Question 1

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 ________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true of sibling relationships?

Accepted Answer

A)  Siblings who were psychologically distant from each other in childhood tend to be close in adulthood. 
B)  The majority of sibling relationships in adulthood are apathetic. 
C)  Sibling relationships rarely persist over the entire life span for most adults. 
D)  It is rare for sibling closeness to develop for the first time in adulthood.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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 6

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

Which of the following statements is true of cultural contexts of adulthood?

Accepted Answer

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 8

Identify and discuss the seventh stage of Erik Erikson's life-span view.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify and discuss the seventh stage of...

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true of the stage theories of adult development?

Accepted Answer

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 10

David and Tina have one grandson, Dillon. They see him almost every weekend and make it a point to go to a movie or a park with him. Both Dillon and his grandparents look forward to their time together. According to Neugarten and Weinstein, David and Tina have a(n) ________ style of grandparenting.

Accepted Answer

A)  formal 
B)  informal 
C)  fun-seeking 
D)  cohesive

Question 11

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?

Accepted Answer

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 12

Which of the following Big Five personality factors describes an individual as either self-satisfied or self-pitying?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

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 14

Which of the following supertraits deals with emotional stability and describes an individual as being calm or anxious?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

Adult development experts are virtually unanimous in their belief that midlife crises

Accepted Answer

A)  have been validated. 
B)  have been exaggerated. 
C)  have no cross-cultural validity. 
D)  have been underestimated.

Question 16

Humberto and Xanat are a middle-aged couple. They have been married for 25 years. They view their marriage as a positive experience. According to a study by Gorchoff, John, and Helson, it is likely that they

Accepted Answer

A)  have a satisfying sexual relationship. 
B)  feel a high level of physical attraction toward each other. 
C)  engage in mutual activities. 
D)  are religious.

Question 17

According to research by Rossi, who among the following were found to have the closest relationships during their adult years?

Accepted Answer

A)  fathers and sons 
B)  mothers and sons 
C)  fathers and daughters 
D)  mothers and daughters

Question 18

Caleb has decided to leave college and return to live at home with his parents. He is on the cusp of

Accepted Answer

A)  young adulthood. 
B)  adolescence. 
C)  middle adulthood. 
D)  midlife.

Question 19

Most research studies indicate that the greatest change in personality traits occurs in

Accepted Answer

A)  midlife. 
B)  late midlife. 
C)  late adulthood. 
D)  early adulthood.

Question 20

In a longitudinal study of Smith College women, the desire for ________ increased as the participants aged from their thirties to their fifties.

Accepted Answer

A)  generativity 
B)  self-concept 
C)  stagnation 
D)  self-absorption

Exam 16: Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood