Lifespan_Development_Chapter09_Middle+Adulthood.pptx

Middle Adulthood-Lifespan Development-Chapter9

1. Lifespan Development Module # 9 : Middle Adulthood

2. Module Learning Outcomes Describe developmental changes during middle adulthood 9.1: Explain the physiological changes during middle adulthood and their physical and psychological consequences 9.2: Describe cognitive and neurological changes during middle adulthood 9.3: Analyze emotional and social development in middle adulthood 9.4: Explain how relationships are maintained and changed during middle adulthood

3. Physical Development in Middle Adulthood

4. Learning Outcomes: Physical Development in Middle Adulthood 9.1: Explain the physiological changes during middle adulthood and their physical and psychological consequences 9.1.1: Detail the most important physiological changes occurring in men and women during middle adulthood 9.1.2: Describe how physiological changes during middle adulthood can impact life experience, health, and sexuality

5. Developmental Tasks in Middle Adulthood Challenges facing midlife adults include (Lachman): Losing parents and experiencing grief Launching children into their own lives Adjusting to home life without children Dealing with adult children who return to live at home Becoming grandparents Preparing for late adulthood Acting as caregivers for aging parents or spouses These challenges can represent a fundamental reorientation of outlook, investment, attitudes, and personal relationships and may be affected by circumstances outside our control

6. Physical Mobility in Middle Adulthood Sarcopenia likely results from leg muscles becoming progressively detached from the central nervous system; exercise encourages new nerve growth The CDC assigned sarcopenia its own discrete medical code in 2018 Mobility is becoming a central concern for researchers with the identification of osteosarcopenia , the decline of both muscle tissue (sarcopenia) and bone tissue (osteoporosis) Osteoporosis, the deterioration of bone mass, impacts both men and women Pronounced links between weight bearing exercise and neuron production have been identified Voluntary physical activity will extend and improve the quality of life Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis often begin in the 50s, affecting more women than men Chronic inflammation often increases in midlife though an exact cause is unknown though social isolation is a probable contributing factor

7. Normal Physiological Changes in Middle Adulthood Changes in vision, more joint pain, and weight gain all occur in midlife Presbyopia is when the lens of the eye gets larger but the eye loses flexibility to adjust to visual stimuli The accumulation of fat in the abdomen is one of the common midlife complaints as metabolism slows by about one-third Hearing loss is experienced by about 14% of midlife adults, accumulating after years of exposure to intense noise levels Most midlife changes can be easily compensated for but the percentage of adults who have a disability increase through midlife (7% of people in early 40s and 30% by the early 60s) Individuals with a healthy lifestyle or those who begin an exercise regimen in their 40s may enjoy comparable benefits to those who began in their 20s

8. The Climacteric One biologically based change during midlife is the climacteric: men may experience a reduction in their ability to reproduce and women lose their ability to reproduce once they reach menopause Menopause refers to a period of transition in which a woman’s ovaries stop releasing eggs and the level of estrogen and progesterone production decreases The median age range for a woman to have her last menstrual period is 50-52 but ages vary and symptoms may last from 1 to 3 years Menopause experiences vary and culture may influence symptoms experienced and responses to menopause also vary depending on expectations held Hormone replacement therapy has been less commonly used as risks have been associated

9. The Climacteric, continued While men do not lose their ability to reproduce as they age, they tend to produce lower levels of testosterone and fewer sperm Low testosterone levels may result in a lack of sex drive A decrease in libido and lower testosterone (androgen) levels is known as andropause Controversy surrounds whether men experience low testosterone as a result of individual physiological makeup or because of a generational transformation Midlife adults tend to have sex lives that are very similar to that of younger adulthood with some changes to vaginal lubrication in women and periodic erection changes in men Risk for contracting STDs continues while risk of pregnancy continues until a woman has been without menstruation for at least 12 months

10. Exercise, Nutrition, and Health Exercise is a powerful way to combat changes associated with aging, building muscle, increasing metabolism, helping to control blood sugar, increase bone density, and relieving stress Fewer than half of midlife adults exercise and only about 20% exercise frequently and strenuously enough to achieve health benefits The best exercise programs are those that are engaged in regularly, that is easy to follow

