Psych Final

The heritability of longevity is

modest we inherit risks or protectors

self-efficacy

one's sense of competence and effectiveness

After kids

-gender roles become more traditional -1st birth: mild declines at first in relationship and life satisfaction; no significant marital strain -supportive marriages remain -bad marriages decline -lack of support for mother causes problems -for dual earners, the greater difference in caregiving responsibility greatly reduces marital satisfaction -worse problems for women and problems in parent-infant interaction -sharing caregiving benefits everyone -low SES with traditional gender roles: women report more distress when husband takes on caregiving -couples who wait to late 20s, early 30s, achieve career goals, are happier with children -improved father involvement if women have careers 2nd birth: father becomes even more involved less traditional roles Interventions: counselors ease transition -improved father involvement -MOTHERS HAD SATISfaction at work and home -high risk: disabilities or poverty -paid leave is better for everyone -causes more marital support and family support

Continutity Theory:

Effort to maintain past and anticipated future, self efficacy from inner selves and identity is maintained Again adults strive to maintain a personal system: identity and a set of interests, roles and skills; to promote life satisfaction and consistency between past and future life is not static; produces change but older adults want to minimize stress and disruption by integrating those changes into a consistent life oath Provides repeated practice which preserves physical and cognitive functioning, fosters self esteem and mastery and affirms identity Long standing, close relationships provides comfort, pleasure and a social support network Leads to ego integrity (erikson) and preserving personal history

SEATTLE

Follow ups showed they still had more skill than those untrained

death education

May involve role playing, discussions with terminally ill, visiting cemetaries, personal awareness exercises Lecture leads to gains in knowledge but may make students more uncomfortable with death than before Experimental programs clarify values on living and dying, helps students confront their own mortality, and has a positive lasting impact

Fourth age:

decline and need for care

Intensive care death

less personal, very little visitation and focused on preserving life Few doctors are trained in managing pain in chronically ill and dying people

Hospice:

philosophy, not a place program of social support for the terminally ill Provides a caring community Emotional needs met Palliative/comfort care

Expertise

specialized skill or technical knowledge; know-how; expertness

Stage One: leaving home

-in past generations, people who lived with their parents contributed financially -now: they are dependent on their parents -trend towards leaving home later -many leave at 18 for school -early leavers: divorced, single familes, want to avoid the stress -fewer today are leaving to marry -1/2 return home after leaving -happens during role transitions -many who leave because of a family conflict return (they left before they were ready) -education increases likelyhood to leave and live on their own -ethnic minorities tend to live at home longer -parents with children at home are committed to helping them reach their goals and provide assistance like resources that are emotional and financial -parents give more to those with high need and to those they see as successful -intense suport leads to even better adjustment -conflict still occurs -secure attachment leads to better adjustment when they move out -resistant: have trouble with a healthy separation -may stay at home for a long time and they have more conflict after they leave -avoidant: may be less adjusted, rate themselves as being more self-sufficient than they are -leaving early can lead to problems, lack of support -less success in work, school, marriage -poverty: linked to leaving before 18 -if still at home by 18, they are less likely to move out well into their 30s

Stage Two Joinings of Families in Marriage:

-postponement of marriage and fewer marriages in recent years -most unmarried young adults want to marry and have children -same sex marriages need the same things as others; seen as legitimizeing their relationship and it has financial and legal benefits -marriage is creating a new subsistem -changing habits, beliefs, everything to exist as a couple and present themselves to the world as a couple -couples today have to work harder to define their relationship because of changing gender roles and other factors -higher education leads more to mixed race marriages -living together before marriage makes it less of a turning point -age of marriage predicts stability -early marriage associated with low income and divorce -traditional marriages: clear division of roles with wife as caregiver and homemaker -many women today go to work later when children are grown -egalitarian marriages: sharing power and authority -well educated and career oriented women expect this -men participate more in childcare, b ut only 60% of what women put in -women do 2x more housework -more egalitarian attitudes associated with women doing less housework -womens rates of housework different across countires, but mens do not rise -Asian and Hispanic men do the least housework, AA men and European men do the most -same sex have more egalitarian marriages -heterosexual: true equality is rare -men show more satisfaction in marriage, but this is based on those in therapy -women are more likely to voice they are having problems -establishing a career before marriage is better -interpreting comments as unintentional vs Malicious contributes to problems -turning to others for feedback, positive illusions enhance self esteem -overly positive bias towards eachothers attributes are happier People who feel devalued by their partners have lots of problems -men and women are equally likely to strike first when it comes to abuse -violence remorse cycles -abusers are depressed, anxious have low self esteem -may come from homes with abuse or hostile interaction -high in low SES and minorities

Tentative period:

11-16, adolescents think about careers in complex ways based on their interests, and later their abilities and values At first, interest; then, in abilities and values

Valiant Adaption to Life in Men: (studied women later)

20s= intimacy concerns 30s= career consolidation 40s= generatively 50s/60s= keepers of meaning, figuring out what is important 70s= spirituality, reflection Criticized for being dated, not dealing with biological, social emotional Too stage focused followed 250 men born in the 1920s at a liberal arts college -interviewed and they answered questionnaires each decade -periodic interviews also conducted about work, familt, health at ages -built on Erkions stages

Never Married Single Parents

40% US births are to single mothers -teenage parenthood has declines steadily -many non marital births are planned, cohabiting parents -unstables -linked to low education -Aftrican Amercian women: more likely to give birth out of marriage, less likely to live with baby's father -job loss, unemployment of black men worsens problems. Extended family helps in child rearing. Low SES AA women marry later, not usually to baby father Worsens poverty Adjustment problems for children related to economic diskvantafe Lack of fathers consistent warmth and involvement Less favorable cognitive development and antisocial behavior Unwed fathers spend less time tight their children

Realistic

: late teens and 20s, practicality and money are taken into account. First they explore, and gather information and combine this with their personal characteristics. exploration, then crystallization Crystalization, focusing on a general vocational category and experimenting for a time before settling on one.

Third Age:

: new phase of adulthood due to longer lifespans that involves finding personally enriching pursuits that are meaningful after the career is over, etc personal fulfillment many older people do not retire, find different work women and minorities may not have the financial stability to do this

Parent Child:

Adjusting to kids moving out, usually adjust well Cultural variations in how the kids depart Low SES usually have kids stay at home Less about raising their child and more about supporting Need to find alternative activities to child rearing to be happy Pleasurable interaction and contact means that departure of children is minor Less communication leads to less psychological wellbeing Parental strain may result from young adult children who do not follow their parents timeline Struggling children reduce wellbeing, even when they also have a child who is doing well Middle aged people provide more support to their children than their aging parents Providing children with assistance enhances well being in middle life More education and income leads to more financial assistance Low SES give more overall support, encouragement, advice but this is often spread over many children and is less tangible Draining to low SES Kinkeeper: middle gen, especially mothers, who get the family together

bereavement overload

An accumulation of grief that occurs when an individual experiences many losses over a short period of time and is unable to resolve one before another is experienced. This phenomenon is common among the elderly. Public tragedies cause bereavement overload (terrorist attacks, natural disasters, random muders, kidnappings)

Marriage Trends:

Average age has increased Women: 27; men:29 Traditional vs egalitarian (split chores, etc) differences Decided based on career, etc Marital Satisfaction: getting married later has higher marital satisfaction Age most consistent predictor More time for self growth, goals Having realistic expectations going into marriage

Death anxiety:

Belief in afterlife reduces death anxiety Participatory perspective: death is natural, life promoting, fulfillment of life's goals, time to share life experiences Overcoming perspetive: death is imposed on people, defeat, failure, robbing them of opportunity Symbolic immortality: living on through your legacy A little death anxiety motivates people to be good during life, make contributions to society Women are more anxious about death Very few children show death anxiety

Women and Ethnic Minorities:

Challenges for women: -glass ceiling, feeling like we cant make more money or move up Discontinuous career paths, taking time off for kids, etc Taking care of a parent, spouse, any time off work Paid leave, etc in the US is a struggle -women often have few opportunities for advancement -increases when low SES -women make 83% of what men make -with bachelors degree, 88% of what men make -women choose social services, men choose STEM -women enter and exit the labor market as they have kids, hinders advancement -increasing number of accomplished women leave their jobs to devote time to child rearing -may be agonizing, done out of necessity, not a choice -reenter fields of low paying social service jobs -low self efficacy compared too male jobs -women in nontraditional careers have higher confidence -still less certain than males -women have less supportive mentors -still paid less -seen as less competent -Seen as followers male leader can sponsor advancement of talented women, need male higher ups to help them advance -evaluated more harshly than men -ethnic bias: worst for black, some for hispanic (job call back and bias) -white felon preferred over ethnic minorities -having a high quality resume made little difference for ethnic minorities -AA spend more time searching got wwork and they get less expeirnecie in one field -ethnic minority women:most problems -those who succesd have high efficacy because they have already faced so many obstacles -persitsnace, supportive relationships with other women, teachers and peers -mothers were role models -support from AA communities and wanted to give back -take on mentoring

grief in children

Children have grief months or years after the death of a close family member worry about dying themselves when depression, anxiety and anger or social withdrawal occur feel they are still talking to the dead in dreams, etc may help coping young children without the cognitive development to understand death are more at risk of fearing it will happen again, it was voluntary Teenagers hide grief from adults and peers; may act out more or become depressed

Prevention and Treatment of Sexual coercion

Community services: not very much funding, not advertised, not enough for the need No place for men to get these services For rapae, both individual and group (prevent isolation) Routine screening for STIs Validation of experience, giving understanding, believing them Safety planning

creativity

Creative accomplishments peak in late 30s or 40s and then decline, but this varies Quality of creativity changes Youtful creativity in literature and art is emotional spontaneous After 40 it is deliberate and thoughtful More poetry at young ages Books depend on intense weaving of plots and planning Creators shift from unusual projects to using knowledge and experience, integrating ideas Less engird to new discovery and more to memoirs, history and reflective work Transition from egocentric concern of self expression to altruistic goals, enriching humanity Decline in creative output

random events theory of aging

DNA in body cells is gradually damaged through externally caused mutations, setting the stage for the production of abnormal cancer cells. Mutations caused by environment: ex. Carcinogens in environment Cell repair/replacement becomes less efficient Abnormal cells produced Free radicals destroy nearby cell material

interventions aimed at helping older adults sustain cognitive skills

Declines are usually gradual throughout late adulthood Cognitive detriments may relate more to disuse of skills than biological aging Brain can compensate by fowling new neural fibers and recruiting new regions to support congntiive functions Metacognition is fairly preserved in older adults understand they need to take additional steps to remember something when they experience cognitive declines Can be trained in a particular skill to reduce declines, even regaining some of what they have lost

Executive Function:

Declines with age 20s-90s, working memory diminishes steadily on verbal and spatial Verbal suffers less than spatial; spatial declines twice as fast Verbal: familiarity promotes better performance Spatial representations are less familiar Reduction in speed reduces the amount of info that can be worked on at once Inhibition is harder Irrelevant items clutter working memory and reduce its capacity Hard to ignore irrelevant stimuli or remove things from working memory Less effective updating of working memory Multitasking and flexible shifting is harder, even with automatic tasks Switching back and forth between operations (odd vs even) is harder Whether given verbal or spatial working-memory tasks, middle-aged and older adults perform less well than young adults.

