SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN LATE ADULTHOOD

CHAPTER 18

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESSFUL AGING

Continuity and Change in Personality

• Fundamental continuity to personality

• Profound social environmental changes throughout adulthood may produce fluctuations and changes in personality

• Some discontinuities in development

• What is important to a person at age 80 is not necessarily the same as what was important at age 40.

Discontinuities of Development: What Do Theorists Say?

• Changes in personality occur as a result of new challenges in later adulthood.

Erik Erikson

Ego-integrity-versus despair•Process of looking back over one's life, evaluating it, and coming to terms with it•Integrity

– Comes when people feel they have realized and fulfilled the possibilities that have come their way

•Despair – Occurs when people feel dissatisfied with their life,

and experience gloom, unhappiness, depression, anger, or the feeling that they have failed

Erik Erikson

• Stage begins when the individual experiences a sense of mortality. • This may be in response to retirement, the death of a

spouse or close friends, or may simply result from changing social roles.

• No matter what the cause, this sense of mortality precipitates the final life crisis.

• The final life crisis manifests itself as a review of the individual1s life-career. • Individuals review their life-career to determine if it

was a success or failure. • Reminiscence or introspection is most productive when

experienced with significant others. • Outcome of this life-career reminiscence can be either

positive or negative.

Erik Erikson

• Ego integrity result of positive resolution of final life crisis• Ego integrity is key to harmonious personality

development• the individual views their whole life with satisfaction

and contentment. • Ego quality emerging from positive resolution is wisdom. • Erikson defined wisdom as a kind of "informed and

detached concern with life itself in the face of death itself"

• Conversely, despair is the result of the negative resolution or lack of resolution of the final life crisis.

• This negative resolution manifests itself as a fear of death, a sense that life is too short, and depression.

Robert Peck

Personality development in elderly people is occupied by three major developmental tasks or challenges•Redefinition of self-versus-preoccupation-with-work-role

•Body-transcendence-versus-body-preoccupation

•Ego-transcendence-versus-ego-preoccupation

Robert Peck – First Task

• First task in old age: redefine themselves in ways that do not relate to their work-roles or occupations.

• Must adjust values to place less emphasis on selves as workers or professionals & more on attributes that don't involve work, such as being a grandparent or a gardener.

Robert Peck – Second Task

• In second major developmental task in late adulthood, elderly individuals can undergo significant changes in their physical capabilities as a result of aging.

• In the body transcendence versus body preoccupation stage, people must learn to cope with and move beyond those physical changes (transcendence).

Robert Peck – Third task

• In third developmental task, elderly people must come to grips with:– their coming death – understand that although death is inevitable, and

probably not too far off, they have made contributions to society.

• If people in late adulthood see these contributions, they will experience ego transcendence.

• If not, they may become preoccupied with the question of whether their lives had value and worth to society.

Daniel Levinson

People enter late adulthood by passing through transition stage

(Although not ‘stages’ I think of them this way)

1.View themselves as being “old”

2.Recognize stereotypes and loss of power and respect

3.Serve as resources to younger individuals

4.Discover new freedom to do things for simple sake of enjoyment and pleasure

Daniel Levinson Stage 1

• People come to view themselves as entering late adulthood—or, ultimately, as being “old.” Knowing full well what society's stereotypes about elderly individuals are, and how negative they can be, people struggle with the notion that they are now in this category.

Daniel Levinson Stage 2

• According to Levinson, with age people come to realize that they are no longer on the center stage of life, but are increasingly playing bit parts. This loss of power, respect, and authority may be difficult for individuals accustomed to having control in their lives.

Daniel Levinson Stage 3 & 4

• On the other hand, people in late adulthood can serve as resources to younger individuals, and they may find themselves regarded as “venerated elders” whose advice is sought and relied upon.

• Old age can bring with it a new freedom to do things for the simple sake of the enjoyment and pleasure they bring, rather than because they are obligations.

Bernice Neugarten 1 & 2

Four different personality types in people in their 70s•Disintegrated and disorganized

• Unable to accept aging• experience despair as they get older. • are often found in nursing homes or are hospitalized.

•Passive-dependent personalities• become fearful with age—fear of falling ill, fear of the

future, fear of their own inability to cope. • so fearful that they may seek out help from family and

care providers, even when they don't need it.

