Adulthood - 9 Flashcards
Emerging adulthood
period beginning in the late teenage years and extending into the mid-20s)
Middle adulthood
(around age 25):
it is during this period that people gradually become aware of changes in their bodies.
Menopause
Menopause is the period (around late 40’s early 50’s) during which women stop menstruating and are no longer fertile.
Midlife transition
People may begin to question their lives during their early 40’s as the idea that their life will end becomes increasingly influential in their thinking.
Midlife crisis
Feeling of dissatisfaction with your life in the face of physical aging.
Genetic Preprogramming Theories of Aging
suggest that there is a built-in time limit to the reproduction of human cells.
Wear-and-tear Theories of Aging
suggest that the mechanical functions of the body simply work less efficiently as people age.
Fluid intelligence
(information-processing skills such as memory, calculations, and solving analogies) in general, show declines in late adulthood.
Crystallized intelligence
(intelligence based on the accumulation of information, skills, and strategies learned through experience) in contrast, remain steady and in some cases actually improve
Senility
A broad, imprecise term typically applied to older adults experiencing progressive deterioration of mental abilities, including memory loss, disorientation to time and place, and general confusion.
Alzheimer’s disease
is a progressive brain disorder that leads to a gradual and irreversible decline in cognitive abilities.
Disengagement Theory of Aging
Aging produces a gradual withdrawal from the world on physical, psychological, and social levels.
Activity Theory of Aging:
The people who age most successful are those who maintain their interests, activities, and level of social interaction they experienced during middle adulthood.
life review
most people engage in a process of life review, in which they examine and evaluate their lives.
