PSY 318 Ch. 8

The big 5 model

The big 5 personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (OCEAN). These are a way of identifying the traits and structure of human personality. Still used in personality tests and employment tests today. Extroversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience decline with age. Agreeableness increases with age, conscientiousness and emotional stability peak, and androgyny increases. Overall, there is a high degree of consistency over time throughout adulthood. Among a sample of more than 1,000 Medicare recipients ranging from 65-100 years old, conscientiousness, especially self-discipline, predicted lower mortality risks over a 3-year period. Possibly because of protective health behaviors. High neuroticism with high conscientiousness may lead to better health behaviors

George Vaillant: how to grow old with grace

The longest longitudinal study of human development ever undertaken was begun in 1938, the Grant Study of Adult Development charted the physical and emotional health of over 200 men, starting with their undergraduate days. Psychologist George Vaillant follows the men into their 90s. These are mature defense mechanisms that lead to positive aging: care for others and remain open to new ideas, show cheerful tolerance of the indignities of old age, maintain hope, maintain a sense of humor and capacity for play, take sustenance from past accomplishments, remain curious and continue to learn from the next generation, and maintain contact and intimacy with old friends

Mid-life crisis

This term was coined by psychoanalyst Elliot Jacques in 1965 and was popularized by journalist Gail Sheehy in 1974 in a book he wrote on the subject based on research by Daniel Levinson. Levinson defines it as during middle adulthood, people try to give more attention to whatever they neglected before; life structure of work and family. Carl Jung defines it as reclaiming parts of the self that were repressed in the search for conformity in the first half of life. From stereotyped gender-role behavior to an androgynous behavior repertoir. From extroversion to introversion. McCrae and Costa's "Midlife Crisis Scale" did not show evidence of a midlife crisis except for those who scored very high in neuroticism or those who had chronic psychological problems. They're the same researchers that developed the Big 5 personality model. Administered the test to 350 men 30-60. Asked about things like feelings of meaninglessness, turmoil and confusion, job and family dissatisfaction, and fear of aging and death. In the MIDUS, 26% stated that they had a midlife crisis, included "awareness of the passage of time" as a benign indicator, and not just in 40s, could happen in 50s or 60s too

Develop needed life skills

a new life circumstance, a never-before-experienced problem or crisis, a change in a job or a relationship, or a familiar role almost always requires new "life skills." Things like developing good communication and listening skills, healthy conflict resolution, or how to assert oneself appropriately. Ask themselves "What life skills that I have can I use here?" or "What new life skills do I need to learn?"

Resilience

ability to recover from stress. Those who are able to cope with challenging life events are said to have high levels of resilience

Ego integrity vs despair

achieving feelings of success, fulfillment, and wisdom vs regret. As adults become older, they spend more time reviewing their life achievements and searching for personal meaning. Reinterpretation of past experiences can look like "rose colored glasses." Includes life review and reminiscence enjoyment

National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS)

although older adults can feel a sense of loss as they lose social roles, independence, functioning, loved ones, etc., the MIDUS showed that contrary to this view, older adults retain the feeling of being in control of their lives by viewing their resources and potential positively rather than negatively

Provide care and support

ask yourself or assess for others, "What would be very nurturing right now?" "How can I best show compassion to myself or the person I am trying to help?" Being a good listener. Uplifting music, time in nature, or reading an inspiring book. Providing oneself and others with unconditional positive regard, love, and encouragement

Emotion-focused coping

attempt to change appraisal

Problem-focused coping

attempts to change situation

Generativity vs stagnation

care and concern for guiding the next generation. Can be achieved by successful parenting, grandparenting, and/or work, altruism, and concern for the broader community through mentoring, volunteering, and/or creating. Goal is to provide something that will outlast the self vs self-absorption: contributions that are lasting

Foreclosure

commitment made to roles and values without exploration; close-minded and rigid. Such as deciding to become a Democrat because your parents are and not exploring other options

Id

controls our biological instincts

Type A behavior pattern

describes people who are competitive, impatient, feel time urgency, and are highly achievement oriented. Related to higher rates of heart attack

Intermediate (neurotic) defense mechanisms

displacement, repression, and reaction formation

Identity achievement

exploration of roles and values followed by commitment; consistent and balanced in thinking and thoughtful about life options. Such as deciding to become an Independent

Moratorium

exploration of roles and values without commitment; open and curious but can feel anxious. Such as Republican, Independent, Green Party but don't make a decision

Set and maintain clear boundaries

feeling safe, knowing what to expect, and not being overwhelmed also builds resiliency, such as authoritative discipline style with kids is considered the most effective as it provides gentle guidance and boundaries

