Deck 16: Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood

Question 1

Kyle just celebrated his 40th birthday. According to Levinson, Kyle 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) just started his career and is focused.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

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

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

Answer 2

A

Question 3

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

A) 2
B) 4
C) 5
D) 7

Answer 3

C

Question 4

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 5

Jensen is 25 years old, and he will be starting his career as a business analyst. According to Levinson, Jensen is in the ________ phase of adult development.

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

Question 6

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 7

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

Question 8

Jared is 50 years old. He has been working in a corporate law firm since the past 25 years. Even though he has been successful in his career, he realizes that he has done nothing for his children. According to Erikson's theory, Jared's realization indicates ________.

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

Question 9

Abdiel has three children. According to Erikson, he has achieved

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

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true of 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 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 11

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

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

Question 12

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 13

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 14

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 15

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 16

According to Levinson, identify a major task that must be mastered in early adulthood.

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

Question 17

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 18

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 19

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 20

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 21

Aaron is 48 years old. He is married and has two adolescent children. According to a study by Kanner in 1981, which of the following is a daily hassle that Aaron is most likely to face?

A) concerns about meeting high standards
B) concerns about completing a task
C) concerns about health of a family member
D) inability to get enough sleep

Question 22

According to Lachman, researchers have found that in one-third of the cases in which individuals have reported going through a midlife crisis, the crisis

A) varies between men and women.
B) leads to emotional instability.
C) is related to aging.
D) is triggered by life events.

Question 23

According to Levinson, the transition to middle adulthood requires the adult male come to grips with four major conflicts. One of the major conflicts is

A) being married versus being single.
B) being attractive versus being unattractive.
C) being destructive versus being constructive.
D) being extroverted versus being introverted

Question 24

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 25

According to Levinson, the transition to middle adulthood requires the adult male come to grips with four major conflicts. Which of the following is one of the major conflicts?

A) being young versus being old
B) being attractive versus being unattractive
C) being extroverted versus being introverted
D) being married versus being single

Question 26

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 27

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 28

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 29

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) Women who have children experience an easier time during midlife than those who do not have children.
D) Levinson reported that his stages, transitions, and the crisis of middle age hold for women as well as men.

Question 30

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 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

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 33

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 34

Which of the following is one of the ten most frequent daily hassles for middle-aged adults?

A) concerns about being lonely
B) concerns about meeting high standards
C) concerns about weight
D) wasting time

Question 35

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 36

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

A) Unlike Vaillant, Levinson believes that only males experience a midlife crisis.
B) Unlike Levinson, Vaillant maintains that only a minority of adults experience a midlife crisis.
C) Levinson maintains that the transition period to midlife is 6 years, while Vaillant holds it to be 8 years.
D) Unlike Levinson, Vaillant's study was mainly focused on white, middle-aged, male population within the upper SES of society.

Question 37

Miranda is 45 years old. She is a single working mother. According to a study by Kanner in 1981, which of the following is a daily uplift that Miranda is most likely to experience?

A) finding time for entertainment
B) meeting her responsibilities
C) maintaining her physical appearance
D) maintaining her household

Question 38

Jenna is reevaluating and recording the facts about her adolescent and adulthood years. According to the Grant Study by George Vaillant, Jenna is most likely in her ________.

A) 40s
B) 50s
C) 60s
D) 30s

Question 39

According to the Almeida and Horn's 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 less 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 40

According to the contemporary life-events approach, one of the factors on which the influence of life events depends is the

A) individual's cognitive capacity.
B) individual's adaptation.
C) individual's personality.
D) individual's race.

Question 41

Britney and Amy work in a marketing firm. Both are 25 years old. Britney gave birth to her son at the age of 17. She finds it increasingly stressful to juggle between office work and household work. On weekends, she prefers staying indoors with her son and attending to his needs. On the other hand, Amy is single and frequently meets her friends over the weekends. She enjoys cooking and takes dance lessons. She enjoys her everyday life. This scenario illustrates that Britney and Amy

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

Question 42

According to research, women and men differ in the way they experience and respond to stressors. When coping with stress, women were more likely than men to

A) try to fix problems themselves.
B) engage in comfort eating.
C) attend a support group meeting.
D) have sex or use pornography.

