Chapter 2 - physical aging and changes

Middle Age: Generatively vs. Ego Stagnation

- Middle age involves altering one' perspective of time in which individuals become more aware of the finiteness of life -the desire to leave a legacy or to leave some tangible evidence that one's life was lived becomes an important developmental concern at this time For Erikson (1958, 1963), these crises are of a psychosocial nature because they involve psychological needs of the individual (i.e., psycho) conflicting with the needs of society (i.e., social).

Age related immune system changes

- decrease the ability to initiate the immune response Diseases later in life may reflect on imparted immune functions, such as Alzheimer's diseases, rheumatoid diseases, atherosclerosis

Older age

tends to be a time for evaluation one's life

immunosenescence

the aging of the immune system - with age, the immune system becomes less effective in warding off these invading substances -it lose the ability to distinguish between its own tissues and the invading materials and begins to attack and destroys its own tissues (an autoimmune response)

Life span

the maximum length of life of a species; for humans, the longest that a human has lived

stochastic theories of aging

theories suggesting that the body ages as a result of random assaults from both internal and external environments -view aging as caused by a series of adverse changes in the cells that lead to replicative error -happens randomly and accumulate over time FOUR THEORIES: 1.) wear and tear theory 2.)Error theory 3.) cross-linking or connective tissues theory 4.) Free radical theory

Nonstochastic theories

view aging as the result of genetically programmed physiological mechanisms within the body that control the process of aging. Theories in this cater are 1.) Programmed aging theory 2.) Immnological or immunity theory

Late adulthood (late 60s and up)

Integrity vs. despair Reflecting on his or her life, an older adult may feel a sense of satisfaction or failure

Cross-Linking Theory of Aging

The theory that suggests that, over time, protein fibers that make up the body's connective tissue form bonds, or crosslinks, with one another causing tissue becomes less elastic and leading to negative outcomes such as loss of flexibility, clouding of the lens of the eye, clogged arteries, and damaged kidneys. -both elastin and collagen tissues change with age from molecules that ae loosely associated with each other ( making tieeuses flexible) to molecules that become more closely associated, or cross linked (making the tissues less flexible and also affects the accessibility of white blood cells to fight infections, decreases to nutrient , inhibits cell growth, and reduce ability to eliminate toxic that are byproducts of metabolism

Early adult years

experimental stage

Middle age

perspective with the relaxation that had of one's life is over and that one needs to set priorities for the last half of life

life expectancy

A figure indicating how long, on average, a person may be expected to live

Major organs of the immune system

Thymus Liver Bone Marrow Tonsils Lymph Nodes Spleen Blood

antigens

Foreign material that invades the body

Peck's Tasks of Middle age

Peck's four tasks for Middle Ages 1.) Valuing wisdom vs. Physical powers - as we get older our physical strength declines, aches and pains increase, and youthful looks decrease. The less we are able to accept these changes and the more we focus on them, the more likely we are to get depressed. 2.) Socializing vs. Sexualizing -whether a man or woman they should see the other person as an individual or as friends or as companion rather than just thinking them as sex object. 3.) Cathetic Flexibility vs. Catheltic Impoverishment - refers to emotional investments -capacity to shift emotional investments from one activity to another and from one person to another 4.) Mental felixibilit vs. Mental rigidity -some middle-aged adults continue to explore new interests and contuine to grow thoughtout life -some stop seeking new information, get set in their ways and close to new ideas

immunological theory

a theory of aging that holds that the immune system is preset to decline by an internal biological clock - The more we age, the decline in our responses basically - if the cells of the body are of which decline in function of age, these changed cells may not be able to recognize as body tissues and autoimmune response will be triggered to destroy them

error theory of aging

a theory that aging occurs because of environmental forces such as disease that affect the function of cells, causing deterioration - this theory is primarily concerned with cumulative mistakes that occur in the DNA and RNA - Innacureate genetic information is copied and transmitted, thus impairing cell functions -Agining and death are presumed to be the result of errors that occur and are transmitted at the cellular level -However, this research has not yet provided enough evidences to support this theory

Wear and Tear theory

as time goes by, repeated use and abuse of the body's tissues cause it to be unable to repair all the damage

Erikson's Psychosocial Theory

Based on individuals' interacting and learning about their world -approach to life cycle -he proposed a series of developmental "crises" that the individual resolves in either a predominately positive direction or a predominantly negative direction

Psychological theories of aging

-Stress theory: homeostatic imbalances result in changes in structural and chemical composition: 1) General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye) - initial alarm reaction, progressing to stage of resistance, progressing to stage of exhaustion 2) closely linked to hormonal theory -Erikson's bipolar theory of lifespan development: stages of later adulthood -1) integrity - individual exhibits full unification of personality; life is viewed with satisfaction (productive life, sense of satisfaction), remain optimistic, continues to grow 2) despair - individual lacks ego integration; life is viewed with despair (fear of death, feelings of regret and disappointment, missed opportunities)

Peck's Three tasks for older age

1.) Ego differentiation vs. Work Role preoccupation -after retirement, people who have invested heavily in their careers must find other ways of affirming their self-worth. 2.) Body Transcendence vs. Body preoccupation -1.Enjoys life to fullest despite minor physical limitations2. Must see beyond physical aging and appreciate satisfaction in other areas. Emphasize other abilities: cognitive and social skills to compensate for physical changes 3.) ego transcendence vs. ego preoccupation 1. Devote energies to the welfare of future generations2. Avoid being overly concerned with self 3. Realizes that death is natural and inevitable4. Remains active and works to make the world a better place in which to live 5. Leaves a personal legacy to be admired by others

Adolsence

12-20 years of age Physical development - growth spurts, muscle coordination slows. Development of sexual organs and secondary sexual characteristics (puberty). Secretion of sex hormones leads to the onset of menstruation in girls and the production of sperm and semen in boys Mental development - most foundations have been set. Development primarily involves an increase in knowledge and sharpening of skills. Learn to make decisions and accept responsibility for actions. Emotional development - emotional development is often stormy and in conflict. Try to establish their identities and independence. Social development - spending less time with family and more time with peer groups. They attempt to develop self-identity and independence and seek security from their peers. Toward the end of this stage they develop a more mature attitude and develop patterns of behavior that they associate with adult behavior. Need for reassurance, support and understanding. Problems that develop in this stage can be traced to conflict and feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

A motivation theory that suggests that human needs fall into a hierarchy and that as each need is met, people become motivated to meet the next-highest need in the pyramid. Hiearhcy of basic human needs that motivate human behavior 1.) Physiological or survival needs met 2.) safety and security needs 3.) needs for belonging and affliction become important ( love, attention, acceptation) 4.) esteem needs - self worth 5.) need for self-acutalization -develop one's potential to the fullest and to be all that one can be - some characteristics of self actualization are acceptance of self and other, effective problem solving, self-direction, appreciation of new experiences, identification with and concern for others, creativity, and strong personal values

free radical theory of aging

Aerobic respiration produces free oxygen radicals (superoxide anions) that damage DNA and proteins. Over time, the damage accumulates and leads to aging.

Programmed aging theory

This Theory of aging is that the life span is programmed within the cells. The genetic clock determines the speed at which the person ages and eventually dies. -Hyaflik and Moorehead raised the posbilitiy that a biologic or genetic clock may determine the gaining process