Young and Middle Adulthood

Watch as three adults talk about their experiences during middle adulthood. As you watch, reflect on how each individual has experienced generativity and found meaningfulness in his or her life.

Watch the video (link is below).

Question 1: The first woman shown in the video describes her life in terms of communion, or caring for others. Define communion, and provide an example. How does her description of her life show continuity across the life span?

Question 2: How does the man, shown second in the video, show evidence for the three adaptive processes identified by life span theorists (i.e., growth, maintenance, and regulation of loss)?

Question 3. How does the third woman shown in the video display her feelings of generativity? How does her experience add to our understanding of generativity in middle adulthood?

Question 4. Contact your own parents, if possible, and ask about their experience during middle age (you can also do personal reflection if this applies). List three questions that you might ask to help them reflect on their lives, perhaps in new ways, and with attention to the key concepts raised in Chapter 13.

Question 5. Using Erikson's theory of psychosocial development as a theoretical framework, describe how you imagine your activities and priorities are likely to change over the course of the next 20 to 30 years. Be sure to consider your prior experiences as predictors of your future, recognizing, of course, that the prediction isn't perfect.