Bernice Neugarten 3 & 4

• Defended personalities• respond to the fear of aging in a quite different

manner. They try to stop it in its tracks. • may attempt to act young, exercising vigorously, and

engaging in youthful activities. • Unfortunately, they may set up unrealistic

expectations for themselves and run the risk of feeling disappointed as a result.

• Integrated personalities• most successful individuals cope comfortably with

aging. • accept becoming older & maintain a sense of self

dignity.

Bernice Neugarten Conclusions

• Neugarten found that the majority of the people she studied fell into the final category. They acknowledged aging and were able to look back at their lives and gaze into the future with acceptance.

Life Review and Reminiscence

Common Theme of Personality Development •Triggered by increasingly obvious prospect of one's death •Provides better understanding of past

•Resolves lingering problems and conflicts

•Leads to sense of sharing, mutuality, and feeling of interconnectedness with others

Age Stratification Approaches to Late Adulthood

Age stratification•Suggest that economic resources, power, and privilege are distributed unequally at different stages of the life course•Such inequality is particularly pronounced during late adulthood. •Age stratification theories help explain why aging is viewed more positively in less industrialized societies.

What else?

• Power and prestige for elderly have eroded in industrialized societies – except for wealthy

• Rapidly changing technology causes older adults to be seen as lacking important skills – yet they may not

• Older adults are seen as non-productive members of society and in some cases simply irrelevant – by ignorant

Does age bring wisdom?

Wisdom—expert knowledge in the practical aspects of life—has, until recent years, received little attention from gerontologists and other researchers.

Developmental Diversity

Cultural differences in the way the elderly are treated are often exaggerated•Eskimos do not leave their elderly to die on ice floes

•Chinese revere old age but there is great individual variation

Cultures that revere old age have several things in common

• Homogeneous in socioeconomic terms

• Control of finances by older adults

• Continued engagement in socially valued activities

• Organized around extended families

• Does this apply to families too?

Things to Consider

• Wisdom reflects accumulation of knowledge, experience, and contemplation• knowledge that is derived from intelligence is related

to the here-and-now• intelligence may permit a person to think logically and

systematically

• Wisdom is not the same as intelligence • wisdom is a more timeless quality• wisdom provides an understanding of human

behavior.

Staudinger and Baltes Study

• Older participants benefited more from experimental condition designed to promote wise thinking

• Older adults appear to be able to draw on a more sophisticated theory of mind

• Other research suggests that very wisest individuals may be older adults.

Successful Aging Secrets: Three major approaches

What’s important is maintaining desired level of involvement. •Feeling of control•Empowerment of making own choices

Disengagement Theory: Gradual Retreat

• Late adulthood involves gradual withdrawal from world on physical, psychological, and social levels

• Withdrawal is a mutual process and not necessarily negative

Activity Theory: Continued Involvement

• Happiness and satisfaction from high level of involvement

• Adaptation to inevitable changes

• Continuing/replacing previous activities

And so…

Neither disengagement theory nor activity theory provides a complete picture of successful aging

Continuity Theory: A Compromise Position

• People need to maintain their desired level of involvement in society to maximize their sense of well-being and self-esteem

• Regardless of activity level, most older adults experience positive emotions as frequently as younger individuals

• Good physical and mental health is important in determining overall sense of well-being

Selective Optimization with Compensation

According to the model proposed by Paul Baltes and Margret Baltes, successful aging occurs when an older adult focuses on his or her most important areas of areas.

Is this unique to old age?

(Source: Based on Baltes & Baltes, 1990.)

THE DAILY LIFE OF LATE ADULTHOOD

Places and Spaces

• Living at Home

• Specialized Living Environments – Continuing-care community

• Assisted living

– Nursing institutions• Adult day care• Skilled nursing

Living in Nursing Homes

• Greater the extent of nursing home care = greater adjustment required of residents

• Loss of independence brought about by institutional life may lead to difficulties

• Elderly people are as susceptible to society's stereotypes about nursing homes

Where do you hope to spend the last days of your life?

I think I can, I think I can…or can I?

• Institutionalism and Learned Helplessness

• Institutionalism

• Learned helplessness

Consequences of Loss of Control in Nursing Home Care

• Profound effect on their well-being

• Can you think of any of these effects?

