Chapter 14: Successful aging Flashcards
Rowe and Kahn definition of successful aging
(1) absence of disease and disability, (2) high cognitive and physical functioning, and (3) active engagement with life
Critiques about Rowe and Kahn
(1) overly normative and not inclusive (2) fails to take into account sociocultural factors (3) and subjective meanings by older adults (4) criteria are not well-specified
WHO definition of active and healthy ageing
process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age
successful cognitive aging
cognitive performance that is above the average for an individual’s age group as objectively measured
superagers
individuals aged 80 or older that have episodic memory that is comparable or superior to that of middle-aged adults
positive psychology
seeks to provide greater understanding of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive
life satisfaction
overall assessment of an individual’s feelings and attitudes about their life at a particular point in time
subjective well-being
individual’s overall sense of well-being
paradox of well-being
findings from research on successful aging that older adults maintain high subjective well-being despite facing challenges from their objective circumstances
social indicator model of well-being
demographic and social structural variables account for individual differences in levels of well-being; older adults have less so should be unhappier
3 models of subjective well-being
social indicator model, paradox of well-being, set point perspective
set point perspective
people’s personalities influence their level of well-being throughout life
age-friendly environment
enables people of all ages to participate in their communities and be free from poverty, treats everyone with respect, regardless of age (maintain dignity), makes it easy for older people to maintain their social connections, and helps people maintain their health, activity, and autonomy
communicative ecology model of successful aging (CEMSA)
ways of seeing and talking about themselves can influence the way older adults feel about aging and their ability to age successfully
Planck hypothesis
tendency of peak scientific productivity to occur in early adulthood; peak at 40 but doesn’t include those that died before old age
creative potential
total number of works a person can hypothetically produce without an upper limit
career age
age at which individual started producing creative works
3 factors in simonton’s model of creative productivity
creative potential, number of ideas, and ability to turn ideas into products
equal odds rule
creative individuals who produce more works are more likely to produce one or more of high quality than those who produce fewer works
blind variation and selective retention (BVSR) theory
true creativity requires producing a large number of ideas in trial-and-error fashion then the best of which will remain
old age style
negative and positive features that is common in the work of older artists
swan song
last burst of creativity of an older musician
Rowe and Kahn’s limitations of normal aging
cognitive and physical heterogeneity within primary or normal aging, “normal” suggests no risk and unmodifiable aging
Missing predictors of successful aging
spirituality, marital status and satisfaction, positive (not pathological) health, leisure activity, well-being and quality of life, personal fulfillment
Alternative models to successful aging
resilience aging and harmonious aging
resilience aging
focuses on patterns of positive adaptation in the context of significant risk or adversity; achievable by many regardless of social, cultural background, or physical/cognitive impairment
harmonious aging
wisdom of handling opportunities and challenges, acknowledgement of physical and functional changes, interdependence among people
stereotype embodiment
stereotypes are embodied when their assimilation from the surrounding culture leads to self-definitions that influence functioning and health
2 directions of stereotype embodiment
top-down (culture, society, historical) and over-time (childhood, adulthood, old age)
How are stereotypes embodied?
become internalized across the lifespan, gain salience from self-relevance, can operate unconsciously, impact multiple pathways
Influence of positive self-perception on health and survival
leads to lower decline in functional health and an extra 7.5 years of life on average
How are age stereotypes more likely to be internalized compared to race and gender stereotypes?
they become internalized and self-relevant as we transition from the privileged groups (young) to the marginalized group (old); lack of egalitarian thinking where the old are treated the same as the young
negative features of old age style
more pessimistic view of life, sense of isolation, choice of tragic themes, feeling of imminent departure
positive features of old age style
more expressive and less realistic, accumulation of symbolism, more freedom in use of paint strokes, richer in meaning
