middle adulthood 40-65 Flashcards
-middle age, a social construct
no consensus on when it begins and ends (text says 40-65)
no specific biological or social events that mark its boundaries
in US middle age is increasingly a state of mind
many people in their 60’s and 70’s consider themselves middle aged
-middle age, a social construct
no consensus on when it begins and ends (text says 40-65)
no specific biological or social events that mark its boundaries
in US middle age is increasingly a state of mind
many people in their 60’s and 70’s consider themselves middle aged
-middle age, a social construct
no consensus on when it begins and ends (text says 40-65)
no specific biological or social events that mark its boundaries
in US middle age is increasingly a state of mind
many people in their 60’s and 70’s consider themselves middle aged
-middle age, a social construct
no consensus on when it begins and ends (text says 40-65)
no specific biological or social events that mark its boundaries
in US middle age is increasingly a state of mind
many people in their 60’s and 70’s consider themselves middle aged
-middle age, a social construct
no consensus on when it begins and ends (text says 40-65)
no specific biological or social events that mark its boundaries
in US middle age is increasingly a state of mind
many people in their 60’s and 70’s consider themselves middle aged
-middle age, a social construct
no consensus on when it begins and ends (text says 40-65)
no specific biological or social events that mark its boundaries
in US middle age is increasingly a state of mind
many people in their 60’s and 70’s consider themselves middle aged
-the aging experience
most younger middle aged adults see their lives as still needing improvement
most older middle aged adults are satisfied with most areas of life
social, financial, health
most people up until 75 say aging is a positive
-age related visual problems
near vision, dynamic vision (ability to moving signs, sensitivity to light, visual search, speed of processing, loss of visual acuity (presbyopia farsighted ness associated because lens of the eye becomes less elastic)
-Hearing loss: prebycusis
a gradual hearing loss (rarely noticed early life)
speeds up in the 50’s
affects sounds at pitches
-other physical losses
sensitivity to taste and smell sensitivity of touch and pain endurance decrease in basal metabolism manual dexterity tasks that involve choice of response
changes in appearance
skin may become less taut and smooth (layer of fat becomes thinner)
hair becomes thinner
people sweat less (sweat glands diminish)
gain weight and lose height
lower bone density
vital capacity of lungs diminishes
Menopause
when a woman permanently stops ovulating and menstruating
no longer able to conceive a child
typically happens around 50
perimenopause: 3 to 5 year slowing process before menopause
estrogen an ova production decline beginning in mid 30’s
Attitudes toward menopause
in the US most women view menopause positively
most express relief
many see it as a time of greater independence and personal growth
symptoms of menopause
many women experience little discomfort
most common are hot flashes
only 1/2 of women experience
other symptoms: vaginal dryness, burning, itching, decreased sexual appetite
exploding menopause myths
the following have been shown not to be linked to this biological change; irritability, nervousness, anxiety, depression, memory loss
cultural differences in menopause
many women never experience symptoms
comparison with Japanese women
african american women have more positive feelings about menopause than caucasian women
more research needed
changes in male sexuality
no evidence to support “andropause” or male “menopause”
testosterone decreases slowly
about 1% per year after the 30’s, no strong relationship between testosterone levels
and sexual performance
possible E.D.: inability for male to achieve or maintain an erect penis, can be physical,
psychological or both
count and quality diminish with age
sexual activity
satisfaction with sex life diminishes gradually during 40’s and 50’s
decline is related to: physical changes and chronic illness
nonphysical changes: monotony in relationship, worries
sexual dysfunction
a persistent disturbance in sexual desire or sexual response
forms of dysfunction: lack of interest, painful intercourse, difficulty in arousal, premature
ejaculation
health in middle adulthood
most middle aged americans are healthy
but low SES experience increasing health problems
most middle aged people experience little change
health trends
hypertension: risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney diseases- can be controlled
through: blood pressure screening, low salt diets, medications
heart disease: leading cause of death between ages 45 and 64
diabetes: doubled since 1990’s
