Unit 4 - Adulthood

Question 1

What is temperament? Is temperament stable?

Answer 1

consistent traits that one has that dictate how they act
- behavioral style and characteristic emotional responses
is stable overtime but adults are more skilled at controlling emotional reactivity

Question 2

What are the 3 types of temperament?

Answer 2

Easy - tend to adjust well
difficult - do not tend to adjust well
slow-to-warm-up - tend to be less assertive, more likely to be socially anxious, and have greater substance use.

Question 3

Who are an adult’s attachment figures? Different than childhood?

Answer 3

Tend to be romantic partners in adulthood, provide comfort and security in stressful times.
Childhood tends to use parents as attachment figures.

Question 4

What contributes to attachment?

Answer 4

childhood attachment style was predictive but attachment style can change

Question 5

What are the positive implications of ending a close relationship?

Answer 5

personal: report positive self growth, more confidence, know what you want
relational: more reflective on what you want in a partner
environmental: spend more time with friends

Question 6

What is middle adulthood?

Answer 6

developmental period from 40-60.
characterized by declining physical skills and increasing responsibility
- balancing work and relationships

Question 7

What are the major developmental changes in middle adulthood?

Answer 7

• don’t feel young or old (more than early ad.)
• become more focused on leaving a legacy
• reach stage of satisfaction/success in career
• unexpected life events force individuals to reassess priorities
• balancing physical and cognitive declines with gains in productivity and stability

Question 8

What fosters health in middle adulthood?

Answer 8

positive health behaviors, genetics, diet, environmental factors, sense of control, social support, emotional regulation

Question 9

What are fluid and crystallized intelligence?

Answer 9

fluid - ability to reason abstractly
crystallized - accumulated information and verbal skills

Question 10

How are weight and height impacted in middle adulthood?

Answer 10

obesity rates increase dramatically
men lose ~ 1 inch, women lose ~ 2 inches

Question 11

Describe Erikson’s integrity v. despair.

Answer 11

integrity - satisfaction with well lived life, results in positive evaluation of self
despair - dissatisfaction with earlier life choices, results in negative self evaluation

Question 12

What is Activity Theory? (Implicit Theory of Aging)

Answer 12

higher level of activity and involvement lead to higher satisfaction in late adulthood
- identity change due to retirement and empty nest makes activity important for quality of life

Question 13

How does personality change in late adulthood?

Answer 13

individuals get more conscientious and agreeable
altruism and trust improve
will power increase and so does sense of humor
tend to have better control over emotions

Question 14

What are the patterns of aging? Which is common, good, and bad?

Answer 14

normal: most common
- physical function peaks in midlife and stabilizes in early 60s, declines through 80s and becomes more rapid
pathological: bad
- greater than average decline
- may have cognitive impairment caused by dementia or chronic disease
successful: good
- physical, cognitive, and sociological functioning maintained longer than expected
- declines begin later than average

Question 15

What is correlated with successful aging?

Answer 15

begin married
moderate, regular drinking
positive health behaviors
social engagement
live independently at home
sense of control
coping skills
absence of disease

Question 16

What is emerging adulthood?

Answer 16

transition from adolescence to adulthood.
characterized by experimentation and exploration.
18 - 25 years
- explore career path, find identity, find partnership

Question 17

What tips would you provide someone who is transitioning to adulthood?

Answer 17

provide opportunities to be contributers
give candid quality feedback
create positive adult connections
challenge them to have high expectations

Question 18

What is postformal thought?

Answer 18

qualitative change in thinking, becomes…
reflective, realistic, and contextual - think deeply and understand solutions change with context
provisional - skepticism and search for truth increases
realistic - thinking is not always abstract
understand that thinking is impacted by emotional states

Question 19

What are the five features of emerging adulthood?

Answer 19

identity exploration (love and work)
instability (love, work, education)
self-focused - few commitments and social obligations
feeling in between - don’t feel like adolescents or adults
age of opportunities - optimistic about future and can change life

Question 20

Early adulthood physical development

Answer 20

peak of physical capabilities
have twice the mortality rate of adolescence
know what they need to do but struggle to apply it
highest risk of drug abuse
beware of STIs

Question 21

What is Erikson’s stage of generativity v. stagnation?

