Where People Live: Person–Environment Interactions Flashcards
Kurt Lewin
1936, psychologist
coined person-environment interactions
B=behavior, P=person, E=environment
B=f(P, E)
What does Lawton & Nahemow’s Ecology Model of Aging suggest?
Competence-environmental press theory: behavior depends on one’s competence level in an environment with a particular level of environmental pressure
Competence
the upper limit of a persons ability to function in 5 domains (physical health, sensory-perceptual skills, motor skills, cognitive skills, and ego strength)
Environmental press
the physical, interpersonal, or social demands that environments put on people
Adaptation level
In Lawton & Nahemow’s Model, the point at which competence and environmental press are in balance (equilibrium)
Zone of maximum performance potential
In competence-environmental press theory, the area where increases in press tend to improve performance
Zone of maximum comfort
In competence-environmental press theory, the area where decreases in environmental press occur
What happens when a person moves away from the zone of maximum performance potential or zone of maximum comfort?
they become uncomfortable - either too many environmental demands on a person whose competence is low or too few demands on a person whose competence is high
Proactivity
when people choose new behaviors to meet new desires or needs and exert control over their lives
(a way people respond to changes in their competence-environmental press combination)
Docility
when people allow a situation to dictate the options they have and exert little control
(a way people respond to changes in their competence-environmental press combination)
Preventive and Corrective Proactivity Model
explains how life stressors (such as systematic trauma, discrimination, or chronic illnesses) and lack of good congruence in person–environment interactions, especially when the person has no buffer or protect against these things, result in poor life outcomes
Preventative adaptations
actions that avoid stressors and increase or build social resources, like making friends
Corrective adaptations
actions taken in response to stressors and can be facilitated by internal and external resources, like stopping smoking after having a heart attack
Resilience and the Stress and Coping framework
When situations are interpreted as harmful or threatening, people also establish the range of coping responses they have at their disposal for avoiding the situation. This process results in a coping response. Outcomes of coping may be positive or negative depending on many contextual factors; positive outcomes provide the foundation for resilience
Lazarus and Folkman’s theory
people evaluate situations to assess their potential threat value
Resilience
behaviors, thoughts, and actions that promote personal well-being and mental health
Ecology of aging
Also called environmental psychology, a field of study that seeks to understand the dynamic relations between older adults and the environments they inhabit
Adult day care
Designed to provide support, companionship, and certain services during the day
Age-friendly community
A community that encourages active aging by optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age by adapting its structures and services to be accessible to and inclusive of older people with varying needs and capacities
Assisted living facilities
Housing options for older adults that provide a supportive living arrangement for people who need assistance with personal care (such as bathing or taking medications) but are not so impaired physically or cognitively they need 24-hour care
Everyday competence
A person’s potential ability to perform a wide range of activities considered essential for independent living
Infantilization or elder speak
Also called secondary baby talk, a type of speech that involves the unwarranted use of a person’s first name, terms of endearment, simplified expressions, short imperatives, an assumption that the recipient has no memory, and cajoling as a means of demanding compliance
Patronizing speech
Inappropriate speech to older adults based on stereotypes of incompetence and dependence
Person-environment interaction
The interface between people and the world they live in that forms the basis for development, meaning behavior is a function of both the person and the environment
