kinkeeper: Someone who becomes the gatherer and communication hub for their family.

empty nest: The time in the lives of parents when their children have left the family home to pursue their own lives.

consequential strangers: People who are not in a person’s closest friendship circle but nonetheless have an impact.

intrinsic rewards of work: The personal gratifications, such as pleasure in a job well done or friendship with coworkers, that accompany employment.

intimacy versus isolation: The sixth of Erikson’s eight stages of development. Adults seek someone with whom to share their lives in an enduring and self-sacrificing commitment. Without such commitment, they risk profound loneliness and isolation.

social convoy: Collectively, the family members, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers who move through the years of life with a person, all aging together.

extrinsic rewards of work: The tangible benefits, usually in salary, insurance, pension, and status, that come with employment.

fictive kin: People who become accepted as part of a family who have no genetic or legal relationship to that family.

sandwich generation: The generation of middle-aged people who are supposedly “squeezed” by the needs of the younger and older members of their families.

Big Five: The five basic clusters of personality traits that remain quite stable throughout adulthood: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

generativity versus stagnation: The seventh of Erikson’s eight stages of development. Adults seek to be productive in a caring way, often as parents. Generativity also occurs through art, caregiving, and employment.