Final Exam- Chapter 13 Flashcards
Life Span Developmental Theories or models
- Development is a process of adapting to a constant flux
of influences on our lives - Both biology and culture support development
-Supporting optimal development in childhood
-Most people reach adulthood and reproduce
-Selection pressures weaken by middle adulthood
-More cultural supports are required for success
Development requires multidimensional models
- Both hereditary and environmental influences
- Both continuity and change characterize adults
- Adaptation continues from birth to death
Change involves gains and losses throughout life
– Gains are most obvious early in life
– Losses are more obvious later
Adaptation to change involves three global process
– Growth: Adding new characteristics, understandings, skills
– Maintenance or resilience: Finding ways to continue or restore functioning after loss
– Regulation of loss: Adjusting expectations and accepting a lower level of functioning
Success
maximizing gains, minimizing losses
n Stability in the Big 5 personality traits after age 30
- – Neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience
- Correlated with childhood temperament
Biological causes are implicated- Sources of Stability in Adult Development
– Related to brain-mediated systems of approach, fear
irritability, effortful control, and reactivity
– Stable differences in reactivity, stress response
Environmental influences equally important- sources of stability in Adult Development
– Predictable responses from others
– Relatively stable environments for many
Personality traits across cultures
- Traits and typical age related changes similar across many cultures
- McCrae and colleagues (1999) conducted a cross-sectional study across 5 different cultures and found consistent trends among German, Italian, Portuguese, Croatian, and Korean groups.
- Older individuals across cultures where higher on agreeableness and conscientiousness; somewhat lower in extraversion and openness to experience.
Age-graded change
Change as a function of time
Physical changes in adulthood
– Declines in sensory ability, reproductive ability
– Changes in appearance, wrinkles, weight
Cognitive changes in adulthood
– Decline in fluid/mechanical processes, processing speed and inhibition mechanisms
– Stable or increasing crystallized resources, declarative and procedural knowledge
Life tasks and responsibilities in adulthood
– Fairly predictable sequence of change in roles
Erikson: Three stages in self-development in adulthood
- Intimacy vs. isolation (early)
- Generativity vs. stagnation (middle)
- Ego integrity vs. despair (late)
Vaillant suggested two more adult life stages should be added to Erikson’s
- Career consolidation vs. self-absorption (20’s)
- Keeper of meaning vs. rigidity (late middle adulthood)
Development is influenced by the intersection of…
– Chronological age (life time)
– Family-related roles (family time)
– Membership in a birth cohort (historical time)
History-graded Changes
- Year of birth marks entry into a cohort of peers
- History-graded changes are those that affect the development of a whole cohort
– Examples include The Great Depression, WWII, the Vietnam War, social changes in 1960s, 9-11
– Effects of event depend on age and stage of life - The social gradient
– Economic, social status alters impact of events
Nonnormative events
- sudden, unexpected, and individual
– Not predicted by age, not relevant to everyone
– Create a new set of circumstances
– Have potential to alter course of development - Many negative nonnormative events possible
– Traumatic illnesses, accidents, imprisonment or death of a loved one - Some positive nonnormative events have impact
– Geographic move for a job promotion, major career
change, economic windfall
Key Developmental Tasks of Midlife
- Continuing pursuit of intimacy and generativity
- Impact of intimacy in midlife
– Good marriages or primary relationships confer important physical and psychological benefits
• Higher levels of happiness
• Higher sexual and emotional satisfaction
• Lower rates of mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse and physical illness
• Economic benefits and protective factors
• Tendency to live longer - Friendships also very important for life satisfaction
The family life cycle
1. Normative stage like sequence of roles and experiences – Leaving home as single young adults – Finding a compatible mate – Joining of families through marriage – Families with young children – Families with adolescents – Launching children and moving on – Families in later life
Theories of marital harmony and discord
- Disillusionment model: Romantic notions dashed
- Maintenance hypothesis: Romantic couples work to maintain illusions and therefore marriage
- Social exchange/behavioral theories: Marriage fails when problems become overwhelming, or because of inadequate for coping
- Intrapersonal models: Attachment and temperament explain marital success or failure
Multidimensional model for marriage
– Intrapersonal factors: Traits, expectations
– Interpersonal factors: Problem-solving skills
– Situational factors: Stresses, environment
– Developmental factors: Transitions, role change
Predicting marital success or satisfaction so far
– More successful when positive outweighs negative
– Negative affect reciprocity predicts dissolution
– “Four horsemen of the apocalypse” are criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling
Four Horseman of the Apocalypse
- Criticism: verbally attacking partner’s personality or character
- Contempt: attacking your partner’s sense of self with an intention to insult or psychologically abuse them
- Defensiveness: seeing yourself as the victim in efforts to ward off a perceived attack and reverse the blame
- Stonewalling: withdrawing from the relationship as a way to avoid conflict in efforts to convey disapproval, distance, and separation
Generativity
- Aprimary developmental task of middle adulthood
- Two components: desire and accomplishment
– Desire refers to wanting to be creative, productive, or giving
– Accomplishment means actually feeling that you are creative, productive, or giving
– Desire more characteristic of young adults
– Accomplishment more typical of middle adults - For many people, raising children is a significant part of
adult life and establishing generativity