Middle aging in women: Patterns of personality change from the 30s to the 50s

This three-sample study focused on changes in four key features of women's personalities (identity, generativity, confident power, and concern about a ging) over the course of middle age. Based on women's retrospective and con current feelings about their lives in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, scales were developed and validated for the four themes. We found that identity certain ty, generativity, confident power, and concern about aging all were experie nced as more prominent in middle age (the 40s) than in early adulthood (the 30s). We also found that these elements of personality were rated even hig her in the 50s than the 40s. Scores seemed to be a function of age more tha n historical period or particular experiences in social roles. Scores on id entity certainty, generativity, and confident power were positively related to well-being, while concern about aging was negatively related to well-be ing.