Risk and Resilience: in emerging adulthood

Difference in the transition to adulthood/ difficulties Factors contributing to a Smooth transition: Personal attributes and social supports Poor adjustment: Multiple negative life events, parental overprotection and helicopter parenting -some emerging adults flounder (in the minority) -requires resilience to flourish: which is developed from support from friends, family, -cognitive, emotional and social attributes, and social and financial supports -autonomy supporting parenting leads to success -financial strain and family problems also undermine development -

patterns of career development

Disappointment near start of career is common May be upset by field of work, more competition, salary, change in lifestyle Adjust expectation to opportunities to advance Effective mentors enhance career-related learning success Discontinuous career paths: interrupted by having kids or other life events Many enter jobs they do not really want if there is a recession, etc After education, may be disappointed with their first entry level job if it is not what they thought it would be salary, supervision, coworkers may be disappointing High aspirations may be met with a lack of opportunity, few promotions Layoffs can occur, disrupt Depends on quality of mentorship Experience and knowledge and trust with a mentor will allow someone to do better in life

Divorce

Divorce rate overall has lowered but for 50 and up it has doubled Financial security and longer lives make divorce more common with older people No longer a need to stay together "for kids" Less likely to be psychologically distressing midlife: adjust to divorce better than young people coping, problem solving help Ending a highly distressing marriage fair best Women gain in happiness more than men but both gain Women: focus on communication problems, inequality adultury, distance, substance abuse, violence, verbal abuse, wanting autonomy Men: communication, workaholic lifestyle, being unavailable emotionally Women more often initiate divorce; those who do fare better Men who initiate usually have another woman Feminization of poverty: women who support themselves and/or their family are the majority of adult poverty population, regardless of age or ethnic group Declined in western nations, but higher in US than others Women who get through divorce in middle age are more tolerant, comfortable with uncertainty, nonconforming and self-reliant Men and women both want more friendship than passion after divorce

Levinson early Adult Seasons of Life:

Early adult dream guides decision making Women looking to settle down, family AND career Men looking for career and status -based on in depth interviews with 35-45 year old men and later with women -adult development is a sequence of qualitatively distinct eras or seasons coinciding with Erkisons transitions -lifestructure: underlying design of a persons life (relationships, groups, institutions) -family, friends, occupation -dream: young people construct an image of themselves as adults that guides their decision making -around age 30, goals flip : relationship goes to career, career looks for relationship -men settle down, get involved in the community after achieving career status -Women remain unsettled in their 30s because they add commitment; for example kids prevent jobs that are remaining, occupational and relationship commitments Levinson found that during the transition to early adulthood, most young people constructed a dream—an image of themselves in the adult world that guides their decision making. For men, the dream usually emphasized achievement in a career, whereas most career-oriented women had "split dreams" in which both marriage and career were prominent—findings confirmed in subsequent investigations (Heppner, 2013). Young adults also formed a relationship with a mentor who facilitated realization of their dream—often a senior colleague at work but occasionally a more experienced friend, neighbor, or relative. According to Levinson, men oriented toward high-status careers spent their twenties acquiring professional skills, values, and credentials. In contrast, for many women, career development extended into middle age.

Intimacy vs Isolation

Establishing a committed, close relationship Secure identity associated with fidelity Fosters favorable friendship and work relationships Isolation: Fear ion losing identity: competitive rejecting of differences, threatened by closeness -secure identity fosters attainment of intimacy -moratorium associated with infidelity and less love; the opposite is true of commitment -intimacy is associated with being agreeable, cooperative, communicative and accepting at work and in friendships -prepares people for the next stage: generativity (child rearing, preparing for the next generation) -teen moms or young parents may go through these stages in diff orders

Noncollege bound adults:

Fewer work opportunities than several decades ago Poorly prepared for skilled occupations Lack of vocational placement, counseling services Work study apprenticeships can help: European model programs Rare in US 20% unemployment Most hold low paid, unskilled jobs US has no training for non college bound youths so they are unprepared Germany: apprenticeship is an option National apprenticeship would provide a transition from work to high school Would help adolescents who don't go to college lead successful lives

Valliant:

Followed people past the half-century mark in a longitudinal study "keepers of meaning": older people as guardians of their culture Passing the torch to the next generation Focus on long-term less personal goals Most successful and best adjusted enter a quieter time of life in their 50s and 60s Passing the torch Older people guard tradition, law, culture Stablize too rapid change and challenge young adults Philisophical, not all problems can be solved in their lifetime

self concept/ personality in midlife

Gains in self acceptance, autonomy, environmental mastery complex, integrated interpretations/self descriptions of themselves Number of social roles peaks; work and community status rises Increase in overall life satisfaction, many feel close to fulfilling their potential Effective coping strategies Identify more positives in difficult situations Better anticipation and planning from experience Less likely to just react Postpone action and evaluate alternatives Plateau in frequency of daily stressors Strong sense of personal control over outcomes Gains in emotional stability and confidence Women are more likely to experience role overload Personal life investment adds to life satisfaction and mental health Flow: engrossed in a demanding, meaningful activity More flow; judge their lives to be more gratifying Perseverance and skill required for flow are well developed in middle adulthood

Minorities vocational choices

Gender Women progress in entering make dominoted fields has been slow Still not equal Women work lower paying jobs Womens achievements lag behind those of men in almost all fields Girls are less confident, especially in STEM Women worry about family responsibilities Males show greater confidence in science ability Men have not increased much in their interest in female dominated fields Men in female dominated fields are more libral, less gender typed and less focused on social status Usually orient towards careers with higher than average incomes (men) Men are assumed to know more than they do and be offered more leadership opportunities Worry about being stigmatized Men lack male mentors (male nurses) and women may be unsureportive May be viewed as less sensitive and caring Educational and job opportunities: internships, shadowing, exposure to fields, parents as professionals

Mate Selection:

Gender differences influenced by evolutionary and cultural factors Wanting to work vs wanting to stay home with kids Higher values planed on attributes that contribute to relationship satisfaction (kindness, intelligence) Other factors: timing of relationship, parents, friends meet people similar to us based on proximity and interests -one is usually self assured and dominant, the other submissive and hesitant -differing in other ways is not complementary ex. Warm and agreeable vs cool and distant -women care more about finances, ambition, intelligence and moral character, want older partner -men care about domestic skills and physical , want younger partner highest value is put to caring, dependability, maturing emotionally, pleasing disposion, and must attraction -gender preferences are the same for gay men and lesbians But neither men nor women put good looks, earning power, and mate's age relative to their own at the top of their wish list. Rather, they place a higher value on attributes that contribute to relationship satisfaction: mutual attraction, caring, dependability, emotional maturity, and a pleasing disposition (Toro-Morn & Sprecher, 2003). Nevertheless, men continue to emphasize physical attractiveness more than women do, and women earning capacity more than men do.

Gender Identity:

Gender stereotypes tend to flip or at least level out Occur across cultures and SES Androgyny Self reports: endorsement of masculine and feminine traits showed little change recently, contradicts previous research Cohort effects: major social change (womens movement) caused many people to endorse androgynous traits anyway After children leave, men want more enriching relationships and emberce their feminine side Women who attained high career status gained most in dominance and being assertive Midlife women are more likely to face economic and social disadvantages which they face with dominance Gender equality has increased androgyny for many age groups Andorgyny is related to more flexible thinking, advanced morals, maturity and health

information processing changes in midlife

General slowing of CNS functioning Midlife declines in basic processing may not affect well-practiced performances until late adulthood Withering myelin coating on neural fibers, deteriorating neural connections, especially in prefrontal cortex and corpus callous Extent of myelin breakdown predicts decrements in reaction time Speed of processing declines Speed: reaction times slow in middle adulthood More complex the task, the more disadvantaged middle adults are Decline is gradual and small but has practical significance (video games, driving) Copies are less clear, information degrades at each step

how does personality change in middle age?

Generativity vs stagnation Generativity: through parenting, other family relationships, work, volunteering, mentoring, creativity, productivity well adjusted, low in anxiety and depression, high in autonomy, self acceptance, life satisfaction personal narratives have generative themes exhibited in mid-life across SES and ethnicity Stagnation: focus on what one can get from others, rather than what one can give ex. Cut throat lawyer/professional, lobbyist for big tobacco, looking to get money, self centered little interest in being productive at work or developing talents, learning new things Generative people tell commitment stories, where there is an orderly sequence of events and adults give back to others. Descibe a special advantage they had, awareness of the suffering of others, which motivates them to help other people Negative life events can turn into renewal, improvement or enlightenment Less generative adults tell contamination stories: losing weight but being unable to overcome low self esteem, a bad grade dictating their year How they interpret negative events is different More redemptive stories are linked to higher self esteem, life satisfaction, and certainty that the challenges of life are managable, rewarding

cultural changes

Good marriage in US, better mental health (cohabitation not the same) Western Europe, cohabitation is more serious, offers same benefits Good marriage causes good wellbeing Mastering multiple roles leads to better psychological wellbeing Better purpose in life, relationships, positive emojions Japanese and Korean have lower well being because they are less likely to endure autonomy and self acceptance Highest well being is related to how they relate to others Fulfillment is family Women: baby boomers who balance career and family feel better autonomy and environmental mastery before WW2, better self acceptance Men: in step with social expectations feel better Baby boom and younger men who make room for family were more self accepting Older men who made accomidation feel lower in self acceptance because they were not good providers

exercise in midlife

Helps adults handle stress more effectively , reduces risk of disease Any exercise has longevity benefits, even when SES, alchohol, current health, tobacco, BMI are controlled Half of US adults are sedentary Fewer than 18% engage in the amount of exercise they should Beginning to exercise in mid-life: overcome lack of time, energy, work conflicts, health Self-efficacy: belief in ones ability to succeed is important for execse Gains in self efficacy through exercise Self esteem rises Safe exercise environments, SES

