Middle Adulthood

Sherry L. Willis is Professor of Human Development at The Pennsylvania State University. She received her Ph.D. in Educadtional Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.  Her research interests include:  adult cognitive development with a focus on middle age, cognitive training in later adulthood, and everyday problem solving in adulthood.  She is a co-director of the Seattle Longitudinal Study with K. Warner Schaie, and has co-authored the textbook Adult Development and Aging, Fifth Edition.  She is co-editor of two other books on midlife:  Life in the Middle (with J. Reid) and The Baby Boomers (with S. Whitbourne).  She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, the American Psychological Society, and Divisions 15 and 20 of the American Psychological Association, and a past-president of APA Division 20, Adult Development and Aging (1993-1994).  In 1992, she received the Pattishall Distinguished Research Award and in 1999 the Pennsylvania State University Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement.Mike Martin is Professor for Gerontopsychology and Director of the Center of Gerontology at The University of Zurich, Switzerland.  He received a Master′s Degree at the University of Georgia, his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at The University of Mainz, Germany, and his habilitation at The German Center for Research on Ageing at The University of Heidelberg.  His research focuses on longitudinal and experimental studies of cognitive and social development across the lifespan, including studies examining predictors of development in childhood, middle adulthood, old, and extreme old age.  Recent publications include an encyclopedia of gerontology and a textbook on the psychological aspects of aging.

"This edited book is a very interesting and welcome addition to the series of publications recently devoted to the long neglected issue of development during middle adulthood. It adopts a truly lifespan approach, by considering not only development between 40 and 65 years of age, but also the impact that adolescence and young adulthood can exert on midlife, and the continuity from middle age into old age. Through its 10 chapters, it covers a broad range of topics, from the development of the self to cognitive changes to genetic influences.  All chapters provide empirical data, based on major longitudinal studies on adult development, with an international coverage. The book also provides a unified perspective, in that midlife is not to be considered a period of mere stability as has often been proposed, but evinces large variability both across individuals and across psychological functions; all chapters demonstrate nicely the necessity of adopting a multidimensional view on development. It represents a well informed synthesis of the current work on midlife development from leading researchers in the field and will prove useful both for advanced students and for other developmental scholars."

• PrefacePart I: The Study of Middle Age: Historical and Demographic Perspectives1. Historical Perspectives of Middle Age Within the Life Span - Hans-Werner Wahl & Andreas Kruse2. The Midlife Generation in the Family: Patterns of Exchange and Support - Martin Kohli & Harald KunemundPart II: Early Life Influences on Middle Age3. Genetic Influences on Midlife Functioning - Nancy L. Pedersen, Erica L. Spotts, & Kenji Kato4. Personality in Young Adulthood & Functioning in Middle Age - Lea Pulkkinen, Taru Feldt, Katja Kokko5. Impact of Past Transitions on Well-being in Middle Age - Pasqualina Perrig-Chiello, Sonja Perren6. Cognitive Development in Midlife - Mike Martin & Daniel ZimprichPart III: Impact of Middle Age on Functioning in Late Life7. The Development of Physical and Mental Health from Late Midlife to Early Old Age - Dorly J. H. Deeg8. Cognitive Trajectories in Midlife and Cognitive Functioning in Old Age - Sherry L. Willis & K. Warner Schaie9. Self-Development at Midlife: Lifespan Perspectives on Adjustment and Growth - Jessica Dörner, Charlotte Mickler, & Ursula M. Staudinger10. Middle Age and Identity in a Cultural and Lifespan Perspective - Freya Dittmann-Kohli11. Metacognition in Midlife - Christopher Hertzog & Roger A. DixonPart IV: Summary and Future Directions12. Midlife Development: Past, Present, and Future Directions - Mike Martin and Sherry L. WillisAuthor IndexSubject IndexAbout the EditorsAbout the Contributors