Psychology of ageing Flashcards
Why is immigration good for health economics?
- Ageing population
- Immigrants immediately start working
(pay for ageing pop.) - Immigrants can’t claim benefits (min 2
years) - Also immigrants haven’t claimed
education/health costs previously
What is the biopsychological approach?
The ageing brain determines any psychological changes that occur with age
- There appears to be a decline in intellect with old age and for tasks requiring rapid processing speed
- This decline is considered to be abnormal if it begins early on, rather than later in old age
- There is cross sectional evidence of loss of brain weight/cell numbers indicate loss/deterioration of brain power – i.e. decline in cognitive skill
What is the problem with the cross sectional approach in studying intellectual decline in later life?
What is the problem with longitudinal data in studying intellectual decline in later life?
- Cross section accentuates loss, due to cohort inequalities
E.g. progressively more education received from 1890s to 1980s, so each cohort of 20 + 70 yr olds will be better educated than previous cohorts - Longitudinal data collection minimises the evidence of decline as those who are willing to be re-tested tend to be healthier, wealthier and wiser than those who ‘drop out or die’
- ∴ sample loss
When is intellectual decline to be considered abnormal?
Statistically, intellectual decline is more abnormal when it occurs earlier in old age- this should be investigated
* Distinction between normal + abnormal is not fixed, however the transition from maintained functioning to decline is usually one way (is not reversible)
What is meant by crystallised and fluid intelligence in terms of ageing and how they change?
- Wisdom = crystallised intelligence
- Wit = fluid intelligence
- Loss of wit is more common than loss of wisdom
- Normal perceptions suggest wisdom may even increase in older adults, but research doesn’t support this
NOTE: Wisdom = the quality of having
experience, knowledge, and judgement; the quality of being wise
NOTE: Wit = the capacity for inventive thought and quick understanding; keen intelligence
What is the main principle of Bernice Neugarten’s model? Describe this model
Ageing= associated w physical, psychological, social loss
These require adjustment
Life is bio-socially structured through events such as birth, education, work, marriage, childbirth, retirement, etc.
The more predictable the event - i.e. the more socially expected it is - the less likely it is to demand individual adjustment (e.g. widowhood for women over 60)
The less predictable the event (e.g. death of a child) the more effortful the adjustment and greater risk of being destabilised is
What is meant by positive illusions work (by Taylor & Brown) and how is this clinically relevant?
Positive illusions (T & B) –study asked non-medics “how likely are you to get cancer”~ 1 in 10,000; actual value = 1 in 2
Study found humans consistently underestimate risk of misfortune happening to them, e.g. average person thinks they’re more attractive/intelligent than average which is statistically impossible
∴ there is a set mechanism of human thinking–> bad as ppl won’t quit smoking, look after themselves etc.
In terms of ageing, if you live long enough, bad things will happen so require more adjustment
Describe how life course experiences impact on later adjustments in life?
Experiences earlier in life may make adjustment easier or harder
E.g. experience of the Depression in early adult life helped older people cope with ↓income better than those unaffected
Dutch elders who had been exposed to war traumas in childhood= more likely to suffer from GAD in later life than those who did not have such experiences
Essentially, no trauma at all in early life is bad, too much trauma is bad also
Ppl who have more personal responsibility=more likely to adjust to trauma than those who see it as bad luck
What does the work of Jung suggest, in terms of lifespan developmental psychology?
- Jung’s work introduced the idea that continuing psychosocial development is normal during adult life - Thus, development continues across lifespan
- There needs to be a shift in character and temperament from early to late adulthood
- One central feature was expression of aspects of one’s character in later life that had been suppressed in early
adulthood (e.g. fem/masculine side)
NOTE: temperament = a person’s or animal’s nature, especially as it permanently affects their behaviour
What does the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (by Carstensen et al 2003) suggest?
Perception of time remaining in life prompts shifts motivation away from gaining knowledge towards emotional satisfaction
E.g. young focus on education and partnerships to improve future, which is seen less in the elderly
This may confer/discuss defensive advantages in later life, by positivity effects and therefore is seen by the decreases in prevalence of mental health problems in old age, so older adults are consistently happier than younger ones
Describe the Theory of the Third Age (by Peter Laslett 1989)?
Look at late life as a period of ‘self- fulfilment’
Individuals follow their own projects + plan their own life
CRITICISM - only possible if physical and material well-being is okay
This theory is responsible for growing emphasis on older adults taking an active role in their care and treatment
What is the basis of Eriksen’s model of psychosocial development?
At each life stage, we face a type of psychosocial crisis
Resolution of this crisis helps establish an emergent trait or ‘virtue’. This then serves us well in addressing challenges in later life
* NOTE: virtue = behaviour showing high moral standards
The questions below are what you can ask yourself as a dr
What are the Eriksonian stages of psychosocial development?
Older psychological adult assessment is difficult due to their tendency to underreport psychological complaints. What can this lead to?
- “Masked depression”
- This is where older adults at high risk for suicide - esp older adult males (85+)
- Yet it is difficult to detect since older adults tend to minimise psychological symptoms, and there is great overlap between physical and psychological symptoms