11. Exercise, Nutrition, and Health, continued Fewer calories are required as we age Many respond to weight gain with dieting though eating less does not mean eating the right things which results in vitamin and mineral deficiencies The link between diet and inflammation is unclear but there is now some clear information supporting a ”Mediterranean Diet” The ideal diet is one low in fat, sugar, high in fiber, low in sodium (less than 2300 mg per day) and cholesterol less than 300 mg per day Fiber is also thought to reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease Sugar is a problem for most people and diets high in starch are also problematic as starch is converted to sugar in the body

12. Practice Question 1 How prevalent do you think osteoporosis is? The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) put the number of men who will get a bone fracture at over age 50 to be around _______. 7% 10% 15% 25%

13. Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

14. Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood 9.2: Describe cognitive and neurological changes during middle adulthood 9.2.1: Outline any cognitive gains/deficits typically associated with middle adulthood 9.2.2: Explain changes in fluid and crystallized intelligence during adulthood

15. Cognition in Middle Adulthood The Seattle Longitudinal Study of adult cognition began in 1956 and find that cognitive abilities decrease beginning in the sixth decade and gain increasing significance from that point forward The Midlife in the United States Studies began in 1994 and has supported a view that midlife is something of a trade-off with some cognitive and physical decreases of varying degrees Cognitive mechanics of processing speed, physiological lung capacity, and muscle mass, are also in relative decline but can be compensated for

16. Cognitive Aging About one-third of the American adult population has a bachelor’s degree or higher today compared to less than 5% in 1940 Educational attainment rates vary by gender and race but the rising costs of higher education have raised questions about whether college is worth the cost There remains a question about the connection between higher education and the workplace and whether formal education prepares young adults for work Soft skills as well as the particular knowledge and skills in a college major are important especially because they prepare adults to continually learn new things and adapt creatively in their careers and lives Holland proposed that there are six personality types (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional) as well as varying types of work environments

17. Performance in Middle Adulthood About one-third of the American adult population has a bachelor’s degree or higher today compared to less than 5% in 1940 Educational attainment rates vary by gender and race but the rising costs of higher education have raised questions about whether college is worth the cost There remains a question about the connection between higher education and the workplace and whether formal education prepares young adults for work Soft skills as well as the particular knowledge and skills in a college major are important especially because they prepare adults to continually learn new things and adapt creatively in their careers and lives Holland proposed that there are six personality types (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional) as well as varying types of work environments

18. Practice Question 2 What is adult neurogenesis in the brain? There is no such thing. it is commonly accepted accepted that neurogenesis, as a physiological process in humans, ends by the age of 14. it is a physiological process that is found only in some parts of the animal kingdom, in species like rats and canaries. a developmental process in the human hippocampus, a part of the human brain critical in learning and memory, involving the production of new neurons. a physiological process that can be induced by a new series of drugs

19. Emotional and Social Development in Middle Adulthood

20. Learning Outcomes: Emotional and Social Development in Middle Adulthood 9.3: Analyze emotional and social development in middle adulthood 9.3.1: Describe Erikson’s stage of generativity vs. stagnation 9.3.2: Evaluate Levinson’s notion of the midlife crisis 9.3.3: Examine key theories on aging, including socio-emotional selectivity theory (SSC) and selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) 9.3.4: Describe personality and work related issues in midlife

21. Psychosocial Development Generativity is focused on establishing and guiding the next generation Stagnation is possible when the demands of family, work, and relationships recede and drawn down, resulting in lethargy and lack of enthusiasm and involvement Generativity vs. stagnation for Erikson is a movement away from individual self-development towards ‘belief in the species” Levinson identified five stages or seasons of a man’s life: 0-22, 17-45, 40-65, 60-85, and 85+ The stage-crisis view argued that each stage overlaps and consists of a stable phase and a transitional phase into the following period Levinson believed ages 40-45 to be a period of profound change culminating in a reappraisal or reaffirmation of goals, commitments, and previous choices and a time to take stock

