Predicting women's well-being in midlife: the importance of personality development and social role involvements

Theories of adult development suggest that both personality and social roles are sources of adult well-being, but most research has examined only social roles. An integrated model was used, including personality, number of roles, and role quality, to predict well-being in 2 longitudinal studies of c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of personality and social psychology Vol. 72; no. 5; p. 1147
Main Authors Vandewater, E A, Ostrove, J M, Stewart, A J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.05.1997
Subjects
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Aging - psychology
Female
Gender Identity
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Middle Aged
Personal Satisfaction
Personality
Self Concept
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Summary:Theories of adult development suggest that both personality and social roles are sources of adult well-being, but most research has examined only social roles. An integrated model was used, including personality, number of roles, and role quality, to predict well-being in 2 longitudinal studies of college-educated women. Results for both samples indicated that role quality and personality development were important components of the path to well-being, whereas number of roles, occupied was important mainly in early adulthood. Moreover, the results provided support for E. Erikson's (1968) notion of the importance of the sequencing of personality development for later well-being. Path analyses indicated that engagement in multiple roles during early adulthood facilitated the development of identity, which predicted generativity and role quality, which in turn predicted well-being.
ISSN:0022-3514
DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.72.5.1147