Adulthood and Old Age

Chapter 5

Adulthood

• What is adulthood like?– Period when opposite factors affect lives– Can be a time when a person matures fully into

what he or she is– Can be a time when life closes in and what was

once possibility is now limitation

Physical Changes

• Aging is the result of normal wear and tear on the body– Process of physical decline is slow and gradual

• Middle Aged Adults• Hair starts turning gray and begins to thin

• Old Age– Muscles and fat that have built up over the years

begins to break down• People lose weight, become shorter, develop more wrinkles

Health Problems

• Most common causes of death may be the caused by a fast moving lifestyle of young adults– Heart Disease– Cancer– Cirrhosis of the liver

• Sexual Activity does not automatically decline with age

• The ability to comprehend new material and think improves years and experience

Levinson’s Theory of Male Development

• Transition periods occur at age 30, 40, 50, and 60 – Each transition lasts about 5 years

Levinson’s Theory of Male Development

• Ages 22-28– Considered by society and himself to be a novice

in the adult world– Conflict between the need to explore adulthood

and the need to establish a stable life structure

VS.

Levinson’s Theory of Male Development

• The Age-Thirty Crisis– Questions about the choices of marriage partner,

career and life goals are reopened– Many feel that any part of life that is unsatisfying

or incomplete needs to be changed now because soon it will be too late

Levinson’s Theory of Male Development

• Settling Down– Men begin actively carving out a niche in society

concentrating on “making it” in the adult world– 36 – 40 – Men strive to attain the seniority and position in

the world that he identified as his ultimate goal

Levinson’s Theory of Male Development

• The Midlife Transition– What have I done with my life? What have I

accomplished? What do I still wish to accomplish?

– Generativity – desire to use one’s wisdom to guide future generations • Parenting or mentoring

– Adults may choose to hang on to the past • Take part in the same sports or hobbies that they have

always known

Levinson’s Theory of Male Development

• Middle Adulthood– Late 40s is a time when true adulthood is achieved– Understands and tolerates others, is sensitive

towards others– Able to have balance between friends and

privacy – If someone avoids this life crisis it will come at a

later time in life (usually their 50s) with a more forceful approach

Female Development

• Empty Nest Syndrome– May occur after the last child leaves home• Does not have to be traumatic

– Stable marriages make this event bearable• Depression– Most common in middle aged women– Early years a women has a sense of personal

worth from various roles • Daughter, lover, wife, mother, and wage earner

Old Age

• Fear of Growing Old – One of the most common fears in society – People see old age as being one step from the

grave– Many people do not want to use the word “old”

but prefer words such as “elderly” or “senior citizens”

Attitudes Toward Aging

• Many people think chronological age is what makes people “old”

• Ageism – prejudice or discrimination against the elderly

• We think that old people suffer from poor health, live in poverty and are frequent victims of crime

• We also think that the aged withdraw from life and sit around doing nothing

Changes in Health

• Most people over 65 are in reasonably good health

• The health of an older person is related to their health as a younger person

• Everyone is subject to diseases – old and young• Major Causes of Death Among Old People– Heart Disease– Cancer– Strokes

Changes in Life Situations

• Young people experience positive transitions– Graduation, marriage, parenthood

• Older people experience negative transitions – Retirement, widowhood

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Changes in Sexual Activity

• Majority of people over the age of 65 continue to be interested in sex

• Healthy partners enjoy sexual activities into their 70s and 80s

• Some do not engage in sexual activity for the following reasons:– Poor health– Death of a spouse

Adjusting to Old Age

• Aging sometimes represent a loss of control over the environment

• When older people are unable to maintain the things that they value most the quality of life suffers dramatically along with their self image

• People with assertive personalities are better at coping with life changes

• AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) – Group that speaks out and lobbies on social issues for older people

Changes in Mental Functioning

• Changes in many of the mental functions occur as people age but intelligence and memory do not occur as much as people think

• Crystallized Intelligence – ability to use accumulated knowledge and learning in appropriate situations

• Fluid Intelligence – ability to solve abstract relational problems and generate new hypothesis

Senile Dementia

• Senile Dementia – term that describes memory loss, forgetfulness, disorientation of time and place, decline in the ability to think, impaired attention, altered personality and difficulties in relating to others

Senile Dementia

• Alzheimer’s Disease – Most common form of senile dementia – 4 million people affected– Neurological disease that is a gradual deterioration

of cognitive functioning– Lose ability to comprehend simple questions and

recognize friends and loved ones– Patients do not die from Alzheimer’s but from the

weakened state– Not fully known what causes it and there is no cure

Dying and Death

• Elisabeth Kubler-Ross– Thanatology – study of dying and death• Five Stages of psychological adjustment to death

1. Denial – This cannot be happening2. Anger – people are likely to alienate themselves from

others3. Bargaining – people change their attitudes and attempt to

bargain with fate4. Depression – Short term5. Acceptance – death feels appropriate and peaceful

Dying and Death

• Kubler-Ross – Not all terminally ill patients go through the stages– Patients do not limit their responses to any stage and

they can have recurring bursts of anger• Grieving Periods– In the 1800s a widow or widower was expected to

grieve a long time– Today people are encouraged to get on with their

lives– How long a person grieves depends on the person

Hospices

• Discussing death is taboo in 21st Century America• In 1900 the average life span of someone was less

than 50 years• Hospice – movement to restore the dignity of

death – Make patient’s surroundings pleasant and

comfortable– Improve the quality of life– Medicare includes arrangements for financing hospice

services