22. Psychosocial Development, continued Levinson and his wife published their study for women’s ”seasons of life”, referring to women’s formation and understanding of their social identity as a “dream” understood as a cognitive-behavioral construct The male ”dream” formed in the age period of 22-28 and largely centered on the occupational role while it was a split between a work-centered orientation and marriage/family for women Tasks of midlife transition include: ending early adulthood, reassessing life in the present and making needed modifications, and reconciling any contradictions in ones sense of self In midlife, people no longer think of how long they have lived but shift to thinking in terms of how many years are left, often prompting a sense of urgency Levinson characterized midlife as a time of developmental crisis, but this view has been criticized

23. Socio-Emotional Selectivity Theory (SST) As people move towards the end of temporal duration, goals and values tend to shift with priorities, goals, and aspirations subject to negotiation Time is a valuable commodity requiring careful consideration and investment, known as mortality salience Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) maintains that as time horizons shrink, people become increasingly selective with their time and invest greater resources in emotionally meaningful goals and activities Aging is associated with a relative preference for positive over negative information and social networks are narrowed to include those who satisfy emotional needs, emphasizing a time perspective The shift in emphasis from long term goals to short term emotional satisfaction may support that selectivity in human relationships leads to more positive affect

24. Selection, Optimization, Compensation (SOC) Paul and Margret Baltes shifted research on aging from a largely deficits-based perspective to a newer understanding based on a holistic view of the life-course The Baltes ’ model argues that across the lifespan, people face various opportunities or challenges and may select particular goals or experiences or experience imposing circumstances The shifting or modification of goals based on choice or circumstance with the result of focusing goals and efforts towards a specific purpose and be beneficial to healthy aging The processes of selection, optimization, and compensation can be found throughout the lifespan with our own individual orientation dictating successful aging Our ability to play the SOC game becomes more adept over time as we work to compensation and adjust to changing abilities

25. Personality and Work Satisfaction Research on adult personality examines normative age-related increases and decreases in the expression of the ”Big Five” of extroversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to new experience (OCEAN) Plaster hypothesis reflects the belief that most of us have our character set like plaster by the age of 30 More recent research shows that while some people maintain stable personalities over time, others do not Individual differences may be due to idiosyncratic life events Longitudinal research suggests that adult personality traits predict important life outcomes including job success, health, and longevity Jung believed that our personality matures as we get older with a healthy personality being one in balance

26. Personality and Work Satisfaction, continued I Subjective age is a multidimensional construct that indicates how old (or young) a person feels and how one characterizes oneself On average, after age 40, people report feeling 20% younger than their actual age There is a growing body of research centered around Awareness of Age Related Change (AARC), which examines the effects of our subjective perceptions Attitudes about work and satisfaction from work tend to undergo a transformation or reorientation during middle adulthood Age is positively related to job satisfaction but increased job dissatisfaction occurred the longer one stayed in the same job High quality work relationships can make jobs enjoyable and less stressful Feeling engaged in our work and high job performance predicts better health and greater life satisfaction

27. Personality and Work Satisfaction, continued II Dorien Kooij identified four key motivations in older adults continuing to work: Growth or development motivation and looking for new challenges Feelings of recognition and power Feelings of power and security from income and possible health benefits Erikson’s generativity Leader generativity is the desire to pass on skills and experience (mentoring)

28. Practice Question 3 Fitzpatrick & Moore (2018) report that death rates for American males jump 2% immediately after they turn 62. What is reckoned to be the “best explanation”? Cardiovascular changes encountered at this age Changes induced by retirement Changes in the digestive track encountered at this age A statistical anomaly

29. Class Activity: Generativity Gather in groups to discuss the importance of generativity in middle adulthood: How do you plan to achieve generativity in your own life? If a person does not have their own children do you think it is important to find other ways to accomplish this goal of generativity? Why or why not? Will generativity look different for today’s elementary children? If so, what impacts how we approach generativity?

