Lecture 7: Aging and Life Course Flashcards
life course
Broadly defined as “a sequence of socially defined events and roles that the individual enacts over time”
life course perspective
- Connects the individual to the historical and socioeconomic context
- Impact of early events and contexts
transitions
aspects of one’s life course
duration
the length of a transition
turning point
events that change the direction of one’s life
age
- A social construction
- We give meaning to age via expectations, informal sanctions, and social timetables.
- Social and personal meanings are attached to age
- Axis of stratification
cohort
- A group of people born at a particular time and place
- Membership is thought to index a unique historical period
period
a historical time in which social change occurs
lifecourse principles
- lifespan development
- agency
- time and place
- timing
- linked lives
lifespan development
emphasizes that aging and human development are a life-long process.
agency
individuals construct their life course through the choices and actions that they take within the constraints of the opportunities they have
time and place
Indicates that the life course is embedded and shaped by historical times and places (geographic location/culture)
timing
Highlights the importance of when particular transitions and behavioural patterns occur
critical period
- A developmental window where your body is most susceptible to an external influence or exposure
- Outside of this window, it will have a weaker impact on your body
sensitive period
- A developmental window where your body is most susceptible to the strongest effects of an external influence or exposure
- Outside of this window, it may have some effects but they won’t be as strong
linked lives
- Suggests that our lives are lived interdependently
- Thus, we can be impacted by social changes enacted on our social network
conventional wisdom of mental health through the life course
levels of depressive symptoms are the lowest in midlife, which was explained by the lack of changes in this period
mental health in young adulthood today
- Mental health in young adulthood has been decreasing since 2011
- These risks were not evenly distributed: poor mental health is especially common in females and LGBTQ+ youth
mental health in midlife today
- Carr, 2023: midlife is worse in mental health
- Suicide and deaths of despair increase in middle age, especially for men
possible explanations for poor mental health in young adulthood
- Characteristics of pandemic-era learning (e.g., isolation, disruptions, social media, family stressors)?
- Social media (limited empirical support, differential vulnerability)?
- Changes in health behaviours (less sleep, less exercise)?
- Changes in social behaviours (less time with friends)?
- Climate change
- Political dynamics
- Information overload
- High cultural expectations for success
possible explanations for poor mental health in middle age
- Biological changes (ex. Menarche, menopause, andropause)
- Stressors
- Social roles
- Coping resources
- Few economic opportunities/ little hope for the future (Death of Despair)
mental health in old age today
- Ages 65-74: more likely to experience alcohol use disorder
- Ages 85 +: most likely to experience depressive symptoms
- For men and women ages 85+: women = lower suicide rate among all older adults. Men = the highest by a significant margin
- There has been an uptick in suicides, since the mid-to-late 2000s, which is particularly pronounced for men 85+ and older since 2018
possible explanations for poor mental health in old age
- Physical decline/ functional impairment
- Loss of loved ones/ friends
- Reduced mental acuity
- Financial insecurity
- Social isolation