Marriage

Highest income, as well off as they will ever be financially More time to revaluate relationship contemporary middle aged adults are better off than before Marriage in midlife is full of opportunity and expansion Reviewing and adjusting Less conflicts than usual, unless strains with parenting Marital satisfaction is a powerful predictor of psychological wellbeing, mores than vocaction, children, friendships or health

Cardiovascular and respiratory systems:

Hypertension= high blood pressure Cardiovasular and hypertension issues are more common for African Americans Most people do not lose heart performance as they age; heart can still meet body's oxygen requirement Stress decreases heart performance if the max heart are in lowered and the heart becomes more rigid; may have difficulty bouncing back from strain or elevated heart rate Only during stressful exercise does heart performance decline with age—a change due to a decrease in maximum heart rate and greater rigidity of the heart muscle heart: worse performance under stress

Immune System:

Immune system capacity increases from adolescence then declines after age 20 Thymus shrinks T cells, which originate in the bone marrow and mature in the thymus (a small gland located in the upper part of the chest), attack antigens directly. B cells, manufactured in the bone marrow, secrete antibodies into the bloodstream that multiply, capture antigens, and permit the blood system to destroy them. thymus, which is largest during the teenage years, then shrinks until it is barely detectable by age 50. production of thymic hormones is reduced, and the thymus is less able to promote full maturity and differentiation of T cells T cells reduce because thyme hormones are fewer B cells release far more antibodies when T cells are present, the immune response is compromised further. Stress and reduced thus make it difficult to prevent illness Nervous and endocrine systems: stress may lead to immune system declines More difficulty recovering from cold/flu other illness

Commitment within relativistic thinking:

In Perry's theory, the mature individual's formulation of a perspective that synthesizes contradictions between opposing views, rather than choosing between them. personally satisfying, synthesizes contradictions, loses opinions, evaluates opinions, focuses on facts and revises opinions when necessary ; integrating everyones truths Willingly revise their internal beliefs Seek different perspectives to deepen knowledge and clarify what they believe Information gathering coginitvbe style Decision making and problem solving

Does the term midlife crisis reflect the typical experience of middle adulthood,

Life evaluation is common during middle age Turning points reported: mostly positive, leading to personal growth Interpretation of regrets greatly influences well being serves positive function if consider what went wrong and take corrective action crisis and major restructuring are rare Regret romamnce, family, education, career choices the most Levinson said yes; Vallant said no Little evidence supports that middle age is a turbulent time Turning points described at middle age (MIDUS) are usually positive, fulfilling a dream, etc The negative turning points were seen as leading to personal growth 1/4 say they had a midlife crisis, but many said it happened before 40 or after 50 Most attributed it to life challenges rather than simply being middle aged

Stress Management in midlife

Limits age related illness and reduces severity of disease Involved reevaluating, focusing on what you can control, looking at things in different ways, goal setting, exercise, relaxation, anger reduction, social support and seeing life as "fluid" Middle adulthood: better ways of coping with stress, anticipating it Managing intense stress can help positive development Diffuclties: communities give fewer social supports than for younger or older adults

How the death occurred impacts if people feel at peace with it:

Men express less distress and seek help less often End of a loving, fulfilling bond is difficult but can be resolved A strained or complicated relationship leads to more confusing grief process Sudden deaths cause shock and avoidance Anticipatory grieving leads people to feel less overwhelmed when they knew the death was coming caregiving or watching a loved one suffer alters this, may cause lingering anxiety Senseless deaths or deaths that cannot be understood lead to more grief Suicide leads people to feel they could have prevented it, more complicated grief when suicide is seen as immoral; prolonged grief Parents who lose children have prolonged grief and feel it was unfair, etc mothers report more intense distress, may not feel support from their spouse higher divorce rates among parents who's children have died Younger widows/widowers have worse grief Non normative, disrupts life plans Have to comfort children, etc which causes more stress

Adjusting to retirement

Mental health and quality of life usually remain stable Seen as a time for personal growth Leaving a high stress job leads to greater happiness; leaving a low stress job may cause adjustment problems Women who have to take on caregiving and leave a satisfying job may become sad Satisfaction is linked to an internal desire and the choice to retire Those with few social ties and miss the predictable schedule may be maladjusted Well educated people with complex jobs adjust well Social support reduces stress Marital happiness makes retirement more favorable

cognitive maintenance and change in late adulthood

Modest genetic contribution Mentally active life is vital for preserving cognitive resources Above average education, contact with friends and family, stimulating work and leisure and community participation taking classes, sudoku or crosswords blending social, physical, cognitive (working in a store) Flexible personality Health status improves this (but brighter adults may engage in healthier behaviors) Rising instability of performance increases in 70s terminal decline, increased rate PFC shrinks and deficient brain functioning Terminal decline is the acceleration of deteriorateon in cognitive functioning poor to death Sharp drop in psychological wellbeing may predict death Downturn is steep 85 and older, only weakly related to mental deterioration and chronic illness (normal aging can cause terminal decline) Emotional investment in life declines

changes in cognitive functioning in late adulthood.

More individual variation and variation between tasks when it comes to declines and ability Efficiency declines; executive function declines Gradual and slow, modest changes Recall declines Working memory declines Flexible shifting declines Retrieval declines More something depends on fluid intelligence, the earlier it starts to decline (biologically based information processing) Culturally based knowledge relies on fluid intelligences and is sustained longer must be enhanced and used in order to be maintained vocab, general information and expertise can offset losses in fluid intelligence Detriments in fluid intelligence limit what people can accomplish Crystallized shows a modest decline because of fluid Crystallized decreases after 80 modestly Processing speed declines

Remarriage:

Most occur within 4 years after -men need companionship and marry faster than this -men rely more on a companion, harder on men emotionally -biggest decrease in satisfaction, more depression after divorce -remarried couples differ more -more divorce -going into the marriage for different reasons, with a different foundation -divorce feels like a more acceptable solution -some transfer negative patterns from first marriage to their second -may have the same problems with communication, habits, etc -stepfamily produces more stress -stepparent and stepchild ties predict marital happiness -blended families take 3-5 years to develop a connectedness of biological families

Heterosexual attitudes and behaviors:

Nearly all have had intercourse by 25, often in context of emotional commitment Trend toward more sexual partners in lifetime than 30 years ago Goes along with acceptance of sex outside marriage Online dating College years: Trend towards more casual dating Monogamy is most common Similar backgrounds is important for many long term relationships Long term relationship start in "normal" ways= friend of a friend 25-34 use dating apps Online dating limits direct social interaction People idealize the other person before they meet face to face Large pool of potential partners creates a "shopping mentality" Lifetime sexual partners has ison from 7 to 11 Men 18: women 6 18-25 year olds: one sexual partner in the past year is the most common answer High divorce rates and marrying later contributes Hooking up is common in college Young people: some report positive emotions in response to hookups, other feel shame, regret, depression (most frequently these are women) Most people spend the majority of their loves with one partner Demands of life, not necessarily homrones, create lower frequency of sex among older adults Beyond once a week, sex does not increase happiness As number of partners increases, satisfaction decreases women: inability to achieve orgasm and lack of interest Men: climaxing too early and anxiety about performance Difficulty with sex: abuse, health problems, low SES, etc History of unfavorable relationships and sexual experiences increase the risk of sexual dysfunction Love and fidelity increases satisfaction

"big five" personality traits in adulthood.

Neuroticism declines , extroversion, openness to experience, do not change or lightly decrease (settling down) agreeableness and conscientiousness (efficiency and organization) increases from adolescence to middle age Personality change is genetically influenced Personality traits are also relatively stable throughout the lifespan These traits do not take into account motivation, tasks, coping, gender Deal with heredity, not experience Adults change in organization and integration of personality as they adapt to change Contradicttion: people in stable jobs and romantic relationships, compared to those without these commitments, show greater gains in conscientiousness and agreeableness and declines in neuroticism over time

personality in late adulthood

Older adults gain in agreeableness and become more generous in 70s After 80, agreeableness declines with physical and cognitive challenges Extroversion declines; become more selective with relationships Openness to experience declines; awareness of cognitive changes Engaging in cognitively challenging activities like puzzles leads to more openness Openess predicts seeking intellectual stimulation Acceptance of change: many report they are not unhappy about anything; coping with loss; accepting life Most aging people are resilient High neuroticism may lead to poor coping

Reminiscence:

Older people do not reminisce more They reminisce in different ways: Many older people spend little time evaluating the past if they have high satisfaction Adulthood is ranked as the most satisfying time of life, usually later adulthood Other focused and knowledge based are stimulateng and rewarding Many immigrants and AA use these types Reminiscence happens during life transition

Parenting:

Parental roles: first vs second Gender roles are more unequal after the first birth Second birth have most gender equality/split Typically mild decline in relationship satisfaction; sharing child care predicts happiness Later parenthood eases transition Why? Financial stability, career, relationship is stable Young children effective, coparenting team challenges and benefits childcare, balancing career Adolescents: sharp changes in parental roles Challenges: Dip in marital satisfaction, life satisfaction Parenting education: From their own parents books/internet people not wanting to have kids has hardly risen over the years -parenhood is being delayed in industrialized nations -family size is at an all time low -women with different gender roles, high paying jobs and high status careers less often choose parenthood -reduces work hours and slows career progress in women but not men -childbearing motivations: effect how someone feels about having kids -social returns, warmth and affection, continuity -extra burdens and responsibilities

