which of the following?

A) A rapid decline in estrogen production
B) The number of children she has
C) Malnutrition
D) A change in lifestyle after children leave home

Question 34

Which term refers to the ability to bring positive energy from work to family life and vice versa?

A) Work-family facilitation
B) Synergistic ergonomics
C) Cross pollination
D) Family energies

Question 35

Which of the following is least likely to be a consequence of unemployment in middle adulthood?

A) Increases in marital conflict
B) Self-doubt
C) Depression
D) Role overload

Question 36

What role does conflict likely play in a David and Tara's vital marriage?

A) David and Tara do not experience conflict.
B) David and Tara can always resolve the conflict.
C) Disagreements in David and Tara's marriage are avoided at all costs.
D) David and Tara disagree, but positive statements outnumber negative statements in their interactions.

Question 37

In happily married couples, the two people

A) are exclusively dependent upon each other.
B) are very different from each other.
C) tend to be passionate.
D) are basically even-tempered and warm hearted.

Question 38

Dissatisfied couples experience which of the following communication problems?

A) They avoid problems.
B) They avoid problems and counterattack.
C) They use irony.
D) They counterattack.

Question 39

In the case of Annette and Gary, what is the challenge the couple faces in trying to preserve a vital marriage?

A) Neither Annette nor Gary wants to change.
B) Annette wants to achieve a new level of competence in work, but her husband and children do not want her to change.
C) Gary and the children want to have more independence and self-sufficiency, but Annette does not want to give up her caregiving role.
D) Gary and Annette are experiencing escalating levels of hostility and disenchantment with their relationship.

Question 40

Which of the following changes in sexual responsiveness is likely to occur for 45-year-old married couple David and Darlene?

A) Certain diseases and medications may interfere with David's ability to have an erection.
B) Orgasm is no longer pleasurable for either David or Darlene.
C) After menopause, Darlene can no longer have sexual intercourse.
D) David can no longer produce sperm.

Question 41

Parents of adolescent children must learn to balance freedom, emotional support, and __________ in order to promote their adolescent child's optimal development.

A) limit-setting
B) positive regard
C) time on task
D) detachment

Question 42

What is one lesson to be learned from the case of Lois Lyles and her mother?

A) Caregiving is reciprocal; costs and rewards flow in both directions.
B) Caregiving is unidirectional; rewards flow only to the person being cared for.
C) The person receiving care can lose her independence by becoming bound to the caregiver.
D) Caregiving can be a totally draining experience for the caregiver.

Question 43

The ability to enact the grandparent role is mediated by which of the following?

A) The grandparent's filial obligation
B) The grandparent's mother and father
C) The relationship a grandparent has with his or her adult children
D) The grandparent's ability to communicate using nonverbal expressions and gestures

Question 44

In family development theory, the progression of stages or phases of family development are linked to

A) the age of the parents.
B) changes in developmental level of children in the family.
C) the number of years the parents have been married.
D) the number of children in a family.

Question 45

Which of the following is the best definition of a household?

A) All the people who live in one housing unit
B) All people who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption
C) Two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live in one housing unit
D) The style of life created by the people who live in a household

Question 46

Stephanie's parents' involvement with which of the following is MOST LIKELY to have an important impact on her academic success during her early and middle childhood?

A) Politics
B) Her educational system
C) Health and fitness
D) Career management

Question 47

Adolescent children often challenge their parents'

A) marriage.
B) ancestry.
C) ethnic identity.
D) authority.

Question 48

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) The household system can provide an environment that facilitates development and mental health.
B) Household maintenance is relatively easy and does not take much time.
C) The value of the accomplishments of management of the household is well defined in monetary terms.
D) Recent trends indicate an increase in time spent on household tasks.

Question 49

Which of the following terms refers to setting priorities, planning, problem solving, managing resources, decision- making, and other activities adults carry out in order to take care of themselves and others who are entrusted to their care?

A) Meditation skills
B) Management of the household
C) Housekeeping
D) Positive maintenance

Question 50

When adult children leave home, what is most likely to happen to the parents' relationship with each other?

A) The parents tend to drift apart emotionally.
B) If the parents' marriage was satisfactory before the children left, the couple grows closer emotionally after the children leave.
C) Parents experience new levels of stress and conflict once the children leave home.
D) The parents' relationship does not change.

Question 51

Which term refers to the capacity of spouses to acknowledge, respect, and value each other's parenting roles and tasks?

A) Filial obligation
B) Co-parenting agreement
C) Parenting alliance
D) Managerial resourcefulness

Question 52

After adult children leave home, parents

A) usually disassociate themselves from the identities of their children.
B) whose relationships had been satisfactory before their adult children left home tend to develop less cohesive and affectionate relationships after they leave home.
C) no longer have to perform parenting functions.
D) begin to find new areas for the energy and commitment that was directed toward their adult children who lived in their home.

Question 53

During early and middle childhood, parents

A) act as educators and gatekeepers.
B) anticipate regression to earlier developmental stages.
C) criticize work in order to manage the household.
D) are not viewed as a resource to their children.

Question 54

Based on studies of intergenerational families, which of the following scenarios is the most likely type of economic transfer of resources?

A) Adult children Tom and Betty give more money to their aging parents than they receive from them.
B) Aging parents Thor and Sheila live in their child's home and pay rent.
C) Aging parents Daniel and Tina pay interest free loans on money they borrow from their children.
D) Adult children Gilbert and Rual receive more money from their aging parents than they give.

Question 55

For most adults who become grandparents, grandchildren symbolize

A) the continuity of their lives into the future.
B) the lost opportunities of their youth.
C) the struggle for economic self-sufficiency.
D) a sense of industry.

