This paper describes a pilot program developed to discover the concerns of the middle-aged and to begin education, training, and group sharing about this phase of the family life cycle. A brief literature review examining particular concerns of middle-aged adults is presented, and the question of whether middle age is a time of crisis or…

Career development has become very pertinent for adult educators inasmuch as career development programs have been shown to increase effectiveness and efficiency in the field of adult education. Career development programs can vary widely in their content, approach, and philosophy. Various theories have been proposed to explain career development.…

An interesting area of adult development is "gender shift": the transition from the traditional life patterns or ways of making meaning that are associated with stereotypically male or female roles. One may experience the wish to fulfill those parts of one's personality often associated with feminine or masculine constructs not yet explored.…

Literature on sexuality and aging and Maslow's hierarchy of needs (which include physiological needs, safety and security needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs, and the need for self-actualization) are used in this paper to identify at each level the needs of the aging individual as they derive from his sexuality in order to provide a…

"Adult competence" and "productivity" can be viewed as interactive terms on the same continuum; as the definition of one term expands, so does the definition of the other. For example, while productivity may once have meant simply the efficient production of goods and services, it now encompasses a much vaster dimension, including such factors as…

New approaches to the education of older adults can be identified through a review of the literature on the following topics: developmental perspectives (including generativity and integrity) and adult development, life span habits (as determined by longitudinal research), gender roles, reminiscence, cognitive, and need-based learning. One of the…