The Journey Of Adulthood 5e Helen L Bee

Age-related changes in social roles • Social roles: expected behaviors and attitudes that come with one’s position in society. • Social role transitions: roles change over the lifespan. • Although there is a lot of variability, there arerelated patterns in roles. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Gender roles and stereotypes • Gender roles: describe what men and women actually do in a given culture during a given historical era. • Gender stereotypes: refer to sets of shared, often inaccurate and inflexible beliefs about what all men and all women have in common. [see Table 6. 1 in the text] • Common male stereotype: instrumental qualities (e. g. , competence). • Common female stereotype: communal qualities (e. g. , affiliation). The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Gender roles and stereotypes Origins of gender roles: • learning-schema theory • social role theory • evolutionary psychology The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Social roles during early adulthood • Significant individual variability in the sequence and timing of roles. • Leaving home • Becoming a spouse or partner • Becoming a parent The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Social roles during early adulthood Becoming a spouse or partner • Whereas marital rates are decreasing, rates of cohabitation are increasing. • Egalitarian roles at the beginning of marriage. • Men tend to be relationship initiators. • Women are more often relationship maintainers. • Household tasks tend to divide along gender lines. • Strong link has been found between marital happiness and health (stronger link between marital happiness and health in men). The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Social roles during early adulthood Becoming a parent • 90% of adults in the US will eventually become parents. • See Figure 6. 4 in the text for age of childbearing. • Early family-life-cycle has a significant impact on pattern of later life. • After birth of first child, marked shift toward traditionalism. • parental imperative • Curvilinear relationship between marital satisfaction and family stage. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Social roles during middle adulthood • Existing roles are redefined and renegotiated. • Most find this time of life to be characterized by better physical and psychological health and more life satisfaction than in younger years. • The empty nest: children leaving home. • Crossover of gender roles versus expansion of gender roles. • The role of grandparent is often added during the middle adult years. • For some, role of grandparent becomes one of surrogate parenting. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Social roles during middle adulthood The generational squeeze • Role strain theory: there is a limit to the number of roles a person can take on, and multiple roles can exacerbate stress. • Role enhancement theory: multiple roles are beneficial because some roles serve as buffers against the stress from other roles. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Social roles during late adulthood • Living alone • Receiving care • Numerous advantages to receiving care from family members. • Risks of elder abuse and negative psychological effects of loss of independence. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Social roles in atypical families Life long singles Childless Divorce (and remarriage) The Journey

Individual differences in cognitive changes Life long singles • Singlehood is increasing in the US. • Life long singles must cope with violating social expectations. • Challenge to find a supportive network and a kin confident. • Financial resources also buffer against problems in adulthood. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Individual differences in cognitive changes Childless • The rate of childlessness is increasing dramatically in the US. • Childlessness is often a choice. • For women, major career differences if elect to remain childless. • Childless couples are not faced with the generational squeeze. • Childless as happy in late adulthood as couples with children. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Individual differences in cognitive changes Divorce (and remarriage) • Divorce and remarriage add more complexity to the roles one must fill. • Increases the chance for role conflict and role strain. • Financial implications. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Variations in social timing • Social timing refers to the roles we occupy, how long we occupy them, and the order in which we occupy them. • There are culturally different expectations (social clock). The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.