PSYC 2314 Lifespan Development

1. PSYC 2314Lifespan Development Chapter 25 Late Adulthood: Psychosocial Development

2. Theories of Late Adulthood • Self-theories: emphasize the active part played by each person in fulfilling his or her potential • Maslow’s: self-actualization • Erikson’s: integrity vs. despair • Paul Baltes: “selective optimization with compensation”

3. Theories of Late Adulthood • Stratification Theories: social forces limit individual choice and direct life at every stage. Cultural forces become even more important but less supportive in old age. • Stratification by Age • Stratification by Gender and Race

4. Theories of Late Adulthood • Stratification by Age: segregate their oldest citizens • Disengagement vs. activity • Disengagement: aging makes a person’s social sphere increasingly narrow, resulting in role relinquishment, withdrawal, and passivity. • Activity: people need to remain active in a variety of social spheres—with relatives, friends, and community groups

5. Theories of Late Adulthood • Stratification by Gender and Age • Sexual Discrimination • Feminist theory: since most social structures and economic policies have been established by men, women’s perspectives and needs are devalued. • Money and Independence

6. Theories of Late Adulthood • Stratification by Gender and Race • Racial Discrimination • Critical race theory: decades of racial stratification resulted in poverty and frailty for minority elderly who were excluded from the economic mainstream. They have less access to senior-citizen centers, nursing homes, and other social services and amenities.

7. Theories of Late Adulthood • Dynamic Theories: emphasize the diversity of development, as each person shapes his or her life within specific social contexts, which are constantly changing. • Continuity theory: focused on how selfhood is maintained throughout social events and biological changes. • Epigenetic: incorporate all the genetic, childhood, and cultural forces into an ever-changing but always productive system.

8. Keeping Active • Retirement • Two main problems for retirees: • Health • Money

9. Keeping Active • Alternative Sources for Achievement • Continuing Education • Volunteer Work • Political Involvement • Home, Sweet Home

10. Keeping Active • Ironically, while the financial circumstances of the American elderly have improved in recent years, other age groups, notably children, have grown poorer. • More than one American child in five now lives below the poverty line. • Generational equity: equal contributions from, and fair benefits for, each generation.

11. The Social Convoy • Collectively, the family members, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers who move through life with an individual. • An important affirmation of who they are and what they have been.

12. Long-Term Marriages • Most elders are married, and they tend to be happier, healthier, and wealthier • The best predictor of the nature of a marriage in its latter stages is its nature early on. • Most older married couples believe their marriage has improved over the years: children are grown and because the accumulation of shared life experiences makes husbands and wives become more compatible.

13. The Social Convoy • Death of a Spouse • Loss of a friend or lover • Lower income • Reduced status • A broken social circle and daily routine • Loss of identity

14. The Social Convoy • Physical and Emotional Attachment • Women generally have an easier time coping with the loss of a spouse than do men. • Women expect to outlive their husbands and make arrangements for some of the adjustments widowhood will require. • Men, however, depend on their wives for the basic tasks of daily living and to provide emotional support and social interaction.

15. The Social Convoy • Divorce • Very rare in late life, except with recent marriages. • For divorced older women, life is likely to improve with age, esp. if they have successfully raised children as single mothers or succeeded in a career.

16. The Social Convoy • Divorce • As a group, older divorced men are more likely to feel isolated from children, grandchildren, and old friends. • Men also have a higher rate of physical and psychological problems.

17. The Social Convoy • Older people’s satisfaction with life correlates significantly with the quantity and quality of their contact with friends. • More older people are part of multigenerational families. • Beanpole families: there are more generations than in the past, but with only a few members in each generation.

18. The Social Convoy • Intensification of friendly bonds between siblings. • Relationships with younger generations are clearly positive; it also include tension and conflict, particularly between mothers and daughters.

19. The Frail Elderly • The frail elderly—the physical infirm, the very ill, or the cognitively impaired—are differentiated by their inability to perform adequately • Activities of daily life (ADLs) • Instrumental activities of daily life (IADLs)

20. The Frail Elderly • In every nation the number is increasing: • More people are reaching old age • Modern medical technology prolongs life • Health care has largely been designed to rescue individuals from acute illnesses, such as cancer, while ignoring the longstanding, chronic complaints of the elderly. • Measures that could prevent or reduce impairment—from adequate nutrition to safe housing—do not necessarily reach the frailest elderly.

21. The Frail Elderly • Four protective factors: • Attitude • Social network • Physical setting • Financial resources