Answer to Question 1
Answer: Levinson believed that middle-aged adults must confront four developmental tasks to reassess and rebuild their life structure as they pass through the transition into middle adulthood. In the youngold task, the middle-aged person must seek new ways of being both young and old. This means giving up certain youthful qualities, transforming others, and finding positive meaning in being older. Perhaps because of the double standard of aging, most middle-aged women express concern about appearing less attractive as they grow older. But middle-aged menparticularly non-college-educated men, who often hold blue-collar jobs requiring physical strength and staminaare also highly sensitive to physical aging. Compared with previous midlife cohorts, U.S. baby boomers are especially interested in controlling physical changesa desire that has helped energize a huge industry of anti-aging cosmetic products and medical treatments. And sustaining a youthful subjective age (feeling younger than ones actual age) is positively related to self-esteem and psychological well-being, with stronger associations among American than Western-European middle-aged and older adults. In the more individualistic U.S. context, a youthful self-image seems more important for viewing oneself as self-reliant and capable of planning for an active, fulfilling late adulthood.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: Possible selves are future-oriented representations of what one hopes to become and what one is afraid of becoming. Possible selves are the temporal dimension of self-conceptwhat the individual is striving for and attempting to avoid. To lifespan researchers, these hopes and fears are just as vital in explaining behavior as peoples views of their current characteristics. Indeed, possible selves may be an especially strong motivator of action in midlife, as adults attach increased meaning to time. As we age, we may rely less on social comparisons in judging our self-worth and more on temporal comparisonshow well we are doing in relation to what we had planned. Throughout adulthood, the personality traits people assign to their current selves show considerable stability. But reports of possible selves change greatly. Adults in their early twenties mention many possible selves, and their visions are lofty and idealistic. With age, possible selves become fewer in number, more modest and concrete, and less far-off in realization. Most middle-aged people no longer desire to be the best or the most successful in life. Instead, they are largely concerned with performance of roles and responsibilities already begun. Because the future no longer holds limitless opportunities, adults preserve mental health by adjusting their hopes and fears. To stay motivated, they must maintain a sense of unachieved possibility, yet they must still manage to feel good about themselves and their lives despite disappointments.
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