Question 56

Sisters Karen and Jennifer both feel a strong sense of responsibility to care for their aging parents. This is called

A) social isolation.
B) filial obligation.
C) stagnation.
D) guilt.

Question 57

Who is MOST LIKELY to provide care for an aging parent/grandparent?

A) Xavier, a grandson
B) Malcolm, a son who doesn't work
C) Ursula, a daughter
D) Maggie, a granddaughter

Question 58

Which of the following statements best describes caring for one's aging parents?

A) It is increasingly likely that many midlife adults will need to meet the needs of their aging parents.
B) The older population is decreasing so midlife adults are less likely to provide care for aging parents.
C) Midlife adults are not confronted with caring for aging parents because they are still likely to have children at home.
D) Aging parents are entirely self-sufficient and do not need care as they age.

Question 59

In a study of elderly parents and their adult children, which of the following was something parents and children agreed was part of filial obligation?

A) Helping elderly parents understand community and agency resources
B) Living near the elderly parents
C) Writing to elderly parents at least once per week
D) Leaving work to help an elderly parent

Question 60

Which historical trend has been noted with respect to performing household tasks?

A) Men spend more time on housework than women.
B) The differences in the amount of time men and women spend on household tasks have been increasing.
C) Less time is devoted to childcare today than in the past.
D) Less time is devoted to household tasks today than in the past.

Question 61

Based on the case study of Lourie Campos, what was one outcome of her participation in the Women's Health Leadership program that illustrates the concept of generativity?

A) She became an advocate for other women and for herself.
B) She spent more time at work.
C) She changed jobs.
D) She took fewer risks.

Question 62

The desire to have a positive impact on the world is referred to as

A) an inability to care for non-family members.
B) belief in one's ability to be generative.
C) subjective sense of accomplishment of generativity.
D) generative motivation.

Question 63

There are two aspects of establishing relationships with other social structures. One is protecting the family from excessive external demands. What is the other?

A) Going to work regularly
B) Setting long-term household goals
C) Recycling resources
D) Preserving valuable external relationships

Question 64

The development and understanding of how the structures of other organizations affect one's life and the lives of other family members is

A) not very important to most families.
B) a new type of learning that is difficult and occurs during middle adulthood.
C) accomplished relatively easily by most families.
D) usually done by the male head of the household in most families.

Question 65

Paige and Mario were recently married and are trying to deal with the various obligations of her family and his family without being insulting. Paige and Alex are aware of the __________ involved in building relationships with their extended families.

A) generativity
B) Household decision making
C) family politics
D) time management

Question 66

Management of the household is similar to the workplace in that it requires

A) paid work.
B) leadership skills.
C) adults and children.
D) paid vacations.

Question 67

In blended families with children, adult parents try to create ___________ that will allow extended family members to support the family, and still protect the family from unwanted intrusions and pressures from competing loyalties.

A) boundaries
B) contracts
C) obligations
D) obstacles

Question 68

Some single parents experience________  as a result of trying to juggle too many roles and expectations.

A) poverty
B) kin support
C) role overload
D) role compatibility

Question 69

Which of the following scenarios BEST represents the greatest source of stress for single-mother families?

A) The daily social activities of Sherry's children
B) Gilda's feelings of closeness to her children
C) Brenda's attachment to her former spouse
D) Andrea's lack of financial resources

Question 70

Which of the following statements best describes the concept of generative concern?

A) Goals to be successful and make a name for yourself
B) Actions that involve creating, maintaining, or caring
C) Recollections of one's good deeds
D) A sense that one is making a positive difference in the lives of others

Question 71

Who, among the following, is most likely to live alone?

A) Jana, who has a problem family
B) Wilson, who is from a low-income family
C) Jenna, who is over age 45
D) Mark, who is over age 45

Question 72

Which term refers to the negative pole of the psychosocial crisis in middle adulthood, characterized by a focus on oneself, one's needs, and one's problems?

A) Role confusion
B) Isolation
C) Stagnation
D) Inferiority

Question 73

Who, among the following single-mother families, is considered one of the fastest growing subgroups?

A) Sherry, a low-income woman who has never been married
B) Susan, a low-income woman who is divorced
C) Tracey, a high-income woman who is divorced
D) Teresa, a high-income woman who has never been married

Question 74

Which factor is least likely to contribute to the poverty of single-mother families?

A) Cecile's child care requires that she work fewer hours.
B) Robin has a lower earning capacity, as a woman.
C) Michelle receives child support each month.
D) The expenses of raising her children are great for Yolanda.

Question 75

Who, among the following, is most likely to purchase services for household tasks?

A) Harriet, a single parent of two children
B) Franco and Justine, a traditional two-parent family
C) Rachel and Stephan, a dual-earner couple
D) Gilbert, Laurie, Priscilla, and Nick, an extended family household

Question 76

Which of the following is considered an example of a societal factor that contributes to homelessness in families with young children?

A) Age of the children
B) Shortages in low-income and public assistance housing
C) The mother's sense of optimism
D) The mother's capacity to cope with stress

Question 77

In managing the household, adults build coalitions and determine the family's position in terms of other

A) social groups.
B) nuclear family members.
C) global positioning.
D) cultural identities.

Question 78

The pressure on adults to be committed to improving the life conditions of future generations is expressed as the psychosocial crisis of

A) intimacy versus isolation.
B) integrity versus despair.
C) generativity versus stagnation.
D) immortality versus extinction.

Question 79

Melinda and Mike were interviewed for a study on generativity. They emphasized their involvement as volunteers for a local senior citizen center. This represents an aspect of generativity called generative:

A) actions.
B) goals.
C) ideology.
D) recollections.

Question 80

Pat is among the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Which of the following is true of Pat?

A) Pat's family includes children.
B) Pat is a single woman.
C) Pat is a single man.
D) Pat is married without children.