Chapters 13 & 14

Question 1

Visible physical signs of aging

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

height and weight

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

strength, joints and bones

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

vision

Answer 4

experiences it sharpest decline between 40 & 49 years of age

Question 5

hearing

Answer 5

hearing can also start to decline by age 40.

Question 6

cardiovascular system

Answer 6

midlife is the time when high blood pressure and high cholesterol “often take adults by surprise”

Question 7

sleep

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

The average life expectancy

Answer 8

is 78 years: 12 % of the US population is older than 65.

Question 9

from 1990 to 2015 the middle-aged US population is expected to increase from

Answer 9

47 million to 80 million, a 72% increase

Question 10

the baby boomers, born from 1946 to 1964,

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Middle adulthood (40-45 years of age to about 60-65 years of age)

Answer 11

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

Question 12

middle adulthood is a point

Answer 12

when individuals seek to transmit something meaningful to the next generation; and a time when people reach and maintain satisfaction in their careers.

Question 13

in sum middle adulthood involves

Answer 13

“balancing work and relationship responsibilities in the midst of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging,”

Question 14

midlife physical changes are

Answer 14

usually gradual.

Question 15

since a youthful appearance is stressed in out culture

Answer 15

many individuals strive to make themselves look younger.

Question 16

middle age women were more likely to perceive the signs of aging

Answer 16

as having a negative effect on their physical appearance.

Question 17

The cultural emphasis on youthful appearance and avoiding or minimizing the physical changes

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

In middle adulthood, the frequency of accidents

Answer 18

decline and individuals are less susceptible to colds and allergies than in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood.

Question 19

stress and disease

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

culture, personality, relationships and health

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

Type A/Type B behavioral patterns

Answer 21

people who are hostile outwardly or turn anger inward are more likely to develop heart disease than their less angry counterparts.

Question 22

health and social relationships

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Chronic diseases

Answer 23

are now the main causes of death for individuals in middle adulthood.

Question 24

Heart disease is the

Answer 24

leading cause of death in middle age, followed by; cancer, stroke, accidents, pulmonary diseases and AIDS.

Question 25

Men have higher

Answer 25

mortality rates than women for all of the leading causes of death.

Question 26

Crystallized intelliegence

Answer 26

John horn argued that an individual’s accumulated information and verbal skills continue to increase in middle adulthood.

Question 27

John horn believes

Answer 27

that some abilities begin to decline in middle age while others increase.

Question 28

Fluid intelligence

Answer 28

horn argues that one’s ability to reason abstractly begins to decrease in the middle adulthood years.

Question 29

practical problem solving

Answer 29

the ability to solve practical problems increased through the 40s & 50s as individuals accumulated practical experience.

Question 30

for many people midlife is a time of

Answer 30

evaluation, assessment, and reflection in terms of the work they do and want to do in the future.

Question 31

among work issues that some people face in midlife are

Answer 31

recognizing limitations in career progress, deciding whether to change jobs or careers, deciding whether to rebalance family and work and planning for retirement.

Question 32

work satisfaction

Answer 32

increases steadily throughout the work life- from age 20 to at least age 60.

Question 33

More than 70% of the individuals said they are

Answer 33

religious and consider spirituality a major part of their lives,

Question 34

a significant increase in spirituality occurred

Answer 34

between the late middle (mid-fifties/early sixties) and late adulthood. Females have consistently shown a stronger interest in religion than males have.

Question 35

a series of recent studies have found that Americans are becoming less committed to

Answer 35

particular religious denominations (such as Baptist or Catholic). They are more tolerant of other faiths and more focused on their own spiritual journerys.

Question 36

meaning in life

Answer 36

the quest for a meaningful life. need for purpose. need for values. need for a sense of efficacy. need for self-worth.

Question 37

erikson’s 7th stage generativity vs stagnation

Answer 37

generativity means to give back to the next generation, transmit something meaningful.

Question 38

adult development experts are virtually unanimous

Answer 38

in their belief that midlife crisis have been exaggerated. And if they do experience a middle crisis it is often linked to stressful event.

Question 39

young and middle-aged adults experience stress

Answer 39

more frequently than older adults. Middle-aged adults experience more overload stressors that involve juggling too many activities at once.

Question 40

Having a sense of control in middle age

Answer 40

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.

Question 41

women are more vulnerable to social stressors including:

Answer 41

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.

Question 42

there is a consensus amoing middle-aged americans that a major component of well-being involves

Answer 42

positve relationships with others, especially our parents, spouse and offspring.

Question 43

affectionate or companionate love

Answer 43

increases during middle adulthood. Security, loyality and mutual emotional interest become more important as relationships mature, especially in middle adulthood.

Question 44

martial satisfaction increases

Answer 44

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.

Question 45

most individuals in midlife who are married

Answer 45

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

Question 46

a survey of 40-79 year olds found that staying married because of the children

Answer 46

was by far the main reason many people took so long to become divorced. Women are more likely to initiate divorce than men are.

Question 47

main causes cited by women for their divorce

Answer 47

1. verbal, physical, emotional, sexual abuse (23%)
2. alcohol or drug abuse (18%)
3. cheating (17%)

Question 48

main causes for their divorce cited by men

Answer 48

1. no obvious problems, just fell out of love (17%)
2. cheating (14%)
3. different values or lifestyle (14%)

Question 49

empty nest syndrome

Answer 49

a decrease in marital satisfaction after children leave home, because parents derive considerable satisfaction from their children.

Question 50

for most parents marital satisfaction

Answer 50

increases during the years after child rearing

Question 51

in todays uncertain economic climate, the refilling of the empty nest syndrome

Answer 51

is becoming a common occurence as the refilling of the nest occurs after an unsuccessful career or divorce. referred to as the boomerang generation.

Question 52

many adult become grandparents

Answer 52

for the first time during middle age

Question 53

grandmothers have more

Answer 53

contact with their grandchildren

Question 54

in 2009 8 million children

Answer 54

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.

Question 55

grandparents who are full-time caregivers for their grandchildren

Answer 55

are at elevated risk for health problems, depression and stress.

Question 56

full-time grandparents are often characterized by

Answer 56

low income, minority and by not being married.

Question 57

sandwich generation/ squeezed generation/ overload generation

Answer 57

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.