30. Relationships in Middle Adulthood

31. Learning Outcomes: Relationships in Middle Adulthood 9.4: Explain how relationships are maintained and changed during middle adulthood 9.4.1: Describe the link between intimacy and subjective well-being 9.4.2: Discuss issues related to family life in middle adulthood 9.4.3: Discuss divorce and recoupling during middle adulthood

32. Types of Relationships Having a single confidante (in a romantic partner) is more important to happiness than having a large social network Formal relationships are those bound by rules of politeness and are less relaxed while informal relationships are more comfortable and authentic Research has found that the transition from singlehood to marriage brings an increase in subjective well-being As marriage progresses, there is some evidence for a regression to a hedonic set-point , or a set happiness point or level The quality of marriage matters with lower levels resulting in an increase in depression Rates of marital happiness are highest in the years prior to the birth of the first child, low point with the coming of children, and begin to improve when children leave home

33. Types of Relationships, continued Conflict between partners is a major factor leading to lower subjective well-being The best known typological framework for marriages (Olson) identifies five kinds of marriages: vitalized, harmonious relationships, traditional marriages, conflicted, and devitalized Gottman contends that having a good marriage does not depend on compatibility but on the way partners communicate with one another In relationships destined to fail, partners engage in “marriage killers” of contempt, criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling Gottman’s work emphasizes that marriage is about constant negotiation rather than conflict resolution

34. Parenting in Later Life As children grow up, specific roles and expectations of family members change Empty nest is when parents experience sadness when their adult children leave the home The boomerang generation is when young adults return home to live with their parents while they strive for stability in their lives Adult children typically maintain frequent contact with their parents with attitudes towards them becoming more accepting and forgiving Middle-aged parents are also spending time taking care of their own aging and ailing parents while caring for adult children ( sandwich generation) Being a midlife child often involves kinkeeping , or organizing events and communication in order to maintain family ties

35. Parenting in Later Life, continued Abuse can occur across all family relationships and includes: Physical abuse : the use of intentional physical force to cause harm Sexual abuse : the act of forcing someone to participate in a sex act against their will Psychological abuse : aggressive behavior intended to control someone else Neglect is the most common form of abuse Abuse is a complex issue with many reasons for people to abuse and for victims to stay with the abuser Families play a crucial role in our overall development and happiness and can either support and validate us or criticize and burden us

36. Divorce and Remarriage Divorce may be more or less of an option for married couples depending on societal factors The risk of divorce decreases when partners have higher-levels of education, marry at an older age, have parents who remained married, and are members of a religious group less accepting of divorce The risk of divorce increases when people have children before marriage, cohabitate, and live in a society accepting of divorce When a couple divorces, there are specific considerations to help children cope including reassuring them that both parents continue to love them and the divorce is not their fault The rate of divorce has doubled for those aged 50-64 in the twenty years between 1990 and 2010 Cohen (2018) predicts a substantial decline in divorce rates for outside of the baby boom generation and that marriage rates will stabilize

37. Divorce and Remarriage, continued People are waiting until later in life to marry for the first time with the average now at 27 and 29 for women and men and higher than that for urban centers U.S. households are now increasingly single person households with the diversity of households continuing to increase Remarriage is more popular with men than women, a gender gap that increases in middle and later adulthood Divorce rates for remarriages increases with each subsequent marriage and those who have remarried divorce more quickly than do first marriages Chances of remarrying depends on the availability of partners, desire to remarry (education reduces the likelihood) Research on blended families tends to focus on younger adults and younger children but that is changing as older adults date and remarry

38. Practice Question 4 Divorce rates for those aged 50+ increased by a factor of 109% between 1990-2015. Some have put this down to the fact that baby boomers had a very high rate of divorce and were now repeating that pattern in subsequent marriages. Perhaps. Of all divorces in this age range, what proportion of that total might you predict for those couples whose marriage had lasted thirty plus years? 12% 16% 21% 34%

39. Class Activity: Divorce Get into groups for discussion Talk about and take notes on the following: What are ways to protect against divorce? Do you see marriage trends to continue to change in the future? Why or why not? Use your book as well as additional sources to help think critically about the topic Share your group’s finding with the class

40. Quick Review What are the most important physiological changes occurring in men and women during middle adulthood? How can physiological changes during middle adulthood impact life experience, health, and sexuality? What are the cognitive gains/deficits typically associated with middle adulthood? What are the changes in fluid and crystallized intelligence during adulthood? What is the challenge in Erikson’s stage of generativity vs. stagnation?

41. Quick Review, continued What is Levinson’s notion of the midlife crisis? What are the key theories on aging, including socio-emotional selectivity theory (SSC) and selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC)? What are the personality and work related issues in midlife? What is the link between intimacy and subjective well-being? What are some issues related to family life in middle adulthood? What are the trends with divorce and recoupling during middle adulthood?