1. Adulthood & Aging

2. Early Adulthood: 20’s to late 30’s; marked by profession, marriage, having kids, & sometimes divorce Middle Adulthood:40’s to late 50’s; physical decline & fertility decline common; both sexes seem to become more relaxed; although some may experience a midlife crisis Late Adulthood: 60+; physical & sometimes mental decline continue; become philosophical; retirement; losing aging family members & friends

3. Physical Changes in Later Life True or False: Older people become more susceptible to short-term illnesses. During old age many of the brain’s neurons die. Recognition memory-the ability to identify things previously experienced. Life satisfaction peaks in the fifties & then gradually declines after age 65.

4. Sensory abilities absolutely decline w/ age: –Vision, smell & hearing loss account for most decay in the aging process. Mosquito tone The eye’s pupil shrinks & its lens becomes less transparent, reducing the amount of light reaching the retina. “I need better/more light to read!” -65 yr. old Overall health: –Body’s disease fighting immune Sx weakens, making elders more susceptible to life-threatening ailments (cancer/pneumonia) –Those over 65 suffer fewer short-term ailments –The brain suffers from slower neural processing; memory regions atrophy

5. Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease Up to age 95, the incidence of mental disintegrations doubles roughly every 5 years. A series of small strokes, a brain tumor or alcohol dependence can progressively damage the brain, causing the mental erosion we call dementia. Alzheimer’s symptoms are NOT normal aging. This disease strikes 3% of the world’s population. –1 st memory deteriorates & then reasoning –A diminishing sense of smell is assoc. w/ pathology that foretells Alzheimer’s –As the disease runs its course, after 5-20 yrs, become emotionally flat, then disoriented & disinhibited, then incontinent & finally mentally vacant.

6. Underlying the symptoms of Alzheimer’s is a loss of brain cells & deterioration of neurons that produce the NT acetylcholine. Deprived of this vital NT, memory & thinking suffer. Physically active, nonobese people are less at risk for Alzheimer’s. So too are those w/ an active, challenged mind.

7. Crystallized Intelligence: our accumulated knowledge as reflected in vocabulary & analogies tests increases up to old age. Fluid Intelligence: our ability to reason speedily & abstractly, as when solving novel logic problems decreases slowly up to age 75 or so, then more rapidly, esp. after 85. As the years pass, recall begins to decline, esp for meaningless info, but recognition memory remains strong. –Cross-sectional & longitudinal studies have shown that fluid intelligence declines in later life but crystallized intelligence does not.

8. Social Development in Adulthood Adults don’t progress through an orderly sequence of age-related social stages. More important are life events, & the loosening of strict dictates of the social clock – the culturally preferred timing of social events. Dominant themes of adulthood are love & work…which Erikson identified as intimacy & generativity. Life satisfaction tends to remain high across the life span.

9. Death & Dying Thanatology: the study of death & methods of coping with it. *Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ Stages of Dying: Those who are terminally ill go through a series of stages as they approach death: 1.Denial: They’re in denial; “There must be some mistake w/ the test results. Are you sure you’re looking at my results? This is nonsense. I’ll get another opinion from a doctor that knows what they’re doing.”

10. 2.Anger: Angry/resentful that it’s happening to them; “Why me? I exercise every day. I don’t smoke/drink. I take vitamins. It’s not fair!” 3.Bargain: They begin to bargain w/God for more time; “Please God let me live another year & I promise I’ll go to church every Sunday.” 4.Depressed: They get very depressed about their death; “I am sad thinking about all the friends/family I’ll miss. I grieve when I think about losing my family.” 5.Acceptance: They finally adopt a peaceful acceptance for the event, often tying up lose ends for themselves & loved ones; “Im not afraid to die anymore. Death is a part of life.”