Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

menopause
The period during which 
women stop menstruating and are no 
longer fertile.
FIGURE 1
Evidence of a period of emerging adulthood is provided by the responses to 
a questionnaire asking, “Do you feel that you have reached adulthood?” Most people 
between the ages of 18 and 25 were ambivalent, responding “yes and no.” Later, this 
ambivalence disappeared, with most people 26–35 saying “yes.” 
(Source: Arnett, 2000).
100
90
80
70
60
50
P
er
centage
40
30
20
10
0
18–25
26–35
Age
36–55
Yes
No
Yes and no
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424 Chapter 
12 
Development
HT on a short-term basis. On the other hand, HT is less 
appropriate for older women after menopause (Rossouw et 
al., 2007; Lindh-Astrand, Brynhildsen, & Hoffmann, 2007; 
MacLennan, 2009). 
Menopause was once blamed for a variety of psycho-
logical symptoms, including depression and memory loss. 
However, if such diffi culties occur, they may be caused by 
women’s expectations about reaching an “old” age in a soci-
ety that highly values youth. For example, women’s reactions 
to menopause vary signifi cantly across cultures. The more a 
society values old age, the less diffi culty its women have dur-
ing menopause (Elliot, Berman, & Kim, 2002; Beyene, Gilliss, 
& Lee, 2007). 
For men, the aging process during middle adulthood is 
somewhat subtler. There are no physiological signals of 
increasing age equivalent to the end of menstruation in 
women; that is, no male menopause exists. In fact, men remain 
fertile and capable of fathering children until well into late 
adulthood. However, some gradual physical decline occurs. 
Sperm production decreases, and the frequency of orgasm 
tends to decline. Once again, though, any psychological dif-
fi culties associated with these changes are usually brought 
about by an aging individual’s inability to meet the exagger-
ated standards of youthfulness and not by the person’s phys-
ical deterioration.
Social Development: 
Working at Life
Whereas physical changes during adulthood refl ect development of a quantitative 
nature, social developmental transitions are qualitative and more profound. During 
this period, people typically launch themselves into careers, marriage, and families. 
The entry into early adulthood is usually marked by leaving one’s childhood 
home and entering the world of work. People envision life goals and make career 
choices. Their lives often center on their careers, which form an important part of 
their identity (Vaillant & Vaillant, 1990; Levinson, 1990, 1992). 
In their early 40s, however, people may begin to question their lives as they enter 
a period called the midlife transition . The idea that life will end at some point can 
become more infl uential in their thinking, which leads them to question their past 
accomplishments (Gould, 1978). 
Although some psychologists—and popular opinion—suggest that physical 
aging and dissatisfaction with one’s life mark a so-called “midlife crisis,” there 
is little evidence for such a “crisis.” In fact, the passage into middle age is rela-
tively calm for most people. Most 40-year-olds view their lives and accomplish-
ments positively enough to proceed relatively smoothly through midlife, and the 
40s and 50s are often a particularly rewarding period. Rather than looking to the 
future, people concentrate on the present; their involvement with their families, 
friends, and other social groups takes on new importance. A major developmen-
tal thrust of this period is coming to terms with one’s circumstances (Whitbourne, 
2000, 2010). 
Finally, during the last stages of adulthood, people become more accepting of 
others and of their own lives and are less concerned about issues or problems that 
once bothered them. They come to accept the fact that death is inevitable, and they 
Women’s reactions to menopause vary signifi cantly across cultures. 
According to one study, the more a society values old age, the less 
diffi
culty its women have during menopause. Why do you think 
this would be the case?
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