Answer 21

generativity - desire to leave a legacy for the next generation (immortality)
stagnation - “self-absorption”, doing nothing for the next generation

Question 22

What is Levinson’s Seasons of a Man’s Life

Answer 22

1) early adulthood - moving from dependence to independence with the goal of developing a dream
2) middle adulthood - resolve 4 major conflicts
- old v. young
- destructive v. constructive: were choices good or harmful
- masculine v. feminine: what role to play for kids
- attachment v. separation
3) late adult - transition to old age

Question 23

Is midlife a time of crisis?

Answer 23

70-80% report turmoil in midlife
but mostly a time of reflection with goal of living more fulfilling life which may lead to big changes such as divorce
can be stressful but happiness increases and people feel stable

Question 24

How do adults in midlife cope with stress?

Answer 24

men:
engage in fight, flight, freeze response
may become angry, isolate, or engage in substance use

women:
engage in tend and befriend response
seek social support from friends

Question 25

How does sense of control change in middle adulthood?

Answer 25

increased control over finances, work, and relationship
decreased control over sex life and children
loss of control leads to increased personal stress

Question 26

What is late adulthood?

Answer 26

begins around age 65
development period where people typically experience declines

Question 27

What are the 7 theories of aging?

Answer 27

evolutionary theory of aging - benefits of nat. selection/evolution decline with age
cellular clock theory - cells have less capacity to divide with age
free radical theory - metabolic processes produce unstable oxygen molecules which damage cell structures
mitochondrial theory - aging caused by decay of mitochondria
sirtuin theory - influence by sirtuins
mTOR pathway theory - influenced by cellular pathway responsible for regulation of growth/metabolism
hormonal stress theory - aging in hormonal system decreases stress resistance and increases likelihood of disease

Question 28

What physical functions change in late adulthood?

Answer 28

sleep patterns
appearance
movement declines
senses decline
circulatory and respiratory system decline
loss of muscle strength and bone density

Question 29

How does brain structure and function change in late adulthood?

Answer 29

brain loses weight and volume
brain function declines more rapidly
brains are still plastic and adaptable
can generate new neurons

Question 30

What cognitive changes are there in late adulthood?

Answer 30

processing speed, attention, memory, executive function, metacognition, and theory of mind decline

Question 31

When is an individual considered dead? How has this definition changed overtime?

Answer 31

either end of biological functions or loss of higher cortical and brain stem function (brain death)
used to only be end of biological function

Question 32

What are the common causes of death across the lifespan?

Answer 32

prenatal - miscarriage/still birth
birth/infancy - birth defects, SIDs
childhood - accidents, sometimes illness
adolescence - motor vehicle accidents, suicide, homicide
adulthood - young = accidents, middle = disease, old = illness, disease, old age

Question 33

Describe what younger and older adults want then they are facing death.

Answer 33

younger: prioritize travel or accomplishing new things
older: prioritize contemplation and meditation

Question 34

What are the 5 stages of dying? Describe characteristics of each stage.

Answer 34

denial/isolation - deny they will die, temporary defense
anger - denial gives way to rage, resentment, or envy
bargaining - hope that death can be delayed or postponed, prayer
depression - accept certainty of death + preparatory grief sets in
acceptance - develop pease, accept fate, and want to be alone

Question 35

Do the stages of dying proceed as Kubler-Ross suggested? What leads to variation in an individuals pattern of dying?

Answer 35

some individuals follow predictable pattern but it can be difference for everyone
- variation may due to relationship support, effects of illness, family obligations, and context

Question 36

Define grief and describe the 4 dimensions.

Answer 36

emotional numbness, disbelief, separation, anxiety, despair, sadness, and loneliness that accompany loss
pining - feel like need the person back
separation anxiety - triggered by doing things that were done with them
despair/sadness - can’t engage, crying
hopelessness/defeat - isolating, depression

Question 37

How is grief like a rollercoaster?

Answer 37

no orderly progression, some days are better than others
- may need to learn new skills, find your weaknesses, have to adjust behavior, loss of person to navigate feelings

Question 38

Describe the dual-process model of coping with bereavement.

Answer 38

oscillation between grief loss oriented and restoration oriented behavior.
loss oriented:
grief work, intrusion of grief, relocate grief, denial of change
restoration oriented:
doing new things, distraction, explore new roles, denial of grief

Question 39

What are 5 evidence-based ways to cope with loss?

Answer 39

talk about death of loved one
accept feelings and ask for help when overwhelmed
take care of self and family
help others with their loss
celebrate the lives of loved ones

Question 40

Is grief therapy effective? What did Neimeyer and Currier conclude?

Answer 40

grief therapy is less effective compared to general psychotherapy, especially long term