STIs

Peak in adolescence In US, one in four contract an STIs during lifetime High among industrialized nations US has highest incidence of HIV positive adults Lack of universal healthcare Could be a lack of education/knowledge 15-24: most at risk Women are at greater risk for long term health problems (infertikity, pregnancy complications) Gay men have the most AIDS/HIV HIV infections remain stable; more than any other industrialized nations Drug, stress intervenors drugs lead too HIV Minorityes, low income are the greatest risk Need for female controlled preventative measures like gels ir rings

problem solving change in late life

Problem solving centers around the family, health, paying bills more health related problems, fewer career problems, fewer problems with children Major concerns involve: general family relationships, maintaining contact and ties managing instrumental activities of daily living (cooking, stairs, etc) Extend adaptive strategies of middle adulthood Fewer strategies, use those previously helpful Decisive when faced with health risks Couple collaborate to generate strategies When tasks are set in a lab by a researcher there are declines Memory limitations make it hard to consider all aspects of a complex problem that is hypothetical Financial decision making is less effective Older adults do not deal with workplace problems When they see things as in their control, they use effective problem solving Avoid interpersonal conflicts Contrasts slower cognitive processing because they have more accumulated health knowledge They often consult others for advice, collaborate more and have more effective problem solving within they marriage

Memory:

Researchers often give adults strategies for memory that they would not use/ are not motivated to use (are related to school, etc) Category based structure, adults organize just as well as young adults Strategic memory training, middle and older adults use strategies and improve performance Slowing the pace of information processing, cuing the link between new and stored information helps Metacognitive knowledge to maximize memory, reviewing major pojnts, organizing notes and files, and focusing on the most useful information can be used to compensate Aging has little impact on metacognviie knowledge and ability to apply that to learning Ability to recall studied information is impaired compared to young adult Decline in use of memory startgies Rehearse less Slower rate of thinking, cannot repeat as much Working memory capacity is reduced, less retaining of information Organization and elaboration: applied less and used less effectively with age Retrieval is harder from long term memory, which would help to organize, elaborate or recall Cannot categorize as fast because they have difficulty keeping their attention on relevant stimuli older people cannot repeat new information to themselves as quickly as younger people. A reduction in working-memory capacity is another influence, leading to difficulties in retaining to-be-remembered items and processing them at the same time When a word list has a strong category-based structure, older adults organize as well as younger adults do organization and elaboration, which require people to link incoming information with already stored information, are also applied less often and less effectively with age

self concept in late adulthood

Secure, multifaceted self concept autobiographical selves emphasizes coherence, consistency allows for self acceptance continued pursuit of possible selves shifts in some personality characteristics gains in agreeableness declines in extroversion and openness to experience Flexible, optimistic and resilient approach to life is common

Sexual minority attitudes and behaviors

Similar sexual behavior to heterosexuals More acceptance, huge change from 2005 Youngest people are the biggest supporters Those who openly identify tend to be well educated More understanding environment Knowledge millenials: both genders view homosexuals with the same amount of acceptance Other age groups: heater men are less accepting than women Due to their concern about gender roles conformity Educated people low in religiosity are the most accepting More women are bi Many gay people do not want to self report Gay people live in more accepting places (big city, college camopus)

Daily Stressors:

Stress plateaus as early to mid adulthood shows a decline in work and family responsibilities and leisure time increases Women have role overload and family stress more; men have more career stress; both experience all kinds of stress Younger/mid adults are more bothered by stress because they experience more at once than Older people midlife: more effective coping Identify the positive side of difficult situations, examine many solutions and postpone action, use humor, anticipate future stressors complex, integrated coherent self descriptions give more personal control Some experience so much stress that their ability to cope deteriorates Suiciide rate of midlife matches people 85+ (HIGHEST rate) White men, suciicde has risen the most, most are poorly educated and low SES with physical and mental health problems US has risien, many other places it declined

successful aging

Successful aging: gains are maximized, losses minimized, realizing individual potential Engaging in communities coping with change, happy relationships, happy marriage, gratifying activities Less achievement based and more based on the process of reaching personally valued goals Optimal aging reflects reality that aging involved coping with losses and challenges just as much as it involved achieving desirable outcomes Factors that can be controlled better predict satisfying old age than those that cannot be controls Need social funding and support from the government as well Lifelong learning Safe housing

Vocational Choice

Suitable work role Low SES restricts choices College adds choices Dynamic interaction between person and environment Parent-child vocational similarity Research shows moderate relationship between personality and vocational choice Family finances, opportunity and life circumstances impact career choice High SES, white collar, low SES, blue collar Similarity between vocations of parents and children based on education, personalitym, intellect College educated adults give their children more resources to succeed High SES promote curiosity and self-driection guidance, encouragement in school also predict career Teachers: Teacher expectations predict enrollment in college Teacher expectations matter most for low SES Teachers should communicate and encourage to promote resilience

How does memory change in late life?

Take in information slower, retain less in working memory Harder to engage in inhibition, apply strategies or retrieve knowledge from long term Difficulties with daily experiences (episodic) increase

Cross-Linkage Theory

The theory that, when cross-links are formed between peptides, the proteins are altered, often for the worse protein fibers form bonds and link together Tissue becomes less elastic and can can lead to loss of flexibility in the skin, organs, clouding of lens, clogging of arteries, damage to kidneys Can be reduced by healthy lifestyle choices

Career Development:

Training and on the job counseling is less available, expected to have skills already Personal characteristics: priorities shift from growth to security rely on other for encouragement Work characteristics: challenging vs routine tasks affect motivation to train coworker, supervisors encouragement, favorable "age climate", positive feedback Middle aged are less likely to be offered new training and are less likely to participate Older employees depend more on encouragement for development Self-efficacy related to expanding and growing skills Some work requires new learning Older workers receive more routine tasks Better age climate may relate to more job satisfaction and training in older people

understanding of death

Understanding death reduces anxiety Biology enhances understanding Children want to understand death; 3.5-6 years they seek explanations until they find it understandings depend on basic notions of biology linked to reduced anxiety about death most attain an "adult" like understanding by age 6 Americans death avoidant culture impedes accurate knowledge

Wisdom:

Universal, cross-cultural association with age breadth and depth of practical knowledge, reflecting on and applying knowledge, emotional maturity/being patient and empathetic, reflective, enriching the lives of others Requires personal insight into the human condition Life experience makes this differ from person to person human service training and practice leadership history of overcoming adversity, experience problem solving Personal Motivations continues desire for personal growth sense of autonomy and purpose generativity

the double standard of aging.

Women in mid life feel assertive, confident, capable, versatile They are rated as less attractive and as having more negative personality characteristics than middle aged men End of ability to bear children causes women to be negatively judged on their physical appearance Biological worth, reproducing Middle aged men are seen as competent t and secure Women are offered products to look younger This is adaptive: many couples limit childbearing and devote more time to career and leisure so this has become irrelevant

Levinson's Four Developmental Tasks:

Young Old: seeks new ways of being young and old. Women may focus on physical aspects of being "young". middle aged person wants to be young and old, fin ding positive meaning in being older and giving up some things. Women are sensitive to physical aging, so are men in blue collar jobs that require stamina. Baby boomers are more concerned with physical changes. Youtful subjective age is feeling younger than ones age, and is positive associated with self esteem and well being, especially with Americans;. Makes people feel capable and reliant Destruction-creation: acknowledging past hurtful acts, leaves legacy for future generations. viewing previous actions as destructive, such as hurting others, and an intensified desire to be constructive and generative, helping others or being creative masculinity-Femininity:Balances masculine and feminine parts of self. men become more nurturing and caring, enhancing close relationships. Women become more assertive. Androgyny leads to better self esteem Engagement-Separateness: Balances engagement with and separateness from external world. Forging a better balance between engaging with the world and being separate. Reducing attention from career, or even from the famuly, depending on how they have been living

expertise

acquisition of extensive knowledge in a field or endeavor Enhances information processing Faster decision making, speed of processing increases, problem solving becomes more efficient Basic understanding leads to being able to solve novel problems, look at things in new ways Creativity leads from problem solving to problem finding Ex. Mastering content, can then understand how you learn/others learn 10 years to become an expert (ballpark) Rise in creative productivity in early adulthood Plan ahead and categorize rather than trial and error Problem solving to problem finding Not all experts are creative Creative thinkers have to be intuitive, attend to information hat seems irrelevant, tolerance to ambiguity open to new experiences, etc Women: may be postponed due to lifestyle Poetry visual art and music have early peaks Higher level degrees that require more education have water peaks; later achievers over longer periods of time

Functional age

actual competency and performance may not match chronological age Variation exists between and within individuals No single biological measure can predict aging parents/grandparents may be a benchmark

Fowler:

adults develop new faith capacities, awareness of their own belief system as a possible worldview, contemplate deeper significance of religion, think about the common good, become more open to other perspectives Minorities become very involved in organized religion; centers for health and welfare AA adults feel closer to god and use religion to overcome life's problems Women are more likely then men to feel more religious and participate in religion May be related to higher poverty, caring for others, higher stress Better wellbeing, more time to exercise and leisure, more time spent with family and more generativity, more openness and more meaning in life Informal and formal religious participation leads to longer survival and better wellbeing overall Personal relationship with god is used as support in hard times Church provides social support

Social clock

age graded expectations for major life events Milestones at certain ages Greater deviations than in earlier generations Adhering lends confidence, social stability, feeling better about our choices, secure economically better off: education, marrying and having children occur later in the lifespan than they did a generation ago -may create intergenerational tensions if they go out of order -may cause distress if off from the social clock -may feel inadequateately ground, not sure what to expect from themselves or others -some social clocks foster confidence and social stability; guarentees development of skills and engaging in productive work, understanding the self and others

Motor Capacity

athletic skills: peak between 20 and 35 then gradually decline Muscle loss Speed, explosive strength and coordination peak in early 20s Continues practice allows for slower declines Mid to late 30s for endurance, steady exercise peaks Require stamina or precise motor control and take longer to get perfect Biological limit of motor capacity reached in early adulthood Speed drops from 35-60s Performance falls at an accelerating pace Looking at long distance, performance falls at even more gradual pace, accelerating drop off does not appear until 70s Sustained training leads to adaptions and minimized motor declines Athletes have greater vital capacity, slower muscle loss, increase in speed and force of muscle contraction, fast twice muscle fibers convert into slow twitch which allows for endurance Triathlon performance declines more slowly Lower levels of performance by healthy people into their sixties and seventies largely reflect reduced capacities resulting from adaptation to a less physically demanding lifestyle.

changes in life expectancy since the beginning of the twentieth century.

