Question

What role do social relationships play in the lives of middle-aged people? And how do they compare to the social relationships that were established during Adolescence or Early Adulthood?

Answer 1

Two theories of the changing importance of relationships are Kahn and Antonucci’s (1980) social convoy theory & Carstensen's socio-emotional selective theory. According to both theories, socio-emotional support is an important element in social interaction at midlife and beyond. Relationships at midlife are important to physical and mental health but also can present stressful demands. However, the social relationships that were established during Adolescence or Early Adulthood make people become increasingly aware of the perspectives of classmates, teachers and other societal influences (Berzonsky and Adams,2003). Thus an adolescent becomes independent and uniquely different from others due to the social relationships he has.