1 / 34

Social Development

Social Development. Sources: Family Work/school/activities Need for Affiliation: social convoy Establish relationships Mate selection Friendship. Benefits of affiliation Information, assistance, identify mates Companionship, confidant

alexandria
Download Presentation

Social Development

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Social Development

  2. Sources: • Family • Work/school/activities • Need for Affiliation: social convoy • Establish relationships • Mate selection • Friendship

  3. Benefits of affiliation • Information, assistance, identify mates • Companionship, confidant • Development, maintenance of sense of self, well-being (physical, psychological) • Costs • Energy, emotional risk • Carstensen (1992) • Socio-Emotional Selectivity

  4. Social Convoy • Antonucci, 1990 • Network of close relationships • Accompany individual throughout life • Size • @ 2-5 close relationships • Little change during adulthood • change: death, illness, move • Quality more important than quantity

  5. Young, middle adulthood • More likely to see size, emotional identity of convoys as inadequate compared to older adulthood • Women • Larger convoys than men • Maintain friendships longer • More meaningful cross-gender friendships

  6. Perspectives on Psychosocial Development • Late adulthood

  7. Disengagement Theory • late adulthood: mutual withdrawal of individual and society • shrinkage of life space • social circle narrows • Increased individuality • Anticipate, accept narrowing of social circle; give up roles • Result of intrinsic changes in aging person

  8. Interaction style becomes passive • Less likely to be chosen for new roles: • further disengagement • Predicts socially disengaged person has high satisfaction • But: No evidence of disengagement • Justifies ageist stereotypes

  9. Activity Theory • Disengagement in one area leads to engagement in other areas • Older people have same psychological/social needs as others • Older adults need to stay active and resist shrinkage of social world • Maintain high level of activity to experience satisfaction

  10. Predicts: • active older people have high satisfaction • But: • Satisfaction measured by how close real and desired levels of activity are • high level of activity not necessary for satisfaction • Reverse Ageism? • Might force roles, activities on those who prefer to withdraw

  11. Continuity Theory • People cope with late adulthood much like the way they coped with earlier periods of life • Consistency of personality traits • Carstensen: Socioemotional Selectivity Theory • Maximize social gain • Minimize social risks

  12. Social Relations: Affiliation • Satisfaction correlated with quality of contact with friends, family, others throughout lifespan (Social Convoy) • Size: generally similar throughout lifespan • Composition: • proximity to family • marital status • gender (quantity, intimacy)

  13. Long-Standing Friendships • Correlate with feelings of well-being, self-esteem • May account for choices in late adulthood: maintain established contacts • friends, religious affiliations, social/ethnic clubs

  14. Friendship • Qualities • Role present throughout lifespan (different qualities) • Voluntary, less social regulation than other relationships • Based on similarity (age, sex, background) • Oriented towards enjoyment, personal satisfaction • Importance of trust

  15. Functions • Contribute to self-esteem • Coping, support • Acceptance • Life satisfaction • “social capital”

  16. Gender differences? • Males • Less emotional expressiveness • Less self-disclosing • Instrumental (activity oriented) • More tolerant of conflict • Females • Closer, deeper, more intimate • Communality, helping

  17. Video Activity 3

  18. Video Activity 3 • Stereotypes • Research findings – consensus on quality of female vs. male friendships

  19. Dating and Mate Selection • North America: Courtship, dating • After WW1 • Emergence of dating resulted from • Urbanization • Rise of secondary education • Decreased parental supervision • Female equity movement of 1920s

  20. Changes in Dating Since 1950s • Increase in adolescent dating • Decrease in tendency for a pattern of progression of intimacy • From initial meeting to marriage • Qualities most valued in a date? • Men: Looks, personality, sex appeal • Women: Looks, personality, thoughtfulness

  21. Choosing a Mate • What do you look for in a mate? • Filter theory • Propinquity • Attractiveness • Social background • Consensus (common views, values) • Complimentarity • Readiness for marriage • Mechanical – subjectivity, affection?

  22. Adams (1979) • Focus on process – establish couple bond • Not on eliminating sources of future friction • Propinquity • Early attraction • Perpetuation of attraction • Commitment and intimacy • Deeper attraction • Decision: “right for me” • Marriage • Assumes marriage is ultimate goal: process may not end in marriage

  23. Sexuality and Agingor: “Is there sex after 40?” • Myth: Older people are not sexually active • Reality: Yes they are! • Greeley (1992): “Sex after 60” • Surveyed 5,700 people • Results: • All older people are sexual (identity) • Not all sexually active, but many older people enjoy an active sex life

  24. Sex after 60 • No loss of competence, desire, interest • % active declines with age • 37% married couples over 60 report being sexually active once a week or more • Often more satisfying than in early adulthood • Satisfaction based on need for intimacy • Experience • Time to develop relationship

  25. Factors contributing to decline • Health • Side effects of medications (blood pressure control, antihistamines, depression) • Restriction of blood flow: • Artherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) • Diabetes (fatty deposits in blood vessels) • Arthritis • Pain, stiffness of joints • Side effects of cancer • Anemia, loss of appetite, weakness

  26. Prolonged abstinence • Can cause impotence • Lifestyle choicese • Poor diet (fitness), smoking, alcohol, obesity, AIDS/STDs

  27. Factors not necessarily contributing: • Coffee drinking (more likely to be sexually active) • Heart attack (recovered) • Prostate surgery (50% impotence if cancer) • Hysterectomy

  28. Sexual Physiology Changes with Age • Women • Menopause • does not mark end of sexuality • Variable reactions: Bernice Neugarten • Older women more likely than younger to see positive changes occurring following menopause • “Best thing about menopause?” • Not worrying about pregnancy • Not having to bother with menstruation

  29. “Worst thing about menopause?” • Not knowing what to expect • Discomfort • Indication of advancing age • Sexual responsiveness • Vaginal changes, possibly diminished orgasm • Slowed, quicker return to prearousal state

  30. Men • Male climacteric: loss of reproductive capacity • Later than women • Require more time, stimulation to achieve erection • Refractory period longer • Ejaculatory control increases • Orgasm less intense

  31. Reasons Males and Females Were No Longer Sexually Active(Masters & Johnson, 1966)

  32. Societal Attitudes • Infantilize elderly • Tendency to “castrate” dependent individuals • Failure to recognize sexuality of elderly • Institutional lack of sensitivity, privacy

  33. Conclusions • Older individuals should be encouraged to continue physical intimacy • Barriers to sexual expression by the elderly should be reduced • Older adults should have access to appropriate counseling for sexual difficulties

  34. Sexuality and Institutionalized Elderly: Lichtenberg & Strzepek (1990) Guidelines to determine competencies in engaging in intimate relationships • Awareness of relationship • Know who is initiating contact, knowledge of comfort level in intimacy • Ability to avoid exploitation • Behaviour consistent with own values, capacity to refuse contact • Awareness of potential risks • Time limitations, end of relation

More Related