avg life expectancy has increased 50 years in 1900, 78.8 avg; 76 for Us men and 81 for women Older adults now represent 15% of US population compared with 4% in the early 1900s Life expectancy increasing in US Due to aging baby boomers, population of older adults will rise significantly in coming years Better medical technology Variations due to heredity and environment: gender SES Lifestyle factors: Mediterranean diet, exercises, substance abuse, occupations, Social Support: isolated seniors are more vulnerable (mental health, physical help) Public policies and programs (housing, health care, assisted living) Later in life: women's advantage shrinks with age (we see projected advantage that lessens as people age) After 80, African American life expectancy crosses over before 80 europeans are advantaged; those AA who survive are more likely to live longer Fastest growing segment is 85+ group Heredity: longevity runs in families Environmental factors: more influential with age Heart disease has dropped Higher life expectancy for women because of extra X chromosome and less risk taking; has narrowed in industrialized nations Low SES, lower Quality and length of life can be predicted by health care housing and social services as well as lifestyle Past 70-75, longevity influence declines in favor of environment

Fluid intelligence:

based on information processing skills -spatial relationships, fitting things together, working memory, detecting relationships among visual stimuli, speed of analyzing information, working memory peaks in 20s, then progressive falloff in cross section studies

Persistant vegetative state:

cerebral cortex no longer registered electrical activity but brain stem remains active; consciousness and body movement cannot be restored (coma)

COLLEGE

college is a developmental testing ground for exploration (formative) Fosters diverse cognitive capacities Reasoning is enhanced when there is no clear solution Values and attitudes broaden Increased interest in literature, philosophy and the arts Greater tolerance Concern for welfare and activism Better self understanding Firmer sense of identity High collegiate learning scores (articulating what you learned and how you grew) are linked to the extent of later success Graduates do not always have collegiate skills needed in the workforce many college students are not involved, despite high GPA mayb not have skills thatb are marketable (entertainment increase, grade inflation)

Ego integrity vs despair

coming to terms with ones life Feel complete, satisfied with achievements, associated with favorable psychological wellbeing Integrity= feeling whole, accomplished. Viewing life in the context of humanity, happy with how the course of your life turned out Midlife generativity predates ego integrity; ego integrity predicts better psychological wellbeing, martial satisfaction, closer relationships with children, greater community involvement, increased ease in accepting help from others when it is needed Death loses its sting or fear Attaining intrinsic life goals means acceptance of death Emphasizing externsic goals leads to fearing death despair= feeling you have made wrong decisions; leads to being argumentative and angry no time is left, too short to make a change bitter, unaccepting of death expressed as anger, contempt for others

Hardiness:

control, commitment, challenge Sees experiences ans controllable Committed: to activities, finding meaning in them Viewing stressful challenges as occasions for learning and self improvement How you appraise situations: manageable, interesting, even enjoyable Predicts tendency to seek support, they are less aroused by stress, fewer emotional and physical symptoms Actively problem centered coping Low hardiness: emotion centered and avoidant coping

Cite factors that contribute to high rates of divorce and remarriage.

decreased recently because getting married later: more realistic expectations and stability -greater financial stability and satisfaction -cohabitiation has also decreased divorce because people break up before marriage -most divorce occurs within 7 years of marriage, transition to midlife, when people have adolescent children -60% remarry -more failure for second marriage

Dependency- support social script:

dependent behaviors are attended to Independence ignore: independent behaviors are ignored Reinforce dependent behavior because it brings social contact Social interaction while assisting old people is often demeaning and unpleasant Associated with less positive everyday existence Older adults have negative reactions to caregiving Older people respond with help-seeking behavior so they are noticed

Associative memory deficit:

difficulty creating and retrieving links between pieces of information (2 items or an item and its context) greatly affected by lack of strategy use what could help: providing memory cues encourage use of memory strategy of elaboration Older adults do almost as well as younger adults (20 year olds and 70 year olds are almost the same) on single item memory, but they do a lot worse on two items. Huge difference between item-pair memory task Combining recognition tasks is harder; have a difficulty associating items with one another Sensory declines make associate memory harder Easing task demands by providing cues, etc helps associative memory Elaboration: relating word-pairs by generating verbal statements or mental images about their relationship; difference in memory is reduced

Other focused reminiscence

directed at social goals: solidying family and friend ties or reliving relationships with lost loved ones. High among extroverts; solidifies relationships

Dualistic thinking:

dividing information, values and authority into right and wrong, good and bad, we and they; good and bad, we and they Accept what you are given: the professor is right, only the writer can interpret their story or poem

Dual process model of coping with loss:

effective coping requires people to oscillate between dealing with the emotional consequences of loss and attending to life changes, which- when handled successfully- have restorative or healing effects (temporary distractions from emotions include volunteering, religious services, etc)

Prospective memory:

event based is easier than time based (christmas vs Thursday night) Remembering to engage in planned actions in the future Can set event based reminders to compensate Event based might be pressing a key when a certain word appears on a screen; noncomplex tasks don't show a decline with aging Attentional and working memory demands, when one of four cues appears, adults do worse Time based: require initiative to keep planned action in mind and monitor the passage of time while also performing an ongoing activity; doing activities during certain time intervals or at certain time intervals Declines in late adulthood are considerable Adults are highly motivated t remember and set up ways to remind themselves Older adults rely on external memory aids, like notes May repeat the task and think it is not complete

emerging adulthood identity formation

explore depth (evaluating existing commitments) and breadth (weighing multiple options and making commitments) of identity -dual cycle model: identity formation is a process of feedback loops, trying new things, going from breath to depth -depth exploration and commitment are more linked to happiness, esteem, adjustment than random exploration, breadth, or diffusion -personal agency: self-efficiacy, planning, purposefulness, overcoming obstacles, responsibility are all tied to information gathering cognitive style and identity exploration and certainty of commitments

Young adults and friendship

friends are similar in age, sex, SES -friends enhance self esteem and well being -Expand social opportunities and points of view -sharing thoughts and feelings between friends many be greater than in marryage -friends have less commitment than marriage -long lasting among adult women -fewer real friends than facebook friends -Facebook increases passive tracking of casual relationships, does not change core friendships . Because of greater intimacy and give-and-take, women generally evaluate their same-sex friendships more positively than men do. But they also have higher expectations of friends A best friendship can augment well-being when a marriage is not fully satisfying (but not when the marriage is low in quality)

Worldview in Emerging Adulthood

generation "me" controversy: self centered, materialism Involvement in volunteering, community service Increasing voter turnout millenials show greater narcissism and materialism -changes are small -self esteem is the same across generations -importance of attaining material wealth among college students has not changed -emerging adults have high individual goals and relationship goals -emerging adults show charitable traits -pluralistic orientation: disposition for living in a diverse society that promotes individual respect, equality of opporunity, dressing global problems

Joan Erikson

geotranscendence beyond ego integrity cosmic and transcendent perspective directed beyond the self to affinity with past and future generations and oneness with the universe directed forward and outward, beyond self at peace, heightened inner calm and contentment Little evidence this is a stage: Negative life events can lead to geotranscendence Inner contemplation leads to adaptation to stressful, unchangeable things Many older people are still concerned with the "real world"

Durable power of attorney for health care

gives another personal control over your health care decisions on your behalf; not limited to terminal illness

grief interventions

hastening recovery with social support is not helpful or appreciated social network plus counseling is helpful may have stress related personal growth, become aware of own straights, appreciate spiritualism or relationships more support groups based on the type of loss are helpful foster loss oriented coping (confronting and resolving grief) individual programs help restoration oriented coping (reorganizing daily life)

free radicals

highly reactive chemicals form in the presence of oxygen; when oxygen breaks down, the reaction strips away an electron, creates a free radical which destroys nearby cell material Makes an individual more vulnerable to disease Some genes for longevity might work against these free radicals Free radicals have not been found to be major contributors to DNA damage or cell damage Present in excess, may cause problems, cannot prove they are negative in moderate amounts May actually increase longevity because it activates DNA repair systems Antioxidants have failed to reduce disease or extend life

causes of divorce

ineffective problem solving, poor communication -Infidelity -fighting about money -weakened attachment -refusal to communicate or defensieness, withdrawn patterns -disengaging emotionally and leading separate lives -women have more problems, especially feeling hurt and anger -men have difficulty sensing wife's distress -infidelity, spending money foolishly, drinking/using drugs, jealousy, irritating habits and moodiness -young marriage, previous divorce, family history, SES and education, gender roles, expectations -differing education levels Egalitarian vs traditional with gender roles parents who are divorced(reduces commitment, child adjustment problems), could have caused attachment issues -young marriage: infidelity and jealousy -poor educated, stress, economically disadvantaged -women who are Economically independent and career oriented more frequently get divorced because they make more, have diff ideas of gender roles -tendency for these couples to divorce is decreasing -individualism in the US promotes moving on when you are unhappy

Grief:

intense physical and psychological distress Complicated grief: persists for years, lack of acceptance, influences physical and mental health Shock or disbelief is often first, avoidance Rush of emotions upon confronting death Lots of external actors that are beyond emotions: handling finances and funeral services, etc Resilient people cope with negative emotions, feel positive ones too

Emotion centered coping

internal, private, aimed at controlling distress when little can be done. Helps people face problems more calmly

-internal working model is a guide for relationships throughout life

interpretation of childhood events is a good indicator of future relationships -disrespectful, critical parents and avoidant attachment show stressed interdependence, mistrust, and anxiety, jealousy, distance -express beliefs that people cannot change, men and women have different needs, mind reading is expected, often engage in casual sex -resistant attachment, from parents who were unfair and unpredictable want to merge completely with others but also worry they will be abandoned. Jealousy, emotional highs and lows, desperation about being returned with affection

Brain death:

irreversible cessation of all brain activity and brainstem activity (controls reflexes) ceases; defines death in most industrial nations

Crystalized intelligence:

knowledge acquired, accumulated overtime, better with experiences, good judgement, understanding how to act in social situations/conventions, peaks in midlife and then declines in the 80s

Stepparents:

lack of a warm bond causes their discipline to be ineffective (they are outsiders) -may come off as too harsh, call the biological parent too lenient -more parenting disagreement with remarriages -more conflict when both partners have their own children -stepmothers have the most conflict -may have idealized image of family life if they've never been married -biological mothers may be jealous and not cooperate -are often met with resistance from children -feel guilty about not wanting the children around -stepfathers with their own children establish strong bonds (brady bunch) -experiences and they feel less pressure than stepmothers to parent -those without biological children may be pushed into fathering, be met with negativity -many withdraw from parenting (kel) -overtime, coparenting will improve ties very challenging and contributes to higher divorce rates