Resiliency Wheel

first developed in 1996 by Nan Henderson, a social worker. A way to analyze the 6 protective factor research indicates everyone can benefit from having in their lives. Is an empowerment model/approach. In the past decade, it has been adopted as the primary organizational rubric for helping children, youth, adults, and families by numerous local, regional, and state agencies. Consists of: provide care and support, set high but realistic expectations for success, provide opportunities for "meaningful contribution" to others, increase positive bonds and connections, set and maintain clear boundaries, and develop needed life skills

Nun Study

high levels of conscientiousness correlated with lower rates of Alzheimer's disease

Freud's psychodynamic perspective

id, ego, superego; id and ego are often in conflict with one another

Set high but realistic expectations for success

identifying and supporting steps in the right direction rather than demanding instant perfection, such as "On a Roll" program versus "Honor Roll" program at schools

Identity process model

identity assimilation if they retain their adolescent beliefs and refuse to change

Vaillant's theory of defense mechanisms

includes mature, intermediate (neurotic), and immature defense mechanisms. "Defense mechanisms" are a term coined by Freud to describe adaptive and maladaptive methods of coping that people use. Some are more "primitive" and run by the Id and some are more advanced. Harvard Grant Study showed that adults use increasingly more mature defense mechanisms throughout life and older adults cope with anxiety, stress, or frustration with less self-destructive or emotional methods

Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Theory

is an ego theory where the ego plays a central role in actively directing behavior. Looks at biological, psychological, and social forces/issues that are common at various predetermined life stages and how the ego attempts to resolve the conflicts present regarding these issues. Uses psychodynamic language of "conflicts" the individual must work through

Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging in 1958

longevity associated with high levels of conscientiousness, low levels of neuroticism, and high levels of extraversion

Rochester Adult Longitudinal Study (RALS)

looked at how these traits unfold throughout the life course. Found that even the psychosocial stages for childhood showed ongoing growth and development in adulthood. Similar to George Vaillant's view that recovery from a lousy childhood is possible but that good childhood memories serve as a protective factor throughout life

Identity diffusion

no exploration of, or commitment to, roles and values. Either "carefree" in beliefs and lifestyle or low self-esteem, unsure of oneself, such as not even thinking about political orientation

Provide opportunities for "Meaningful Contribution" to others

paradoxically, one of the best ways to bounce back from personal problems is to help someone else with theirs. Using skills/abilities still have left ot help others, such as volunteering with seniors

Increase positive bonds and connections

people who are positively bonded to other people (through a network of friends, family, and/r clubs/organizations) and to enjoyable activities do better in life. Isolation is the greatest risk factor in the elderly

Reminiscence enjoyment

positively associated with psychological health

Coping and control

problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. MIDUS shows good results. Being in good health and having good social networks help with successful coping. Also higher levels of self-efficacy (especially for problem-focused coping)

Immature defense mechanisms

projection, passive aggression, acting out, and denial

Epigenetic principle

proposes that stages unfold in a predetermined order. Earlier issues may return later, and later issues may appear earlier. Identity vs role diffusion, generativity vs stagnation, and ego integrity vs despair are most relevant to older adulthood

Identity vs role diffusion

struggle to find one's true identity (values, belief system) that is separate and unique from family of origin. James Marcia, a psychologist back in the 1960s, looked into identify diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and identity achievement

Mature defense mechanisms

sublimintation, suppression, anticipation, altruism, and humor

Agreeableness

tendency to be cooperative, generous, cheerful, warm, caring, trusting, and gentle

Openness to experience

tendency to be curious, imaginative, creative, intelligent, adventurous, and nonconforming

Extroversion

tendency to be energetic, outgoing, friendly, lively, talkative, and active

Neuroticism

tendency to be moody, anxious, hostile, self-conscious, and vulnerable

Conscientiousness

tendency to be organized, reliable, responsible, hardworking, persistent, and careful

Ego

the part of the mind that controls rational thought

Life review

the process of evaluating and making sense of one's life. The process of life review can be instrumental to achieving ego integrity. Includes a reinterpretation of past experiences and unresolved conflicts; is a common activity for older adults that occurs across cultures and time

Identity process theory

try to find optimal adaptation to changes by balancing identity assimilation and accommodation. Identity assimilation may have advantages rto preserving self-esteem. The life story forms a personal narrative of an individual's past life. Those who used identity assimilation (did not think about age related changes) had higher self-esteem than those with identity accommodation who became preoccupied with the changes. A healthy denial? In one study in 2002 (Levy, Slade, Kunkel & Kasl), older adults who managed to avoid adopting negative views of aging (a form of identity assimilation) lived 7.5 years longer than those who did adopt negative views of aging. Also used identity assimilation in the "life story." Fit parts of the life story that are incongruent or unpleasant into overall positive view of life in order to achieve ego integrity ("rose colored glasses")