Middle age is the next passage one for which we often

to its opposite, isolation?
Middle age is the next passage, one for
which we often are not very well prepared. A
discrepancy between people’s self-image and
their role expectations may occur. Successful
navigation of this stage results in what Erikson
calls generativity, the finding of meaning in life
through our contributions to the lives of others.
Failure to do so, on the other hand, leads to what
Erikson sees as stagnation in feeling and pur-
pose, which can lead to an old age of despair.
In the final stages of life, one’s uncompleted
tasks, regrets, and omissions “come home to
roost.” Earlier joys, by the same token, are mag-
nified in old age. Often one’s religious faith from
childhood and a cherishing of the joys of the
present moment provide a major source of
strength, almost as compensation for losses in-
curred through the ravages of time.
This chapter, in short, has as its goal a delin-
eation of the major tasks and risk factors of each
of the Eriksonian stages of the adult life span.
Case studies on life “in the middle of a middle”
and Latino family care for elderly parents pro-
vide moving narratives to supplement the text.
p
Intimacy Versus Isolation
College is traditionally a time of transition and
questioning of the beliefs of one’s upbringing.
Education, which means a “leading out,” broad-
ens students’ horizons and encourages critical
thinking about practically everything. That is the
academic side of college; on the social side, there
is exposure to unchaperoned parties, binge drink-
ing, and unbridled sexuality, for which the stu-
dent may not be prepared. For devoutly religious
youth of whatever spiritual faith, the task of fit-
ting in and resisting temptation on a secular
campus can be formidable. Faith tends to lapse.
A national study conducted by the University of
California–Los Angeles found that, of more than
100,000 first-year students surveyed, 79 percent
professed a belief in God; 69 percent said they
pray, 57 percent have questioned their faith, and
26 percent called themselves born-again Chris-
tians (Astin, 2004).
Compared to previous generations of college
students, there is now both more binge drink-
ing, coupled with more unplanned sexual ac-
tivity in some circles, and a higher degree of
religiosity in others. An earlier study on a smaller
sample of third-year college students found that
the undergraduates’ sense of well-being de-
clined during the college years, with 40 percent
of students reporting that they felt overwhelmed
by the junior year, while more than half fre-
quently felt depressed (Astin, 2004). Students
who do not participate in religious activities are
more than twice as likely to report poor mental
health or depression as those who do partici-
pate, according to the survey results. For all stu-
dents, especially those who reside on campus,
the challenge of dealing with the new freedoms
can be enormous (Figure 5.1).