Families with Young Children:

lack of societal supports for children and families -many people are confused about how to range their child -relationship between partners is very important -Women face added pressure without proper childcare if they are working -rearing children benefits adult development -makes people feel well rounded -makes them more tolerant, attuned to the feelings of others

Medical Aid in Dying:

lethal prescription of drugs that are self-administered Higher SES and less religious people favor it

Burnout:

long term job stress leads to mental exhaustion Common in Health care (nursing), social work, teaching, helping professions, high emotional demands and daily stressor Less financial compensation for certain jobs less time off (preschool, assisted living) Excessive work and lack of encouragement Repetitive jobs, more likely Excessive demands Severe depression, impaired attention (can be dangerous) Relationship strain

Compensating

looking ahead and thinking in advance, reducing the importance of speed Reaction time wit typing slowed with age, but not speed (they look ahead to what the next word will be) Older adults can compensate for slowing function on familiar tasks; better reaction time on verbal items vs nonverbal items Can be improved through training Adults can compensate: highly experienced people can have selective attention and perform several tasks at once when they have extensively practices both of those activities over a lifetime Training can improve skil

Appropriate death:

makes sense in terms of the individual values and realtionships of a person maintaining identity, clarifying the meaning of life/death, close relationships enhanced, sense of control over remaining time, confronting and preparing for death Depression associated with disease can enhance pain, weaken the immune system and relates to poor survival life review, care planning and pain control help Many views of death: dying as imprisonment, a mandate to live more fully, part of life's journey, experience to be transformed

Person-environment fit:

matching abilities to a living environment to promote adaptive e behavior and wellbeing. Balancing stress and boredom

Implicit memory:

memory without conscious awareness declines less, feels automatic Engage in recall without realizing it Age difference is smaller with implicit memory Depends on familiarity rather than consciously controlled use of strategies

Self focused reminiscing:

missing the generativty, relating to others, reviving bitter events and coping with boredom, is linked to adjustment problems Older adults ruminate less; those who do are anxious or depressed

Reminiscence bump:

most things remembered occurred from ages 10-30, especially adolescence/ early adulthood common across cultures novel experiences stand out familiarity, retelling/ rehearsal helps retain Using important memories is more effective than word-cue method in remembering reminisce bump is apparent with both (memories from adolescence to early adulthood are better remembered with both rehearsal startgies) Identity development at these ages Culturally shared and important events are clustered earlier in life Richness of older adults autobiographical remote memories is more than it is for younger people, elaborated on and remembered throughout the span

Combining Work and Family:

most women with children are in the work force -most in dual earner or cohabiting relationships -role overload -stress -women in low status work roles with rigid schedules have it the worst -prestigious fields have more control over family and work -many scale back at home, women do thus more -couples want family life to accommodate work demands -seldom adjust work roles to fit family

Social support in late life

older adults desire to reciprocate assistance they cannot return reduces self-efficacy, amplifies stress formal support relieves caregiving burden and aging adults feelings of dependency Formal support may be a better option (paid support) because older adults do not feel like they have to reciprocate Help that is not wanted or needed leads to worse mental health and accelerates physical disability Perceived social support: sense of being able to count on family or friends leads to more positive outlook, benefits more than the actual amount affection, affirmation of self worth and belonging is most important

Disengagement theory

older people decrease their activity levels and interact less frequently as they anticipate death; more preoccupied with inner life proven to be incorrect as many older adults take on new community roles, do not disengage

expertise,

organized, integrated knowledge base supports high levels of performance Enterprise peaks in middle adulthood Highly efficient and effective problem soling around abstract principle and intuition Experience leads to intuitive approaches Implicit application of knowledge Learning, experience and effortful practice contribute Cannot be assessed by lab tasks Strength, dexterity, technical knowledge, organizational and social skills Not just for high SES or good occupations Physical decline with age, everything else increases Middle aged are more competent, even when compared with young adults with similar years of experience Everyday problems are solved better with logical analysis More rational decision making Make better choices with home and car loans

Mortality:

passing into permanent death; shrunken; within a few hours

Sternbergs triangular theory of love

passion, intimacy and commitment that shift as a relationship develops Passionate love with intense sexual attraction, which gradually declines Intimate love: is the emotional component, consisting of warm, tender communication and caring, self-disclosure, plus a desire for the partner to reciprocate. Compassionate love: concern for the others wellbeing Passion gradually fades while intimacy and commitment strengthen (companionate, compassionate love) Commitment, intimacy and constructive conflict resolution predicts relationship maintenance and satisfaction The first is companionate love—warm, trusting affection and valuing of the other (Sprecher & Regan, 1998). The second, and perhaps the most fundamental type of love in any deeply satisfying close relationship, is compassionate love—concern for the other's well-being, expressed through caring efforts to alleviate the other's distress and promote the other's growth and flourishing

Family life cycle:

phases that characterize development of most families around the world -stress is greatest during transitions -not always fixed -variations exist -some people never experience

Depression Risk factors:

physical health declines, chronic disease perceived negative health move to nursing home social isolation, lack of personal control Women of advanced age unable to care for others (losing aspect of identity) giving up trigger rapid physical decline

atherosclerosis:

plaque with cholesterol and fat collects on artery walls Appears early in life, progresses in mid adulthood, culminates in serious illness High fat diet Sex hormones increase insults of high fat diets Cardiovascular disease has declined in recent years

Epistemic cognition

reflective thinking; Reflections about how we arrived at facts, beliefs, ideas. We consider how to justify our decisions when they differ from others Reflections about how Revise their approach for a more balanced, adequate route William Perry studded college students

Religion in Emerging Adulthood

religious affiliatation declines Many construct their own individualized faith, weaving together diverse traditions Associated with better adjustment (exception: sexual minority individuals) Millenials have concerns about religion -1/2 young people remain stable in religious commitment -religion is more important to young people in the US than other developed countries -most unaffiliated believe in god -women/ethnic minorities are religious -authoritative parenting is linked to more religion that is similar to parents beliefs -religion makes people more adjusted -profound spiritual struggled lead to physical and mental health problems -religin is less effective with sexual minorities

Holland vocational preferences model

represents an individual occupational personality as it relates to vocational themes Investigative (science, works with ideas), social (counseling), realistic (plumbing, construction), artistic (writing, music, visual, emotional), conventional (structure, social status, material possessions, banking, accounting), enterprising (adventerous, persuasive, leader, sales, politics, supervisor)

Explicit memory tasks:

requires attention, we can explain (events, days) require controlled, strategic processing Episodic memory challenges rise substantially slower cognitive processing, reduced working memory leads us to retain fewer details (not retrieval, encoding problem) semantic memory: (facts, removed from context) declines less because it is well learned, rehearsed, already encoded and used this information frequently Recall: no cues to remember harder to remember the source of information, linking information

Levinson's Seasons of Life:

revisions in life structures as their "time left" seems more precious Focus on personally meaningful living Four Developmental Tasks

Peck tasks of ego integrity:

satisfaction with past life ego differentiation: finding other ways to affirm self worth outside of your career (through freinship, family, community life, similar to generativity) body transcendence: surmounting physical limitations by emphasizing the compensating rewards or cognitive, emotional and social powers ego transcendence: facing the reality of death constructively through efforts to make life more secure, meaningful and gratifying for younger generations (volunteering, religion, giving to family ) Involved investing in the future beyond your lifespan As people grow older, transcendence increases

Schaie's Seattle Longitudinal Study.

sequential, cross sectional and longitudinal approaches with 6,0000 participants overall where new samples were added at each time 5 mental abilities: a drop after mid 30s (cross sectional) Cross sectional: drops Longitudinal: increases then drops Intelligence tests show declines in middle and late adulthood as the brain deteriorates Cross sectional studies support this peak at 35 Age related increase actually found in longitudinal research Modest gains in midlife, sustained into 50s and 60s, then performance decreases Seattle longitudinal: declines were delayed for people with above average education, complex/ self directed occupations, stimulating leisure pursuits (use it or lose it) Flexible personalitiies, lasting marriages (especially to a highly cognitively functioning partner) and without chronic disease maintained mental abilities High SES also favored this Women: verbal and perceptual in middle and early adulthood MEn: spacial Changes in mental abilities were similar for both sexes Baby boomers did better than previous, todays children are even better with fluid ability tasks High perceptual speeds were advantaged in other capacities

Siblings as friends

sisters especially -become closer in adulthood -Friend and sibling roles merge -positive relationships in childhood promote this -in large families, may replace friendships

Processing speed:

slower reaction times are linked to lower scores on memory, reasoning and problem solving, more so for fluid versus crystallized As age increases, the link between processing speed and other cognitive abilities increases This suggests that processing speed contributes broadly to declines in cognitive functioning, which become more widespread and pronounced with aging Only correlates moderately with older adults performance, including fluid ability tasks Declines in vision and hearing and in executive function also contribute Weak predictor of the skill older adults use to perform complex, familiar tasks (which they can do with proficiency)

Socioemotional selectivity theory:

social interaction in late life extends life long selection processes; social networks become more selective with age and emotion-regulating function of social interaction emerges Marital relationships deepen, siblings feel closer, number of friendships declines 80s, contact with some people declines in favor of a few very close relationships People who they feel less close with show a steep drop in contact Aging leads to changes in the functions of social interactions dont need as much information gathering, do not need self affirmation from others and worry about being condescended or showed an indifferent or hostile response Want the emotion regulating function of interaction: older people emphasise feelings and positive relationships that promote emotional regulation Resolve interpersonal conflicts constructively Can find positives within conflict Report fewer problematic relationships and less distress when they experience interpersonal tensions Less time to spend on earth; want to spend it with the people who matter most Emphasize relationship quality Collectivist cultures may want to sustain meaningful ties with everyone in their life

Proxy

substitute decision maker for someone who did not provide advanced medical directive while competent

genetic programming theories of aging

suggests we have aging genes that impact menopause, motor skills, body cell deterioration as DNA duplicates, telomeres shorten. Eventually cells stop duplicating. Shortening acts as a brake against somatic mutations (cancer) which become more likely as cells duplicate But an increase in the number of senescent cells (ones with short telomeres) also contributes to age-related disease, loss of function, and earlier mortality Genetically programmed aging receives some support from kinship studies indicating that longevity is a family trait. can also be impacted by lifestyle or environment

