Lifespan Development Unit 10 Lecture 4

Question 1

Cultural Differences in Adulthood

Answer 1

Different cultures establish different milestones to signal that an individual has entered adulthood. Highlights their maturity and acceptance of rights and responsibilities in their community

Question 2

Young Adulthood:

Answer 2

Age 18-40
Changes that occur from adolescent to young adult are the most difficult to manage since so many new responsibilities are piled on at this stage

Question 3

Dimensions that Determine a Successful Transition into Young Adulthood

Answer 3

1. SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS: Develop skill in maintaining satisfying, long term friendships and romantic relationships
2. MANAGING NEW FREEDOMS: Develop skill in pursuing activities that match their personal goals and values and give their life meaning
3. OVERCOMING NEW CHALLENGES: Facing new challenges, overcoming them and gaining confidence in one’s strengths and abilities

Question 4

Middle adulthood:

Answer 4

Age 40-65

Question 5

Difference Between Young Adulthood and Middle Adulthood:

Answer 5

• Around age 40, women go through menopause
• Menstrual cycle will end and they will lose their ability to produce children
• Hormonal changes that come with menopause come with side effects:
• Estrogen levels drop - Causing hot flashes, lower interest in sex and extreme emotional reactions
• Men experience decline in testosterone and a lowered sex drive

Question 6

Older Adulthood

Answer 6

Age 65+
- Risk of developing a neurodegenerative condition increases in older adulthood- brain conditions or brain disorders

Ex) Dementia, Alzheimer’s A serious disruption in mental functioning, memory difficulties, and impairments in judgement and decision making

• Affects 14% of individuals over age 71 makes up 10% of Dementia cases and involves progressive worsening and ultimately fatal, brain damage
• Problems with memory is the first sign of Alzheimer’s and then to almost complete memory failure
• One cause of Alzheimer’s disease is a buildup of deposits of proteins called beta- amyloid in the spaces between neurons, resulting in the death of those cells.

Question 7

Dementia

Answer 7

A serious disruption in mental functioning, memory difficulties, and impairments in judgement and decision making
- Affects 14% of individuals over age 71

Question 8

Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 8

• Makes up 10% of Dementia cases and involves progressive worsening and ultimately fatal, brain damage
• Problems with memory is the first sign of Alzheimer’s and then to almost complete memory failure
• One cause of Alzheimer’s Disease is a buildup of deposits of proteins called beta- amyloid in the spaces between neurons, resulting in the death of those cells.
  Another protein called Tau Proteins get tangled up inside neurons. These are called Neurofibrillary tangles and they prevent the neuron from functioning.
• Neurodegenerative conditions are not a normal part of aging but there is evidence that mental abilities to decline across stages of a person’s life.

Question 9

Fluid Intelligence

Answer 9

The capacity for new learning, speed of information processing and the ability to adapt comfortably to new challenges and situations
- Declines gradually with age

Question 10

Crystallized Intelligence

Answer 10

• The ability to use previously acquired knowledge and skills
• Does not decline with age very much
• Its possible to enhance new learning in older adults by providing them with a bit of support like a hint to what strategy will help them learn the material in a way that will allow them to remember it later.

Question 11

Factor that minimize declines in fluid intelligence

Answer 11

• Staying physically active
• Maintain rewarding social relationships
• Keep a healthy diet
• Engage in mentally challenging activities

Question 12

Erik Erikson:

Answer 12

• Considered our lives as a sequence of 8 major crisis’ separated by long stretches of less important events
• Whether we succeed in maintaining a healthy psychological status and developing properly depends on whether we succeed at properly resolving these crisis’
• If a person develops properly in childhood and adolescence, they have already succeeded in resolving a number of development crisis

Question 13

Trust vs Mistrust in Infancy

Answer 13

Infants must trust their caregivers and develop a secure attachment to them in order to maintain proper psychological health to succeed in meeting future challenges

Question 14

Autonomy vs Shame/ Doubt in Toddlerhood

Answer 14

Gain enough confidence to explore the world properly and gain some amount of independence from caregivers. Failing this will result in a fearful child who is unable to separate enough from caregivers to gain the knowledge and skill that will be necessary for meeting later challenges

Question 15

Initiative vs Guilt in Childhood

Answer 15

Success requires development of an even greater capacity for independence as a child transfers into the school system and must pursue learning away from their home. Failing this will prevent the degree of independent behavior necessary to ensure that future developmental stages so smoothly

Question 16

Industry vs Inferiority in Later Childhood

Answer 16

Age where one must overcome the threat of developing an inferiority complex. A person must succeed in developing competence and academic skill and other skills that are necessary in school setting. Failure to master these skills will cause the child to lack the confidence and self esteem they will need to meet future challenges

Question 17

Identity vs Role Confusion in Adolescence

Answer 17

Success depends on an individual sorting out their strengths and weaknesses and the type of people they want to spend their time with. Adequate preparation for future challenges requires settling the role that one is best suited to fulfill in their society so they will know what paths to pursue as they transition into adulthood.

Question 18

Intimacy vs Isolation in Early Adulthood

Answer 18

Success requires that a person develop the ability to form and maintain a committed, intimate relationship with other person. Failure to meet this crisis will risk a person ending up alone and socially unfulfilled

Question 19

Generativity vs Stagnation in Middle Adulthood

Answer 19

A person in this stage must figure out how to keep things interesting and stay creative and engaged in life, rather than falling into tired old routines that leave them tired and bored and dissatisfied with their existence. People resolve this crisis by pouring resources into parenting and/or their careers

Question 20

Ego Integrity vs Despair during Older Adulthood

Answer 20

Goal is to develop a positive attitude towards their life’s journey and all of their accomplishments. Failure to resolve this crisis will leave the person bitterly resenting how things didn’t go as planned and regretting not having made different decisions.
- Not much scientific support for Erikson’s theory

Question 21

Advantages of marriage

Answer 21

• Have sex more often
• Are more physically active
• Eat healthier

Question 22

Divorce rates in Canada, why?

Answer 22

• About 40% of marriages end in divorce

- Poor communication strategies

Question 23

4 poor communication strategies is called what by who?

Answer 23

John Gottman calls The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Question 24

Criticism

Answer 24

One partner relentlessly criticizes the other. Focusing on their mistakes and flaws, rather than focusing on making their relationship work better for both of them

Question 25

Defensiveness

Answer 25

One member denies any responsibility for their actions and insists on deflecting blame for their behavior by turning attention to their partner’s mistakes and flaws

Question 26

Contempt

Answer 26

One member comes to dislike their partner to the point of contempt

Question 27

Stonewalling

Answer 27

One partner suppress their feelings and deals with their anger or disappointment with fuming silently and denying there is anything wrong. Choosing a state of anger towards your partner over a conversation where they can work together with their partner to resolve the conflict. Fundamentally is a breakdown in communication

Question 28

Child raising is difficult and stressful

Answer 28

• People tend to never be less happy in their marriage than within the first 2 years of raising children
• People are happiest in their marriage before they have children and after their children leave home
• In a small amount of cases, having children move away can be stressful for parents who have defined themselves in their roles as parents

Question 29

Old Age

Answer 29

• Limitations and special challenges come with old age
• Depression is a risk when limitations reduce physical activity and social interactions
• Despite these challenges despair is not the norm and there is some evidence to suggest that older people are happier than younger ones
• Older adults seem more biased than younger people to remember positive over negative information