Eldercare and Personality Development in Middle Age

Abstract

Social science research and theory has presented a rather bleak picture of the consequences of eldercare for middle-aged caregivers. In contrast, memoirs and autobiographical accounts of eldercare, like some fictional accounts, often portray midlife caregiving as rewarding, even transformative. In this chapter, the authors adopt a lifespan developmental perspective and take both views seriously. They try to show how the stresses of eldercare might indeed post challenges for middle-aged caregivers, while there might also be understudied potential for eldercare to enhance and promote their personality development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)