Behavioral influences on health
longer lives and shorter periods of disability are associated with: not smoking, avoiding
over weight, regular exercise, low stress levels
SES and health
lower SES ppl. tend to have
poorer health, lower life expectancy, more activity limitations, lower well being, more
restricted access to health care
Gender and health
women have longer life span
women seek health treatment more than men
gender gap in heart disease has reversed
women have greater risk after menopause of heart disease and osteoporosis
Osteoporosis
bones become brittle due to calcium depletion, can result in loss of height and
“hunchback”, AA women less likely to develop
slowing osteoporosis: proper nutrition, exercise, avoidance of smoking
hormone replacement therapy
artificial estrogen
benefits: reduces menopause symptoms, can prevent bone loss after menopause risks: breast cancer, heart attack, stroke
common stressors affecting health
occupational stress and burnout unemployment positive or negative change illness death of spouse or divorce marriage
Emotions and health
negative emotions often associated with poor physical and mental health
anxiety, despair
positive emotion may protect against the development of disease
not a causal relationship
mental health
1:4 women show depressive symptoms
highest rates among AA and HA women
lowest rates among Chinese and Japanese women
women with less education and poor women also more likely to have symptoms
Fluid Intelligence
ability to solve novel problems
requires little previous knowledge: discovering a pattern in a set of figures
tends to decline with age
crystallized intelligence
ability to use information acquired over lifetime, thinking of a synonym for a word
often improves throughout lifetime
Expertise
mature adults show increasing competence solving problems in their field
encapsulation: information processing becomes dedicated to specific knowledge
captures fluid ability for expert problem solving
can help buffer age related cognitive declines
post formal thought integrative thought:
mature adults are better at integrating: logic with intuition and emotion; conflicting
facts and ideas; new and old information
creative performance
combination of forces: biological, personal, social and cultural
depends on the field and is not related to standard IQ
age differentiated roles: traditional life structure
young ppl are students
middle aged people are worker
older ppl relax
-the aging experience
most younger middle aged adults see their lives as still needing improvement
most older middle aged adults are satisfied with most areas of life
social, financial, health
most people up until 75 say aging is a positive
-age related visual problems
near vision, dynamic vision (ability to moving signs, sensitivity to light, visual search, speed of processing, loss of visual acuity (presbyopia farsighted ness associated because lens of the eye becomes less elastic)
-Hearing loss: prebycusis
a gradual hearing loss (rarely noticed early life)
speeds up in the 50’s
affects sounds at pitches
-other physical losses
sensitivity to taste and smell sensitivity of touch and pain endurance decrease in basal metabolism manual dexterity tasks that involve choice of response
changes in appearance
skin may become less taut and smooth (layer of fat becomes thinner)
hair becomes thinner
people sweat less (sweat glands diminish)
gain weight and lose height
lower bone density
vital capacity of lungs diminishes
Menopause
when a woman permanently stops ovulating and menstruating
no longer able to conceive a child
typically happens around 50
perimenopause: 3 to 5 year slowing process before menopause
estrogen an ova production decline beginning in mid 30’s
Attitudes toward menopause
in the US most women view menopause positively
most express relief
many see it as a time of greater independence and personal growth
symptoms of menopause
many women experience little discomfort
most common are hot flashes
only 1/2 of women experience
other symptoms: vaginal dryness, burning, itching, decreased sexual appetite
exploding menopause myths
the following have been shown not to be linked to this biological change; irritability, nervousness, anxiety, depression, memory loss
cultural differences in menopause
many women never experience symptoms
comparison with Japanese women
african american women have more positive feelings about menopause than caucasian women
more research needed
changes in male sexuality
no evidence to support “andropause” or male “menopause”
testosterone decreases slowly
about 1% per year after the 30’s, no strong relationship between testosterone levels
and sexual performance
possible E.D.: inability for male to achieve or maintain an erect penis, can be physical,
psychological or both
count and quality diminish with age
sexual activity
