Chapter 18 Late Adulthood: Social and Emotional Development

Question 1

Erik Erikson Stage 8: Erikson labelled the final life stage as a crisis of ego integrity versus despair, a battle between two competing beliefs.

Answer 1

Ego integrity versus despair (65 years to death) — reflection; older adults look back to review their life’s meaning, and many do so with feelings of integrity, which results from their sense of contentment and fulfillment.

Question 2

Robert Peck’s Developmental Tasks

Answer 2

Ego differentiation versus work-role preoccupation – After retirement, people need to find new ways of defining their self-worth outside their achievements in the workplace (e.g., roles in the community, spiritual undertakings).

Question 3

Robert Peck’s Developmental Tasks (cont’d)

Answer 3

Body transcendence versus body preoccupation – Physical decline; best to shift to cognitive activities and social relationships; this stage may come earlier as disability or chronic illness may arise.

Question 4

Robert Peck’s Developmental Tasks (cont’d)

Answer 4

Ego transcendence versus ego preoccupation – This means preparing in some way to go beyond the physical limitations of one’s own life expectancy; as death comes closer, transcend death by helping to secure the future of their children or grandchildren; be involved with a religious institution or environmental causes.

Question 5

Robert Peck’s Developmental Tasks (cont’d)

Answer 5

Ardelt (2008) – Ego transcendence grows out of self-reflection and the willingness to learn from experience; ego transcendence is characterized by concern for the well-being of humankind in general.

Question 6

important of reminiscence

Answer 6

Daniel Levinson stated that one aspect of midlife crisis was that people realized they had more to look back on than look forward to; older adults often engage in reminiscence.
The Reminiscence Bump (RB) refers to the increase of autobiographical memories from earlier in one’s life. Reminiscence treatment involves less reliance on drugs for relieving depression and other psychological problems, and can include music, group, or dance therapy.

Question 7

disengagement theory

Answer 7

Older people and society mutually withdraw from one another as older people approach death.

Question 8

activity theory

Answer 8

Older adults are better adjusted when they are more active and involved in physical and social activities.
This theory perceives many barriers to such activity in social attitudes, such as older people should “take it easy,” and structural matters, such as forced retirement rather than consideration of the desires of the individual.

Question 9

socio-emotional selectivity theory

Answer 9

looks at older adults’ social networks; as we age, increasing emphasis is placed on emotional experience, leading to a greater focus on emotionally fulfilling experiences (Charles & Carstensen, 2007).

Question 10

self-determination versus dependence

Answer 10

Older people who are independent think of themselves as leading a “normal life”; those who are dependent on others, even only slightly dependent, tend to worry more about aging and encountering physical disabilities and stress.

Question 11

depression

Answer 11

Depression affects some 10 percent of people aged 65 and above.
Depression in older people is sometimes a continuation of depression from earlier periods of life, and sometimes it is a new development. insomnia

Question 12

anxiety disorders

Answer 12

Anxiety disorders affect at least 3 percent of people aged 65 and above, but co-exist with depression in about 8 percent to 9 percent of older adults.

Question 13

suicide

Answer 13

Untreated depression can lead to suicide, which is most common among older people.
The highest rates of suicide are found among older men who have lost their wives or their partners, lost their social networks, or who fear the consequences of physical illnesses and loss of freedom of action.

Question 14

communities and housing for older people

Answer 14

Older people with declining health conditions, changes in their family composition, and significant increases in property taxes and costs of utilities likely need to consider residing elsewhere.
“Elder abuse” – Staff acts harshly toward residents, sometimes in response to cognitively impaired residents acting aggressively toward the staff; well-selected and well-trained staff can deal well with impaired residents

Question 15

widowhood

Answer 15

By age 65, 50 percent of all women and 10 percent of all men have experienced the loss of a spouse; by age 85, the figure rises to 80 percent.
The loss of a partner is one of the most traumatic experiences; most older adults are resilient, but it has a negative impact on 10 to 20 percent of individuals.

Question 16

singles and older people without children

Answer 16

Single, never-married, and non-cohabiting adults without children make up a small minority of the adult Canadian population.
Single older adults without children are just as likely as people who have had children to be socially active and involved in volunteer work.

Question 17

successful aging

Answer 17

Definitions of successful aging include physical activity, social contacts, self-rated good health, the absence of cognitive impairment and depression, non-smoking, and the absence of disabilities and chronic diseases such as arthritis and diabetes.