Middle Adulthood Flashcards
years between ages 40 and 65
o Middle age can be a time of decline and loss, or it can be a time of mastery, competence, and growth
o “Afternoon of Life” – Carl Jung
o Balancing work and relationship responsibilities in the midst of physical and psychological changes associated with aging
o Middle Adulthood
o Age-related visual problems occur mainly in five areas: near vision, dynamic vision, sensitivity to light, visual search, and speed of processing visual information
Physical Changes
difficulty focusing on near objects
o Presbyopia
nearsightedness
o Myopia
gradual hearing loss
o Presbycusis
Men experience hearing loss quickly than women
Noise experienced at the work site
minimum amount of energy that your body needs to maintain vital functions while resting
o Basal Metabolism
the maximum volume of air the lungs can draw in and expel – may begin to diminish at about age of 40
o Vital Capacity
when a woman permanently stop ovulating and menstruating and can no longer conceive a child
o Menopause
One year after the last menstrual period
– beginning of menopause; woman’s production of mature ova begins to decline, and the ovaries produce less estrogen
Perimenopause (Climacteric)
Hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances, mood disturbances, urinary incontinence, cognitive disturbances, somatic symptoms, sexual dysfunction
high blood pressure, increasing important concern from midlife and the world’s leading preventable cause of early death
o Hypertension
mature onset, the most common type; develops after age 30; glucose levels rise because the cells lose their ability to use insulin
o Type 2 Diabetes
juvenile-onset, or insulin-dependent, in which the levels of blood sugar rises because the body does not produce enough insulin
o Type 1 Diabetes
– bones become thin and brittle as a result of calcium depletion (due to falling of estrogen levels)
o Osteoporosis
Good lifestyle habits can reduce risk, if started early in life
diagnostic x-ray of the breasts
Mammography
treatment with artificial estrogen
Hormone Therapy
the damage that occurs when perceived environmental demands or stressors exceed a person’s capacity to cope with them
o Stres
the damage that occurs when perceived environmental demands or stressors exceed a person’s capacity to cope with them
o Stress
Stress in midlife may come from role changes, career transitions, grown children leaving home, and the renegotiation of family relationships
Women experience more stress than men and to be more concerned about stress
The classic stress response – fight or flight – may be more characteristic of men, activated in part by testosterone
– ability to solve novel problems, such as problems that require little or no previous knowledge
o Fluid Intelligence
Peak in young adulthood
Many older adults perform in the real world at high levels despite declines in fluid intelligence
ability to remember and use information acquired over a lifetime, such as academics
o Crystallized Intelligence
Increase through middle age and often until the end of life
form of crystallized intelligence that is related to the process of encapsulation
Specialized Knowledge or Expertise
people reduce works hours or days, gradually moving into retirement over a number of years
o Phased Retirement
– switching to another company or new line of work
o Bridge Employment
fundamental requisite for participation not only in the workplace but in all facets of a modern, information-driven society
Literacy
organized set of beliefs, practices, rituals, and symbols that increases an individual’s connection to a sacred or transcendent other
o Religion
degree of affiliation with an organized religion, participation in its rituals and practices
o Religiousness
involves experiencing something beyond oneself in transcendent manner
o Spirituality
o Viktor Frankl said that the three most distinct human qualities are
spirituality, freedom, and responsibility
, refers to a human being’s uniqueness of spirit, philosophy, and mind
Spirituality
Four main needs for meaning that guide how people try to make sense of their lives:
i. Need for Purpose – goals and fulfillments
ii. Need for Values – enable people to decide whether certain acts are right or wrong
iii. Need for a sense of efficacy – belief that they can control their environment
iv. Need for Self-Worth
– involved finding meaning through contributing to society and leaving a legacy for future generations
o Generativity
Parenting, teaching, mentorship, productivity, self-generation or self-development
“Maintenance of the work”
Associated with prosocial behaviors
widening commitment to take care of persons, products, and the ideas one has learned to take care for
o Care
disconnected from the communities because of their failure to contribute
o Stagnation
– they no longer allow themselves to relax and rest
o Maladaptive Tendency: Overextension
no longer participating or contributing in the society
o Malignant Tendency: Rejectivity
changes in personality and lifestyle during middle forties
o Midlife Crisis
Many people realize that they will not be able to fulfill the dreams of their youth, or that fulfillment of their own mortality
People who do have crisis at midlife generally also have crises at other times in their lives as well
Manifestation of a neurotic personality rather than developmental phase
psychological transition that involves significant change or transformation in the perceived meaning, purpose, or direction of a person’s life
o Turning Point
Triggered by major life events, normative changes, or a new understanding of past experience
involves recognizing the finiteness of life and can be a time of taking stock, discovering new insights about the self, and spurring midcourse corrections in the design and trajectory of one’s life
o Midlife Review
time constraints on
o Developmental Deadlines –
the ability to adapt flexibly and resourcefully to potential source of stress
o Ego Resiliency
physical characteristics, cognitive abilities, and personality traits are incorporation into identity schemas (Susan Krauss Whitbourne)
o Identity Process Theory (IPT)
interpretation of new information via existing cognitive structure
Assimilation
involves changing cognitive structures to more closely align with what is encountered
Accommodation
involves holding onto a consistent sense of self in the face of new experiences that do not fit the current understanding of the self
Identity Assimilation
involves adjusting the identity schema to fit new experiences
Identity Accommodation
stable sense of self while adjusting their self-schemas to incorporate new information
Identity Balance
views the development of self as a continuous process of constructing one’s life story
o Narrative Psychology
feature redemption and associated with psychological well-being
o Generativity Scripts
people move through life surrounded by Social Convoys in whom they rely on assistance, well-being, and social support
o Social Convoy Theory
Social Convoys - circles of close friends and family
Characteristics of the person together with characteristics of that person’s situation influence the size and composition of the convoy, the amount and kinds of social support a person receives, and the satisfaction derived from this support
– social interaction has 3 main goals: (1) it is a source of information; (2) it helps people develop and maintain a sense of self; and (3) it is a source of emotional well-being
o Socioemotional Selectivity Theory
the longer a couple is married, the more likely they are to have built up joint financial assets, to share the same friends, to go through important experiences together, and to get used to the emotional benefits that marriage can provide
o Marital Capital
occurs when the youngest child leaves home
o In a good marriage, departure of children generally increases marital satisfaction
o Empty Nest
– returning to parent’s home, sometimes with their own families
o Revolving Door Syndrome or Boomerang Phenomenon
– adults learn to balance love and duty to their parents with autonomy in a two-way relationship
o Filial Crisis
caught in squeeze between the competing needs of their own children and the emerging needs of their parents
o Sandwich Generation
a physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that can affect adults who care for aged relatives
o Caregiver Burnout
giving caregivers some time off
o Respite Care
grandparents that provides care but don’t become foster parents or gain custody, have no legal status and few rights
o Kinship Care
