middle adulthood Flashcards
the developmental period that begins at approximately 40 to 45 years of age and extends to about 60 to 65 years of age
middle adulthood
middle adulthood involves the balancing of what components
balancing work and relationship responsibilities in the midst of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging
biological functioning may decline in middle adulthood, however…
sociocultural supports such as education, career, and relationships may peak in middle adulthood
middle age is a pivotal period because…
it is a time of balancing growth and decline, linking earlier and later periods of development and connecting younger and older generations.
visible signs of aging
- skin wrinkle and sag because of the loss of fat and collagen in underlying tissues
- small, localized areas of pigmentation in the skin produce age spots, especially in areas that are exposed to sunlight
- hair becomes thinner and grayer due to a lower replacement rate and a decline in melanin production
height and weight in middle adulthood
lose height and many gain weight
reason for decrease in height
bone loss in the vertebrae
age-related loss of muscle mass and strength
sarcopenia
the ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina—experiences its sharpest decline between 40 and 59 years of age
accomodation
middle age and decline in hearing
sensitivity to high pitches usually declines first; the ability to hear low-pitched sounds does not seem to decline much in middle adulthood.
2 forms of cholesterol
low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
high-density lipoprotein (HDL)
a condition characterized by hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance
metabolic syndrome
aspect of cognitive processes that declines in early adulthood and continues to decline in middle adulthood
perceptual speed
a common way to assess speed of information processing
reaction-time task
decline in speed of processing information in adults occurs at different levels of analysis which are…
cognitive, neuroanotomical, and neurochemical
it is either nonexistent or minimal in the early part of middle age but does occur in the latter part of middle age or in late adulthood.
memory decline
the slowdown in learning new information has been
linked to…
changes in working memory
the blame for declining memory in late middle age lies in
result of information overload that builds up as we go through the adult years.
involves having extensive, highly organized knowledge and understanding of a particular domain.
expertise
erikson proposed that middle aged adulhood face what dilemma
generativity vs. stagnation
encompasses adults’ desire to leave legacies of themselves to the next generation
generativity
develops when individuals sense that they have done nothing for the next generation (sometimes called “self-absorption”)
stagnation
a crisis where the middle-aged adult is suspended between the past and the future, trying to cope with this gap that threatens life’s continuity.
midlife
one-third of midlife crisis cases is composed of
triggered by life events such as a job loss, financial problems,
or illness
parents undergo adjustments as a result of the child’s absence
empty nest syndrome
three grandparenting styles
formal, fun-seeking, distant
the grandparent performed what was considered to
be a proper and prescribed role showed a strong interest
in their grandchildren but were careful not to give child-rearing advice
formal style
the grand grandparent was informal and playful. grandchildren were a source of leisure activity; mutual satisfaction was emphasized
fun-seeking style
the grandparent was benevolent but interaction was infrequent
distant style
because of the responsibilities they have for their adolescent and young adult children as well as their aging parents, middle-aged adults were described as the
“sandwich”, “squeezed”, or “overload” generation
in which the middle generation alternates attention between the demands of grown children and aging parents; alternate view of “sandwich”
“pivot” generation