Economics of Late Adulthood

• People who were well-off in young adulthood remain so in late adulthood

• Those who were poor remain poor in late adulthood

Poverty and the Elderly

While 10 percent of those 65 years of age and older live in poverty, women are almost twice as likely as men to be living poverty. (Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2005.)

Other Differences Related to Poverty

Racial and marital variables•8 percent of whites in late adulthood live below the poverty level

•19 percent of Hispanics and 24 percent of African Americans live in poverty

•Divorced black women aged 65 to 74 had a poverty rate of 47 percent

Financial Vulnerability in Older Adulthood

Reliance on a fixed income for support •Social Security benefits

• Pensions, and savings, rarely keeps up with inflation

Rising cost of health care

Work and Retirement

Retirement is major decision•Social Security

•Part-time employment

•Mandatory retirement

Other Questions to Consider

• Besides finances, what do you think are some important factors in deciding on the right time to retire?

• What factors might contribute to the specific retirement path a given person takes?

Some employers..

• Encourage older workers to leave their jobs in order to replace them with younger employees whose salaries will be considerably lower

• Believe older workers are not up to demands of the job or are less willing to adapt to a changing workplace

Retirement

Atchley & Barusch: Stages

Stages of Retirement

Planning For—and Living—a Good Retirement

• Plan ahead financially• Consider tapering off from work gradually• Explore interests before retirement• If you are married or in a long-term partnership, spend

some time discussing views of ideal retirement with partner

• Consider where you want to live• Determine advantages and disadvantages of downsizing

your current home.• Plan to volunteer your time

RELATIONSHIPS: OLD AND NEW

Marriage in Later Years: Together, Then Alone

Stress of Retirement

Stress of retirement or old age may change relationship• 2 percent of divorces in the U. S. involve women over 60•Husband may be abusive or alcoholic•Husband may find a younger woman

Divorce is harder on women than men•5 percent of the elderly never married and late adulthood brings fewer changes to their lives

Refashioned Relationships

For many couples, retirement means that relationships need to be renegotiated•More time together

•More sharing in household chores

•Role reversals

•Health changes

Caring for an Aging Spouse

Wide variety of reactions– Positive– Negative

•Women more likely to provide care– Men die earlier– Traditional gender role of “caregiver”

Death of Spouse

Few events are more painful than death of spouse•No longer part of a couple

•Must deal with profound grief

•No one to share life with and social life often changes

•Economic changes often occur

Process of Adjustment to Widowhood

Do you think the process of adjustment is identical for men and women? (Source: Based on Heinemann & Evans, 1990.)

Social Activity in Late Adulthood

Friends and family play an important role in the social activities of the elderly.

Why do friends matter?

Friendships in late adulthood:•Allow older adults more control about whom to include in a friendship

•May be more flexible than family ties

•Relate to increasing likelihood, over time, that one will be without marital partner

Social Support

Social support is assistance and comfort supplied by another person or a network of caring, interested people•Important for successful aging

•Sympathy and empathy

•Can help furnish material support such as solve problems, give a ride, or fix broken things

•Dogs can be especially good at providing social support

Social Support: Significance of Others

Family Relationships: The Ties That Bind

Connections important•Siblings, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren provide an important source of comfort to adults in last years of their lives

– Siblings are important because of shared life– Children often most important

Developmental Stake

Parents see their children as perpetuating their beliefs, values, and standards•Most parents and children remain close

– 75 percent of children live within a 30-mile drive to their parents

– Daughters tend to be in more frequent contact than sons

– Mothers tend to be the recipient of communication more than fathers

– Children may turn to their elderly parents for advice, information, and monetary help

Views of Parents and Children Regarding Behavior of Adult Children Toward Parents

Grandparenting

Grandparents•Not all grandparents are equally involved with their grandchildren

•Gender differences in behaviors and reactions of grandparents and grandchildren

•Ethnic differences in grandparenting

When Grandparents Are Great!

Great-grandparents•Play less of a role in the lives of both white and African American grandchildren

•Close relationships tend to occur only when the great-grandparents and great-grandchildren live relatively near one another

Elder Abuse

Physical or psychological mistreatment or neglect of elderly individuals•May affect as many as 11 percent of elderly

•Is most frequently committed by family member

•Often result of combination of economic, psychological, and social pressures on caregivers

•Best approach for dealing with abuse is prevention