Question 43

In the context of gender, which of the following statements is true of 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 44

In the context of stress, which of the following is a difference between a fight-or-flight manner and a tend-and-befriend pattern?

A) A fight-or-flight manner involves becoming aggressive and withdrawing from social contact, whereas a tend-and-befriend pattern involves seeking social alliances with others, especially friends.
B) When women face stress, they are more likely to respond in a fight-or-flight manner, whereas when men experience stress, they are more likely to engage in a tend-and-befriend pattern.
C) A fight-or-flight manner involves seeking psychotherapy or reading a self-help book, whereas a tend-and-befriend pattern involves not admitting to have problems and fixing problems without anyone's help.
D) When older adults face stress, they are more likely to respond in a fight-or-flight manner, whereas when adolescents experience stress, they are more likely to engage in a tend-and-befriend pattern.

Question 45

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 46

According to research, women and men differ in the way they experience and respond to stressors. When coping with stress, men were more likely than women to

A) read a self-help book.
B) engage in comfort eating.
C) take prescription medication.
D) have sex or use pornography.

Question 47

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 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 48

Middle-aged adults feel they have less control over their

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

Question 49

Darren has a stressful work life. His workload has increased threefold, and he is having a hard time dealing with stress. In such a situation, Darren is most likely to

A) take prescription medication.
B) read a self-help book.
C) attend a support group meeting.
D) seek psychotherapy.

Question 50

Adam has been facing work-related stress lately. The stress is negatively affecting his health. Adam is likely to respond in a

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

Question 51

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 52

According to the Mitchell and Helson's study, one of the conditions that distinguished the lives of women in their early 50s from those of women in other age periods was

A) few "empty nests."
B) lower health.
C) higher income.
D) no stress.

Question 53

Amanda got divorced after 15 years of marriage. Ever since, she has been experiencing high levels of stress. To cope with stress, Amanda is most likely to

A) attend a support group meeting.
B) have sex or use pornography.
C) take prescription medication.
D) withdraw from social contact.

Question 54

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 55

Hannah is grieving the death of her mother, so she is experiencing extreme stress. She is likely to engage in

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

Question 56

According to Neugarten, ________ provide guides for our lives.

A) interval measures
B) life-event calendars
C) circadian rhythms
D) social clocks

Question 57

Which of the following statements is true of 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 the Gusii culture, a midlife crisis is an exception rather than a rule in the American culture.

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true of 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 has 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 placed little importance on childbearing and child rearing.

Question 59

Lorenzo was born during the Great Depression in the U.S. He and others who were born during the same era show greater cognitive decline than people born at a later time. This illustrates that cohort effects are differences based on

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

Question 60

Mike and Ashton are cohorts. This means that

A) they were born in the same year.
B) they have the same socioeconomic status.
C) they are both males.
D) they work in the same field.

Question 61

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 62

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 63

Gary got divorced after 7 years of marriage. He is highly stressed and is using the fight-or-flight manner to respond to stress. Gary is most likely to

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

Question 64

Which of the following is one of the Big Five factors of personality identified by Costa and McCrae?

A) enthusiasm
B) patience
C) adaptability
D) conscientiousness

Question 65

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

A) generativity
B) extraversion
C) transitivity
D) stagnation

Question 66

Carla is described by her coworkers as highly organized and meticulous. She has a strong sense of self-discipline. According to the Big Five factors of personality, Carla is most likely to score high on

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

Question 67

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 68

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 69

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 70

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 71

Identify the Big Five personality factor that describes whether an individual is independent or conforming.

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

Question 72

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 the culture.
D) the type of midlife crisis a person experiences.

Question 73

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 74

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 75

Lana's friends describe her as highly agreeable. According to the Big Five factors of personality, Lana is likely to be

A) calm.
B) cooperative.
C) organized.
D) disciplined.

Question 76

Chelsea is described as somber and reserved by her coworkers. According to the Big Five factors of personality, Chelsea is most likely to score low on

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

Question 77

According to the Big Five factors of personality, which of the following personality supertraits describes an individual as either secure or insecure?

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

Question 78

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 79

Jason's friends describe him as softhearted, trustworthy, and helpful. According to the Big Five factors of personality, Jason is most likely to score high on

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

Question 80

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