1. Life Span Development Adulthood and Aging
Unit 2, Module 6

2. Early Adulthood Transitions
Erikson’s Stage 6 – Early Adulthood
Approximate age 20 – 35
Questions faced in this stage include:
Independent living/moving out of parents’ house
Getting married
Establishing a career
Having children

3. Emerging Adulthood
Developmental Psychologists propose adding a new stage called emerging adulthood
The transition from adolescence to adulthood continues to lengthen
Young adults often take longer to establish their independence

4. The Social Clock
Society’s commonly accepted judgment about the best timing for certain life events
Getting a driver’s license
Getting married
Living independently
Social clocks have different settings in different cultures
Changes in culture can alter the social clock within a culture

5. Physical Changes and Transitions
Middle Adulthood: age 36 – 64
More noticeable physical changes
Women experience menopause
Men experience a decline in testosterone levels
The “mid-life crisis” is associated with this stage
There is no statistical evidence that “mid-life crisis” occurs as a result of aging

6. The Fear of Aging Why do people fear aging?
Media impact: Older people are often portrayed in negative ways
Loss of “attractiveness”
“retin-A” generation seeks the quick fix for physical signs of aging
Confronting mortality

7. Physical Changes Later Adulthood: age 65 and over
Senses of sight, smell, and hearing usually begin a steep decline after age 65 (see figure 6.1, page 102 in your text)
Decreased muscle strength and stamina
Immune system weakens
Decrease in speed of neural (think brainwave) transmission

8. Compensating for Older Age
Exercise fosters brain cell development, and helps prevent heart disease and obesity
Staying mentally active will help brain cell and neural activity
Brain cell loss is leading cause of memory loss
If you live to be 80, your brain will weigh 5% less than it does now

9. Diseases Related to Aging
Alzheimer’s Disease
Brain disorder characterized by progressive and irreversible destruction of brain cells
Results in gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language and physical functioning
Senile Dementia
Mental disintegration
Can be caused by alcoholism, tumor, stroke, or anything that causes substantial loss of brain cells

10. Age Related Diseases Alzheimer’s has no known cure
Certain medications can slow down the progression of the disease
Not every older adult who forgets things has Alzheimer’s
Memory loss is a normal part of aging

11. Cognitive Changes and Transitions
Memory:
Recall memory decreases in older individuals, but recognition remains relatively stable from age 20 to 60
Recall memory tasks give no clues to “jog” your memory – neutral objects/ideas/concepts
Recognition memory tasks involve meaningful objects/ideas/concepts

12. Intelligence Fluid intelligence tends to decrease in later adulthood
Crystallized intelligence tends to increase with age
Research indicates that crystallized intelligence remains stable with age

13. Social Changes & Transitions
The two events that most affect our social well-being during early and middle adulthood are:
Work or Generativity
Love or Intimacy
Erikson defines these as being productive (work) and forming close relationships (love)

14. Life’s Commitments Work
Choosing a career is an important and difficult decision
Humans have an innate need to be or feel useful
Contentment and challenge with one’s career choice are central to happiness

15. Life’s Commitments Love Vital to a happy adulthood
Lasts longer and is more satisfying when it is marked by
Intimate self-disclosure (sharing one’s self)
Shared emotional support
Similar interests and values

16. A Lifetime of Well-Being
Most older, retired people report happiness and satisfaction in their lives
The “empty nest” syndrome often results in a renewed sense of freedom
Most older individuals experience less emotional conflict than young adults
Regrets are often about things they didn’t do as opposed to mistakes they made

17. Ageism
The tendency to categorize and judge people on the basis of their chronological age
Negative effects of ageism
Reduces self-esteem
Reduces ability to participate in society
Reinforces stereotyping

18. Dying and Death
Coping with the loss of a loved one is a challenge that each individual faces at some point in time
Individual responses will vary
When the death of a loved one is sudden and unexpected, individuals may experience profound grief and depression
Depression can last for years

19. Misconceptions of Death
The popular belief that expressing strong grief immediately will lessen grieving period is not supported by evidence
“Stages of Grief”
There is no evidence to support the idea that we progress through predictable stages

20. Different Perceptions of Death
Death is perceived differently in different cultures
In Africa, death is greeted as a way to rejoin ancestors
Muslim nations expect outward and obvious expressions of grief over death
In the United States attitudes towards death are changing towards acceptance and dignity in death

21. Lessons from Mourners Can we learn from grief?
Proves the importance of :
“Tending” relationships
Resolving differences
Expressing appreciation
Avoiding future regrets by keeping our relationships healthy in the present

22. Choices About Death Hospice Care Euthanasia – medically assisted death
Receiving medical attention in the comfort of one’s home
Terminal patients can spend their remaining days as pleasantly as possible
Maintains human dignity
Euthanasia – medically assisted death
What is your opinion?