Late Adulthood: SOCIAL & PERSONALITY Flashcards
What is Erikson’s stage in late adulthood?
ego integrity vs despair
What is the Ego integrity vs. despair stage?
- the last of Erikson’s psychosocial stages, in which older adults must achieve a sense of satisfaction with their lives
- includes reminiscence and life review
What is ego integrity?
the feeling that one’s life has been worthwhile
What is reminiscence?
reflecting on past experience; is a positive emotional experience for older adults that is often seen as a way of communicating their experiences to younger individuals
What is life review?
an evaluative process in which elders make judgments about past behaviour
List the other theories of late-life psychosocial functioning
- selective optimization and compensation
- activity theory
- disengagement theory
- continuity theory
What is the selective optimization and compensation theory?
Older adults maintain high levels of performance by focusing on their strengths and compensating for weaknesses
What is the activity theory?
the idea that it is normal and healthy for older adults to try to remain as active as possible for as long as possible
what is the disengagement theory?
the theory that it is normal and healthy for older adults to scale down their social lives and to separate themselves from others to a certain degree
- has 3 aspects
What are the 3 aspects of the disengagement theory?
- Shrinkage of life space (downsize, smaller place)
- Increased individuality
- Acceptance of these changes
- The third aspect of disengagement theory is controversial, since it implies a personality change
What is the continuity theory?
the idea that older adults adapt life-long interests and activities to the limitations imposed on them by physical aging
What is related to the differences in a varity of behaviours in late adulthood?
- related to overall quality of life as well as to longevity
- reliance on religious beliefs and institutions as sources of support are also correlated with well-being in late adulthood
What are the components of successful aging?
- health
- mental activity
- social engagement
- productivity
- life satisfaction
Why is successful aging referred to as a paradigm?
presents patterns for or examples of such aging
How does willingness and believing affect health?
- When an older adult suffers a stroke or fractures a bone, his willingness to engage in the sometimes painful process of rehabilitation significantly affects his degree of recovery
- Those who believe they can achieve rehabilitation goals are most motivated to participate, and most likely to succeed
Can learning protect the brain from deterioration? why?
yes, new learning helps to establish new connections between neurons, connections that may protect the aging brain against deterioration