Final answer:
A nurse would expect a 40-year-old male to have stable cognitive abilities and to be finding a balance among work, family, and social life, as well as beginning to measure life's accomplishments against personal goals. Physical signs such as wrinkles and graying hair may be evident, but bone mass typically does not increase at this stage.
Step-by-step explanation:
When assessing the developmental stage of a 40-year-old male, we would not expect to observe cognitive skills starting to decline. Instead, the cognitive abilities remain steady throughout early and middle adulthood. A nurse would more likely assess that a 40-year-old male is experiencing a balance among work, family, and social life, as this is common during middle adulthood. Additionally, the nurse might note that the individual is starting to measure life accomplishments against goals, which is a psychological development typical of this life stage. Contrary to bone mass starting to increase, it is generally during late adulthood that bone mass may decrease, not in middle adulthood.
During middle adulthood, physical signs of aging such as wrinkles and gray hair become more apparent. Meanwhile, bone mass tends to remain stable or can begin to slowly diminish as individuals approach later stages of adulthood. Furthermore, assessing life's accomplishments against one's goals aligns with Erikson's stage of generativity vs. stagnation, often associated with middle adulthood where individuals look to contribute to society and be part of a bigger picture.