Psychological Development from Middle Adulthood to the Beginning of Late Adulthood

Reinilä, Emmi
Psychological development from middle adulthood to the beginning of late
adulthood: Generativity and mental well-being and their associations with health
and retirement preferences
Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2025, 90 p. + original papers
(JYU Dissertations
ISSN 2489-9003; 989)
ISBN 978-952-86-1022-9 (PDF)
There is limited knowledge about humans’ psychological development during
middle and late adulthood. This study aimed to investigate the development of
generativity and mental well-being, as well as the longitudinal and reciprocal
associations among generativity, mental well-being and subjective health, from
middle adulthood to the beginning of late adulthood. In addition, this study
examined the role of generativity and mental well-being in retirement
preferences at the beginning of late adulthood.
This dissertation is based on data from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of
Personality and Social Development (JYLS), which has been following the same
individuals since 1968, when the participants were aged 8. This study utilised
data collected via self-report questionnaires from participants at ages 36 (n = 311),
42 (n = 279), 50 (n = 265) and 61 (n = 206).
On average, generativity decreased from ages 42 to 61. Nevertheless,
generativity development varied among individuals according to their baseline
level of and previous changes in generativity. High rank-order stability was
observed in multidimensional mental well-being (including emotional,
psychological and social well-being, as well as low depressive feelings) from ages
42 to 61. The longitudinal and reciprocal results showed that higher social wellbeing at age 42 was associated with higher generativity at age 50. In addition,
earlier emotional well-being was linked to later subjective health, and vice versa,
between ages 36 and 61, but the associations varied depending on the variables
and age periods in question. Lastly, individuals with higher mental well-being
and generativity were more likely to prefer a later retirement age and/or postretirement work when assessed at age 61.
This study demonstrates both change and stability in psychological
development during middle adulthood and at the beginning of late adulthood,
revealing that mental well-being may function as a resource for generativity and
subjective health. Nevertheless, subjective health may also contribute to mental
well-being. In addition, psychological factors, such as generativity and mental
well-being, may play a role in supporting longer working careers.