Activity theory:

the view that satisfaction during old age is related to a person's amount and quality of activity social barriers to engagement, versus desire to engage, are causing declining rates in interaction Losing roles and relationships leads to seeking others to feel active and promote life satisfaction debunked because Larger social networks and engaging in more activities does not mean someone is happier qualitiy, not quantity, of relationships predicts wellbeing

Changes in structure of thought:

thinking in early adulthood is characterized by postformal thought. thinking in this stage becomes increasingly practical, flexible, and dialectical. its real life! a hallmark of postformal thinking is an awareness of multiple views of the same phenomenon. Neural change: growth, myelination Fine tuning of prefrontal cognitive control network: better inhibition, less risky behavior, education, career, family influence changes

Lesbian and Gay:

today, seen as irrelevant when related to custody or adoption Limited to volunteer samples, little available research Shows commitment and affective parenting similar to or grater than heterosexuals Children do not differ in quality of life, mental health or peer relationships Development is similar Close parent bonds predict less delinquency and better peer relations transitions cause academic difficulties Most children in these families are heterosexual Some experiment with partners of both sexes due to high acceptance and community Gay families build accepting "families of choice" who act as relatives Usually extended families become more supportive Peer dissaporval and teasing may be a problem but can be counteracted with parental warmth

ACTIVE

trained adults had an advantage that declined in magnitude 5 years after and 10 years after, but still existed Speed gains predicted other aspects of everyday functioning, like better self-rated health, reduced depression, fewer motor acidents, Speed training activated many brain regions Working memory tasks, other executive function tasks when trained transferred to other cognitve skills, like sustained attention and episodic memory Training should target self-efficacy and promoting sustained effort

Traditional criteria for death

used to define death in East cultures; absence of heartbeat and breathing

Remote Memory:

very longterm, autobiographical is personally meaningful autobiographical memory (stories) is stronger for remote and recent events than for things in between

Relativistic thinking

viewing all knowledge as embedded in a framework of thought. Aware of a diversity of opinions on many topics, they gave up the possibility of absolute truth in favor of multiple truths, each relative to its context Acceptance and tolerance Ideas are individualized Ones own beliefs are often subjective and several frameworks may satisfy the criteria of logical consistency

vocational life and cognitive development

vocational life and cognitive development. Older employees may be assigned less challenging work unfairly Complex work augments later cognitive flexibility more than cognitive flexibility influences preference for complex work Stimulating, non routine jobs explain link between SES and flexible, abstract thinking 50s and 60s: benefit from cognitively chillnging work just as those in their 20s and 30s Requires middle and older adults to grapple with novel situations Confront complex, novel tasks: predicts gains in flexibility and reduces age related decline in fluid abilities effects can be seen more than a decade after retirement Lower IQ in adulthood among WW2 vets derived greater long term benefits from intellectually demanding work Showed stronger posivitve associateon between stimulating work and cognivite performance after retiring than those with High IQ

gender differences in adult friendships

women: more intimate same sex friendships than men -like to "just talk", men like to "do something" like sports -men are more competitive and don't disclose weaknesses -longer lasting male friends disclose more -many gay and lesbian relationships form out of friendship -greater intimacy in friendships makes them longer lasting and more beneficial -men disclose more towards their partners after they get married -after college, men have fewer other sex friendships -woemn have more (work)_ -men confide easily in friendships with females -men provide women objective points of views

helicopter parenting

(hovering):related to reduced school engagement and ability to acquire skills but no other effects

overprotection

(psychological control) leads to low self esteem, low commitment, anxiety, depression and dependency on substances

Arnett: five features of emerging adulthood

-feeling in between -identity exploration: self esteem rises and new options explored -self-focused -instability -possibilities

Effects of Divorce

-major change in way of life and self image (both positive and negative) Different schedules Immediate consequences/disruption, depression may increase (first 2 years) New partner enhances life satisfaction, but may cause family problems, etc -new opportunities -disrupted social networks -less social support -increased anxiety and depression -subsides in 2 years -nonworking women have a hard time -noncustodial fathers feel rootless, less contact with children -some distract themselves with social activity -men adjust less well to living on their own -women have lower income and loneliness but adjust fairly well to loving on their own, feel self reliant -some women feel strongly attached to ex, deep in self esteem and have persistent depression -career advancement benefits women

relationships

-more close relationships than any other period -ties to multiple generations -launching children and moving on -liberating time for many people (retirement, kids leave) -shifts in roles with family members (parents, kids) -declining births and longer lives

grief tasks

Acceptance, working through pain/grief, adjusting to life without the loved one, developing an inner bond with the deceased and moving on

Influences of psychological wellbeing in late adulthood

Control vs dependency, Physical Health, Negative life events/changes Social support or interaction in late life

Kubler-Ross stages of dying

Denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance MAY BE NOTHING MORE THAN COPING STRATEGIES Takes the actions of the dying out of context and meaning doctors often push people into these stages

unemployment

Downsizing usually affects those middle aged and older Sharper decline in physical and mental wellbeing than young people when laid off Highly traumatic when it is seen as inconsiderate or unfair Remain jobless longer and seek fewer jobs Feel "offtime" when they find a new job Lose valued position for something they like less, etc Reduces generatively Usually do not duplicate former pay Age discrimination depression, worse physica; health

five ingredients of wisdom

Knowledge about fundamental concerns of life, including human nature, social relations, and emotions • Effective strategies for applying that knowledge to making life decisions, handling conflict, and giving advice • A view of people that considers the multiple demands of their life contexts • A concern with ultimate human values, such as the common good, as well as respect for individual differences in values • Awareness and management of the uncertainties of life—that many problems have no perfect solution

Grandparenthoood:

Longer lives, grandparents for longer Sharing personal past Important for low SES Valued older adult: being the wise one Immortality through descendants Reinvolvement with personal past, passing down family values Indulgence: having fun with children without major responsibility Low income: more involved in everyday

lungs as they age

Lungs show few age related changes in rest functioning but during physical exertion, respiratory volume decreases and breathing rate increases Maximum vital capacity declines after age 25 each decade Connective tissue in lungs chest, ribs, stuffers with age so the lungs have a hard time expanding Under normal conditions, we use less than half of our vital capacity

home death

Most people want to die at home Comfort, support from loved ones Health aide is usually necessary and everyday tasks are very difficult Homes are poorly equipped for the needs of the sick and dying Could relate to worse psychological health if they feel they are burdens or if caregivers are stressed expensive

telomeres

Repeated DNA sequences at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. like caps to protect the ends from destruction shortening is affected by environment, stress, health Enzyme telomerase prevents shortening, even reversing the trend Chronic illness hastens telomere shortening in white blood cells; leads to disease progression and death Telomere length could even be impacted prenatally Accelerated telomere shortening has been linked to a variety of unhealthy behaviors Persistent emotional stress is linked to telomere shortness in white blood cells Fortunately, when adults make positive lifestyle changes, telomeres respond accordingly.

Aging parents:

Women are more profoundly affected emotional, physical financial strain

Advance Medical Directive/Living Will

a written statement of desired medical treatment should they become incurably ill people specify treatments they do or do not want some diseases are not classified as terminal and doctors cannot refer to the living will in this case

Families with Adolescents

change parental roles -parents revise their relationship -bickering over everyday issues -adolescents are seen as spending "too much time with friends" -children navigate adolsecnec better than parents -dip in marital and life satisfaction

Mourning:

culturally specified expression of the bereaved person's thoughts and feelings

Fantasy period:

early/middle childhood, children gain insight into careers by fantasizing about them

Nursing homes death

focus on rehabilitation versus terminal care Many patients needs are not met Aggressive medical intervention

Experience-dependent brain growth

growth and refinement of established brain structures as a result of specific learning experiences that vary widely across individuals and cultures Ex: hippocampus is larger in cab drivers

restoration oriented coping

in the dual-process model of bereavement, coping focused on managing daily living, rethinking one's life, and mastering new roles and challenges. Contrast with loss-oriented coping

Bereavement:

losing a loved one

spirituality and religion in late adulthood

older adults attach value to religion generally become more religious with age modest and not universal change in religiosity many show stability may move less towards religion and more towards personal reflection on the meaning of life

Physical health:

powerful predictor of psychological wellbeing physical impairment related to depression optimism, self efficacy, effective coping, caregiver supported autonomy are vital High SES may be more surprised and upset by physical limitations because they are unexpected

Disenfranchised grief:

sense of loss without the opportunity to mourn publicly or gain support ex. Gay couple cannot ever be acknowledged after one dies

Problem centered coping

situation is changeable, deciding what to do about the difficulty. Reduces emotional dresses.

Palliative/comfort care:

Focused on relieving pain rather than preserving life

loss oriented coping

In the dual-process model of bereavement, coping focused on dealing with one's emotions and reconciling oneself to the loss. Contrast with restoration-oriented coping.

Factors predicting maintenance of high mental ability scores:

Lifestyle: high education complex job or leisure pursuit lasting marriage: problem solving, communication, relating to people (like a job) vs divorce: less interaction, loneliness, mental health high SES Personal Flexible personality Using intellectual skills Good health, absence of chronic illness

practical problem solving

Middle aged adults grow in practical problem solving Sizing up real world problems and analyzing how best to achieve tour goals that have high degrees of uncertainty When related to their expertise, middle aged adults win in efficacy and excellence of thinking Real life endeavors, intelligent and cognitively active middle adults respond just as competently and nearly as quickly as young adults Better than previous decades More specialization, branching in different directions Need opportunities for continues growth

Sexual coercion

Over 40% experience some form at some point, most in early adulthood Rape: 19% of women are victims Related factors: Perpetrator characteristics Men are maniupulative, lack empathy/remorse, pursue casual sexual relationships rather than emotional intimacy, approve of violence against women and approve of rape myths Perpetrators interpret women actions as desire/wanting sex Abuse and alcohol contribute Cultural forces men are taught to be dominant, aggressive, competitive and women to be submissive and cooperative violence, pornography contribute PTSD, depression, anxiety, issues with intimacy Consequences: immediate and long term 19 percent of women experience rape 45 percent have sexual coercion Men are maniupulative, lack empathy/remorse, pursue casual sexual relationships rather than emotional intimacy, approve of violence against women and approve of rape myths Perpetrators interpret women actions as desire/wanting sex Abuse and alcohol contribute Culture: men are taught to be dominant, aggressive, competitive and women to be submissive and cooperative violence, pornograohy contribute Women use manipletion, rugs or force to rape men Rape leads to PTSD, shock, confusion, fatigue, depression, substance abusem, social anxiety, difficulties with intimacy and sucidal thought Ongoing sexual coercion may fall into a pattern of extreme passivity and fear Many victims are physically injured Recovery can be fostered by: routine screening for victimization, validation of the experience, safety planning

