Chapters 13 & 14 Flashcards
Visible physical signs of aging
The first outwardly noticeable signs of aging usually are apparent by the forties or fifties. The skin beings to wrinkle and sag because of a loss of fat and collagen in underlying tissues.
height and weight
being overweight is a critical health problem in middle adulthood. For individuals who are 30% or more overweight, the probability of dying in middle adulthood increases by 20-40%. Those who are obese are at 100-200% higher risk of premature death.
strength, joints and bones
the cushions for the movement of bones become less efficient in the middle adult years. Maximum bone density occurs by the mid to late 30s, from which point there is a progressive loss of bone.
vision
experiences it sharpest decline between 40 & 49 years of age
hearing
hearing can also start to decline by age 40.
cardiovascular system
midlife is the time when high blood pressure and high cholesterol “often take adults by surprise”
sleep
some aspects of sleep become more problematic in middle age. The total number of hours slept usually remains the same as in early adulthood, but beginning in the forties, wakeful periods are more frequent and there is less of the deepest type of sleep. The amount of time spent lying awake in bed at night begins to increase in middle age and this can produce the feeling of being less rested in the morning.
The average life expectancy
is 78 years: 12 % of the US population is older than 65.
from 1990 to 2015 the middle-aged US population is expected to increase from
47 million to 80 million, a 72% increase
the baby boomers, born from 1946 to 1964,
are of interest to developmentalists not only because of their increased numbers but also because they are the best-educated and most affluent cohorts in history to pass through middle age.
Middle adulthood (40-45 years of age to about 60-65 years of age)
for many people, middle adulthood is a time of declining physical skills and expanding responsibilities; a period in which people become more conscious of the young-old polarity and the shrinking amount left in life
middle adulthood is a point
when individuals seek to transmit something meaningful to the next generation; and a time when people reach and maintain satisfaction in their careers.
in sum middle adulthood involves
“balancing work and relationship responsibilities in the midst of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging,”
midlife physical changes are
usually gradual.
since a youthful appearance is stressed in out culture
many individuals strive to make themselves look younger.
middle age women were more likely to perceive the signs of aging
as having a negative effect on their physical appearance.
The cultural emphasis on youthful appearance and avoiding or minimizing the physical changes
associated with the aging characterize the baby-boom generation. For example, baby boomers have a strong interest in plastic surgery and Botox, which may reflect their desire to take control of the aging process.
In middle adulthood, the frequency of accidents
decline and individuals are less susceptible to colds and allergies than in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood.
stress and disease
stress is increasingly being found to be a factor in disease, and the cumulative effect of stress often has a toll ob the health of the individuals by the time they reach middle age.
culture, personality, relationships and health
as individuals aged from 34-50 those who were the most healthy were also the most calm, the most self-control, and the most responsible.
Type A/Type B behavioral patterns
people who are hostile outwardly or turn anger inward are more likely to develop heart disease than their less angry counterparts.
health and social relationships
individuals who were on a positive relationship pathway from childhood to middle age had significantly fewer biological problems (cardiovascular disease, physical decline) than their counterparts who were on a negative relationship pathway.
Chronic diseases
are now the main causes of death for individuals in middle adulthood.
Heart disease is the
leading cause of death in middle age, followed by; cancer, stroke, accidents, pulmonary diseases and AIDS.
Men have higher
mortality rates than women for all of the leading causes of death.
Crystallized intelliegence
John horn argued that an individual’s accumulated information and verbal skills continue to increase in middle adulthood.
John horn believes
that some abilities begin to decline in middle age while others increase.
Fluid intelligence
horn argues that one’s ability to reason abstractly begins to decrease in the middle adulthood years.
practical problem solving
the ability to solve practical problems increased through the 40s & 50s as individuals accumulated practical experience.
for many people midlife is a time of
evaluation, assessment, and reflection in terms of the work they do and want to do in the future.
among work issues that some people face in midlife are
recognizing limitations in career progress, deciding whether to change jobs or careers, deciding whether to rebalance family and work and planning for retirement.
work satisfaction
increases steadily throughout the work life- from age 20 to at least age 60.
More than 70% of the individuals said they are
religious and consider spirituality a major part of their lives,
a significant increase in spirituality occurred
between the late middle (mid-fifties/early sixties) and late adulthood. Females have consistently shown a stronger interest in religion than males have.
a series of recent studies have found that Americans are becoming less committed to
particular religious denominations (such as Baptist or Catholic). They are more tolerant of other faiths and more focused on their own spiritual journerys.
meaning in life
the quest for a meaningful life. need for purpose. need for values. need for a sense of efficacy. need for self-worth.
erikson’s 7th stage generativity vs stagnation
generativity means to give back to the next generation, transmit something meaningful.
adult development experts are virtually unanimous
in their belief that midlife crisis have been exaggerated. And if they do experience a middle crisis it is often linked to stressful event.
young and middle-aged adults experience stress
more frequently than older adults. Middle-aged adults experience more overload stressors that involve juggling too many activities at once.
Having a sense of control in middle age
is one of the most important modifiable factors in delaying the onset of diseases in middle adulthood and the increasing frequency of diseases in late adulthood.
women are more vulnerable to social stressors including:
romance, family and work. Women are more likely to become depressed when they encounter stressful life events while men are more likely to become aggressive, socially withdrawn and drink.
there is a consensus amoing middle-aged americans that a major component of well-being involves
positve relationships with others, especially our parents, spouse and offspring.
affectionate or companionate love
increases during middle adulthood. Security, loyality and mutual emotional interest become more important as relationships mature, especially in middle adulthood.
martial satisfaction increases
in middle age, even some marriages that were difficult and rocky during early adulthood turn out better adjusted during middle adulthood. There may be fewer financial worries, less housework and more time with each other.
most individuals in midlife who are married
voice considerable satisfaction with being married (72% say either “excellent” or “very good”). Possibly by middle age, many of the worst marriages have already dissolved
a survey of 40-79 year olds found that staying married because of the children
was by far the main reason many people took so long to become divorced. Women are more likely to initiate divorce than men are.
main causes cited by women for their divorce
- verbal, physical, emotional, sexual abuse (23%)
- alcohol or drug abuse (18%)
- cheating (17%)
main causes for their divorce cited by men
- no obvious problems, just fell out of love (17%)
- cheating (14%)
- different values or lifestyle (14%)
empty nest syndrome
a decrease in marital satisfaction after children leave home, because parents derive considerable satisfaction from their children.
for most parents marital satisfaction
increases during the years after child rearing
in todays uncertain economic climate, the refilling of the empty nest syndrome
is becoming a common occurence as the refilling of the nest occurs after an unsuccessful career or divorce. referred to as the boomerang generation.
many adult become grandparents
for the first time during middle age
grandmothers have more
contact with their grandchildren
in 2009 8 million children
lived with at least one grandparent. Divorce, adolescent pregnancy and drug use by parents are the main reasons grandparents are thrust back into the parenting role.
grandparents who are full-time caregivers for their grandchildren
are at elevated risk for health problems, depression and stress.
full-time grandparents are often characterized by
low income, minority and by not being married.
sandwich generation/ squeezed generation/ overload generation
middle-aged adults have responsibilities for their growing children and their aging parents.
- by middle-age 40% adult children (mostly daughters) provide care for their aging parents or their in-laws.
- middle-aged generation plays an important role in linking generations.
