1. Describe the two basic needs of adulthood.

2. Explain how the midlife crisis might reflect cohort rather than maturational changes.

3. Give examples to demonstrate how each of the Big Five personality traits might influence an adult’s choice of jobs, mates, and neighbourhoods.

4. Explain the concept of “social convoy.”

5. What roles do friends play in a person’s life?

6. What are the differences between friends and consequential strangers?

7. What is the usual relationship between adult children and their parents? What factors might explain this relationship?

8. What usually happens to sibling relationships over the course of adulthood?

9. Why do people have fictive kin?

10. What needs do long-term partners meet?

11. How and why does marital happiness change from the wedding to old age?

12. What evidence is there that political and cultural attitudes toward same-sex partnerships are changing?

13. What are the usual consequences of divorce?

14. Many people who re-partner are happy at first, but their happiness may not last. Why might this be the case?

15. What is the basic idea of generativity?

16. In what ways does parenthood satisfy an adult’s need to be generative?

17. What factors might make it difficult for foster children and foster parents to bond?

18. How might each of the Big Five personality traits make it easier or more difficult to develop positive relationships with stepchildren?

19. What are the benefits of open adoption?

20. Women are more often kinkeepers and caregivers than are men. How is this role both a blessing and a burden?

21. Why are middle-aged adults sometimes called the “sandwich generation”? Why might this metaphor create a false impression?

22. What are the advantages and disadvantages of familism? Of individualism?

23. What are some extrinsic and intrinsic rewards of work?

24. What are the advantages of greater ethnic diversity at work?

25. List four reasons why changing jobs is stressful.

26. What innovations in work scheduling have helped families? What innovations have hurt families?

27. Why, overall, might men and women be happier with current employment patterns than earlier ones?