Spirituality and religon:

Religion is very important to most Americans age 65+ Spirituality: not following any religion specifically, connection to god that is personal, belief in some higher power; general is important Religious involvement is associated with: better physical and psychological wellbeing, closeness to family and friends, greater generativity (big factor compared to young adulthood)

Possible selves:

Rely more on temporal than on social comparisons Fewer in number, more modest and concrete with age Can be redefined by individuals permitting affirmation of self Strong motivator of action in midlife Protective role in self-esteem striving for vs avoiding motivate action as adults see time as precious adults use fewer social comparisons and more temporal comparisons, have they done what they planned to do? personal traits in adulthood show stability possible selves change greatly; fewer in number, more modest and concrete and less far off practical goals "being competent, being a good parent" vs being "the best/ most successful" preserve mental health by adjusting hopes and fears, but there still needs to be some possibility or something to strive for self concept is constantly responsible to others but possible selves is mainly redefined by the individual balanced possible selves have related hope and fear outcomes make better progress

career change

Usually leaving one line of work for something that is moderately related Women often pursue more stimulating, involved jobs May signify a personal crisis Responding to feelings of personal meaninglessness, escaping conflict bluecollar: career changes are usually not a choice imjuries, etc may require switching to a less physically demanding job Limited options

Positivity effect:

View the past as more positive in retrospect Compensates for decrease in cognitive -affective complexity (integration of the entire self, positive and negative that declines due to information processing) Attend to and recall more positive than negative information ERP waves in response to positive stimuli Contributes to resilience Optimism, gain in happiness with age Experience with life leads to better emotional regulation Better at dealing with conflict constructively Emotion centered coping: controlling distress internal, is very effective (cancer diagnosis) Reaction in distress There is less time left, want to focus more on the positive Cognitive declines or chronic stress reduce this Blood pressure and courts remain higher for longer in older adults due to declines in the cardiovascular and endocrine system

Control vs dependency

accepting help can be a struggle, losing autonomy Reinforcing dependent behavior at expense of independent behavior: dependency support script: independence ignore script: Person Environment fit: support matches what they need; environment is as supportive as it needs to be sustains optimism, self-efficacy Promotes adaptive behavior, psychological wellbeing

Cognitive affective complexity

awareness of conflicting positive and negative feelings and coordinating them into complex, organized structures that recognize uniqueness of individual experience (elated but stressed at the birth of a new child) Ex. Graduation: integrating challenges, good aspects and understanding what it means to your life Requires great awareness of ones own and other perspectives and emotions Vital aspect of emotional intelligence Tolerant and open minded, think more rationally

Life review:

calling up past experiences for better self-understanding ; helps to attain ego integrity; integrating positive and negative memories goal: greater self understanding counselor-led life review interventions can lead to positive outcomes leads to higher self esteem, purpose in life, less depression

Voluntary Euthanasia:

doctor takes the patient's life to eliminate suffering

Knowledge based reminiscence:

drawing on the past for effective problem solving to teach younger people. High among socially engaged and open to experience; helps in problem solving

perceptual speed

gradually decreases from 20s to 80s

Cohort effects:

new generation experiences better health and education, more cognitively stimulating everyday experiences cohort= age group Older generations may not have as much higher education, technology, more changes to use cognitive skills flexibly in later generations Tests given may tap abilities less used by older individuals who no longer require to learn information for its own sake, but skillfully solve real world problems

Understanding Death is based on the following ideas, acquired in this order:

non functionality: thought, feeling, movement, bodily processes cease at death finality: once a living thing dies, it cannot be brought back to life universality: all living things die applicability: only living things die causation: death is caused by breakdown of bodily functioning, stemming from many causes

Average healthy life expectancy

number of years a person born in a particular year can expect to live in full health without disease or injury

Decision to retire:

preceded by extensive planning, or may be forced Affordability may be the first consideration Bridge employsent is only favorable when it is related to the former career Preserving interest and expertise is important Many people keep working the they like their jobs, have good jobs High earners retire later than blue collar high earners shift to more stimulating bridge jobs Self employed work longer, flexibly adjust tasks and roles Some industries offer incentives to retire Women retire earlier than men Single women or minorities retire later bc they cannot afford it Social security benefits lead to better retirement

Gradual failure of endocrine system:

produces/regulates hormones less efficiently ex. Less estrogen during menopause, less testosterone, less growth hormone can be slowed with healthy diet and exercise Peak of hormones in adolescence Gradual drop in growth hormone reduces bone mass and muscles effects the heart, addition of body fat Immune system decreases, increased susceptibility to disease Tissues may be inflamed, blood vessel walls change Genetically programmed and can be intensified by other factors

Selective optimization with compensation:

select: choose personally valued activities and avoid others optimize: maximize returns from diminishing energy compensate: find new ways to offset losses (app, strategy, post it) Temporal memory: order of events; suffers Forget their intentions Recognition suffers less than recall

Bridge jobs

serve as transitions between full time career and retirement

Clinical:

short interval followed where heartbeat, circletion, breathing, and brain functioning stop but it is possible to survive

Agonal:

struggle; rattled breathing, fluid buildup; gasps and muscle spasms and regular heartbeat designtegrates

Postformal thought:

thinking that acknowledges that adult predicaments must sometimes be solved in relativistic terms Less idealistic, vague and contradictory; after Piaget's formal operational.

Emerging adulthood:

-disconnect between living at home, being an adult, not having a job or paying the bills Exploration: varying routes in timing and order Identity Development: depth and commitment are important Dual cycle model: explore, commitment, exploring further into that field, back and forth Morals, behavior, sexuality, career Cultural change: entry level positions require more education Wealth, longevity free young people from immediate entry to work force -seek close ties -fear losing freedom -strong self control -career mastery -transition to adult roles has been delayed and prolonged and created: emerging adulthood

Reproductive Capacity

15 and 29, fertility problems arise and get worse accelerating from 30-34, 34-39 and 40-44. Success of reproductive technology reduces greatly after 35 Due to reduced number and quality of ova Born with all ova we will have, could be damage males: sperm mobility gradually declines after 35-40, very gradual Abnormal sperm cells rise

progression of contemplating death

Adolescents take many chances Adolescents formulate opinions about life after death Do not integrate their logic with decision making Young adults are uninterested in death Midlife people begin to contemplate death more Late adulthood, think about death much more

Cognitive Development:

Cerebral cortex develops Prefrontal cortex connects to other brain regions Synapses prune and myelination of neural fibers continues at a slower pace compared to adolescence Prefrontal cognitive control network is finetunes Sensation seeking diminishes Planning reasoning decision making improve : choosing careers, settling down Exporience expectant brain development as young adults pursue a certain field Structural changes occur as refinement of skills causes more cortical tissue to be devoted to a task at a time Postformal Thought: beyond formal operational Less idealistic, vague and contradictory

making death more comfortablke

Communication with and care for the dying person comfort, proper goodie, respect DNR wishes Honesty with dying person

Vocational Life:

Important component of identity and self esteem Work affects identity and self esteem Attempt to increase direction and personal meaning of work Effective at work, more competent Job Satisfaction:increases in midlife across cultures and occupations happiness, intrinsic satisfaction (with the work itself) increases Extrinsic satisfaction (with pay, supervision) changes very little Weaker increase for women because their more interrupted wok lives lessen contentment with work Advance less due to family Weaker rise for blue collar Older workers have reduced aspirations, better coping , better environments Negative stereotypes of aging may reduce self-efficacy

Pragmatic thought:

In Labouvie-Vief's theory, a structural advance in thinking in adulthood, in which logic becomes a tool for solving real world problems and contradictions are accepted as part of existence. uniqueness of individual experience, synthesizing contradictions; logic solves real world problems, balanceing various roles and embracing contradictions; using hypotheticals to solve real world problems Being a feminist but staying home with the kids to help your husband temporarily Cognition and emotion combine as emotional lives become more in depth

Leisure and Volunteering:

Meaningful pursuits are favored Related to better physical and mental health and reduced mortality due to social interaction, structure, helping others, new achievements and self expression Frequency of pursuits declines and mobility is limited Those in residential communities participate more because they are readily available Educated and finically secure are more likely to volunteer More volunteering in old age than at any other time of life May contribute ti better executive function Experience Corps: teaching young children Older adults are more aware of and interested in public affairs and vote at higher rates Political knowledge does not decline Deep desire for better world for future generations

Later Theories:

More recent views: social engagement is influenced by both psychological changes and social contexts

Psychological Stress:

Related to : adverse social conditons, trauam, life events, daily hassles Stress exposure greatly increased by low SES Associated health concerns Persistant stress disrupts the brains ability to manage stress Low SES, high stress and poor health Stress can be linked to obesity, hypertension, other problems Cardiac events African Americans have high rates Low SES: see stress as unsolvable, have more cardiovascular responses to stress Gastrointestinaltinal difficulties as blood flows to the brain, heart and extremityies young adults report more depressive symptoms, have less stability Young adults more often report depressive symptoms than middle-aged people, many of whom have attained vocational success and financial security and are enjoying more free time as parenting responsibilities decline

is midlife accurately characterized as a stage?

Stage or Life events Approach? Timing of life evens is so variable, cannot be sole cause of midlife change Most experts regard mid-life adaption as combined result of growing older and social experiences Erkison, Vallant and Levinson said it is a stage or stages most researchers believe that mid-adult transition is not stage like rather, it is adapting to normal life changes timing is variable, less age graded then years before adaption to growing older and social experiences Most middle aged adults report troubling times that evoked new understanding and goals

Dropping out:

Us rate: 42% have not earned degrees at 4 year schools 6 years after enrolling Personal: family, mental, medical Inadequate institutional support: lack of counseling,

culture and love

Western Cultures: Passion and respect as basis for marriage Dependency regarded as immature Eastern cultures: Collectivist Companionship, practical matters and obligations to others as basis for choking lifelong partner Dependency viewed positively dependency in western cultures is seen negatively, in eastern cultures it is valued -background, career and parenting is most important to asians -resisting arranged marriages still exists -arranged marriages may promote better support and community -may lead to high happiness, sometimes higher than self chosen marriages -love grows gradually over time, commitment strengthen communication and intimacy