For the healthy midlife adult, the second half of life provides a balance for the first half: men become more nurturant while women become more aggressive. The definition of the midlife woman is tied to the family cycle, when her children leave home. Marital satisfaction often increases after the children are gone and relinquishing her role as…

A conceptual framework for adult development is proposed, based on a synthesis of the literature on role theory and various age-related adult developmental theories. It is proposed that adult development may not be as linear, uniform, and age-related as has been suggested. An individual adult could be in varying developmental stages across the…

The implications of a developing theory about human posibilities for the conduct of individual life and the future of society rest on the basic fact that, because only a fraction of the possibilities the future holds can be actualized by an individual or by society, choice is a universal imperative. One important reason that better choices are not…

Recognizing the salience of the family in middle and later life, researchers have recently shown increased interest in grandparenting. Population trends which suggest that grandparenting is an experience relevant to many individuals and families for longer periods of time than ever before emphasize the need to examine grandparenting as an…

A multifaceted approach to adult development was empirically tested with 449 adult students enrolled in a large metropolitan community college system in the midwest. This approach suggests that most adults assume multiple life roles (relationship with self, with work, with others, and with family). The Adult Life Roles Instrument was designed to…

The suggestion is made that the flood of middle-aged women who have recently turned away from traditional approaches to achievement may have shifted their orientation to changing options, but have always had a great desire to achieve. The effect of the changing values of the women's movement is discussed, and a grid of achievement motivation…

Although health is a key element in one's experience of middle adulthood as a time of productivity and personal fulfillment, research on psychosocial factors predictive of mid-life health is sparse, especially for women. Psychosocial variables are not only highly salient to health, but also are potentially modifiable by women themselves. This…

Role satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and self-esteem of married graduate students were assessed with eight couples who relocated and eight couples who did not when one partner began graduate studies. Half of the couples were participants in the Couples in Transition Project at the University of California, Berkeley. The couples were…

Because relationships with family and friends may cause stress for women, the effects of interactions with family, friends, and community on women's adaption to the experiences of aging are important. Interviews were conducted with 75 women between the ages of 44 and 77 who were educated, relieved of child-rearing responsibilities, and relatively…

Midlife transition is a potentially problematic time for all women, but especially for those who are unmarried, relatively less well-educated, and who do not reside in urban areas. Some studies suggest that unmarried women have more difficulty in identity formation and acceptance of their role by society. Married women whose children are nearly…

This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a Deliberate Psychological Education Curriculum to promote the ego, moral, and conceptual development of inservice teachers enrolled in a five-week workshop, followed by a supervised fall quarter practicum. Significant differences were found between experimental and control groups…

Findings are presented from a study of the midlife dual career family (in which both members of the couple are professionally employed and are highly committed to their work, and where there may or may not be children present). Focus is on the attitudes, perspectives, and personality characteristics of the dual career wife, and distinction is made…

Adjustment experiences of South Korean graduate students' wives living in Georgia were examined from a feminist viewpoint. The adaptive process, its cultural meaning, and related social ramifications, was hypothesized to be an example of transformative learning. These two questions guided the study: (1) how did South Korean students' wives adapt…