satisfaction with sex life diminishes gradually during 40’s and 50’s
decline is related to: physical changes and chronic illness
nonphysical changes: monotony in relationship, worries
sexual dysfunction
a persistent disturbance in sexual desire or sexual response
forms of dysfunction: lack of interest, painful intercourse, difficulty in arousal, premature
ejaculation
health in middle adulthood
most middle aged americans are healthy
but low SES experience increasing health problems
most middle aged people experience little change
health trends
hypertension: risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney diseases- can be controlled
through: blood pressure screening, low salt diets, medications
heart disease: leading cause of death between ages 45 and 64
diabetes: doubled since 1990’s
Behavioral influences on health
longer lives and shorter periods of disability are associated with: not smoking, avoiding
over weight, regular exercise, low stress levels
SES and health
lower SES ppl. tend to have
poorer health, lower life expectancy, more activity limitations, lower well being, more
restricted access to health care
Gender and health
women have longer life span
women seek health treatment more than men
gender gap in heart disease has reversed
women have greater risk after menopause of heart disease and osteoporosis
Osteoporosis
bones become brittle due to calcium depletion, can result in loss of height and
“hunchback”, AA women less likely to develop
slowing osteoporosis: proper nutrition, exercise, avoidance of smoking
hormone replacement therapy
artificial estrogen
benefits: reduces menopause symptoms, can prevent bone loss after menopause risks: breast cancer, heart attack, stroke
common stressors affecting health
occupational stress and burnout unemployment positive or negative change illness death of spouse or divorce marriage
Emotions and health
negative emotions often associated with poor physical and mental health
anxiety, despair
positive emotion may protect against the development of disease
not a causal relationship
mental health
1:4 women show depressive symptoms
highest rates among AA and HA women
lowest rates among Chinese and Japanese women
women with less education and poor women also more likely to have symptoms
Fluid Intelligence
ability to solve novel problems
requires little previous knowledge: discovering a pattern in a set of figures
tends to decline with age
crystallized intelligence
ability to use information acquired over lifetime, thinking of a synonym for a word
often improves throughout lifetime
Expertise
mature adults show increasing competence solving problems in their field
encapsulation: information processing becomes dedicated to specific knowledge
captures fluid ability for expert problem solving
can help buffer age related cognitive declines
post formal thought integrative thought:
mature adults are better at integrating: logic with intuition and emotion; conflicting
facts and ideas; new and old information
creative performance
combination of forces: biological, personal, social and cultural
depends on the field and is not related to standard IQ
age differentiated roles: traditional life structure
young ppl are students
middle aged people are worker
older ppl relax
-the aging experience
most younger middle aged adults see their lives as still needing improvement
most older middle aged adults are satisfied with most areas of life
social, financial, health
most people up until 75 say aging is a positive
-age related visual problems
near vision, dynamic vision (ability to moving signs, sensitivity to light, visual search, speed of processing, loss of visual acuity (presbyopia farsighted ness associated because lens of the eye becomes less elastic)
-Hearing loss: prebycusis
a gradual hearing loss (rarely noticed early life)
speeds up in the 50’s
affects sounds at pitches
-other physical losses
sensitivity to taste and smell sensitivity of touch and pain endurance decrease in basal metabolism manual dexterity tasks that involve choice of response
changes in appearance
skin may become less taut and smooth (layer of fat becomes thinner)
hair becomes thinner
people sweat less (sweat glands diminish)
gain weight and lose height
lower bone density
vital capacity of lungs diminishes
Menopause
when a woman permanently stops ovulating and menstruating
no longer able to conceive a child
typically happens around 50
perimenopause: 3 to 5 year slowing process before menopause
estrogen an ova production decline beginning in mid 30’s
Attitudes toward menopause
in the US most women view menopause positively
most express relief
many see it as a time of greater independence and personal growth
symptoms of menopause
many women experience little discomfort
most common are hot flashes
only 1/2 of women experience
other symptoms: vaginal dryness, burning, itching, decreased sexual appetite
