Transcript Psychology 203 Human Development

Psychology 203
Human Development
Psychosocial
Development
in
Late Adulthood
(Chapter 18)
Big Five Traits Model
N=neuroticism
E=extraversion
O=openness to
experience
A=agreeableness
C=conscientiousness
Theory and Research
Stability of Personality Traits
• Costa and McCrae research (1996)
suggest only two traits may change
– Increase in Agreeableness
– Decrease in Extraversion
• Hostile people will remain Hostile
• Optimistic people will remain
optimistic
Theory and Research
Stability of Personality Traits
• Contrary beliefs
Belief
Fact
* Old people are
depressed
More content and
satisfied with life
All old people have
negative attitudes
Extraverts will remain
positive
Neurotics will remain
negative
Old people personality
are rigid
Rigid is caused by
cultural baggage not age
Ego Integrity versus despair
• Erikson’s eighth and final stage of
development a person either achieve a
sense of integrity of the self or yield to
despair
– Integrity – Accepting the lives they have lived
and accept death
– Despair – Their lives cannot be relived.
Models of Coping
Adaptive Defenses
• Adaptive defenses may be unconscious or
intuitive
– Altruism
– Humor
– Suppression (keeping a stiff upper lip)
– Anticipation (planning for the future)
– Sublimation (turning lemons into lemonade)
• Independent of IQ, education and social
class
Models of Coping
Cognitive-Appraisal
• Coping strategies on basis on perception
and analysis of situation
• Includes anything an individual thinks or
does in trying to adapt o stress, regardless
of how well it works
• Coping is dynamic and evolving process
• Requires continuous reappraisal between
self and environment.
Models of Coping
Cognitive-Appraisal Model
Models of Coping
Cognitive-Appraisal
Two Strategies
• Problem – Focused: strategy directed
toward eliminating, managing or improving
a stressful situation
• Emotion – Focused: strategy directed
toward managing the emotional response
to a stressful situation to lessen its
physical or psychological impact (palliative
coping)
Models of Coping
Cognitive-Appraisal
Emotion – Focused
• Divert attention away from a
problem
• Give in to situation or problem
• Deny that the problem exists
Religion and Well Being
• Religion seems to play a supportive role
– Social support
– Encouragement of healthy lifestyle
– Perception of a measure of control over life
through prayer (positive emotional states
– Reduction of stress
– External control of misfortunes (faith in God)
• Nonreligious people with secular values
have similar supportive role
Successful or Optimal Aging
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Disengagement Theory
Activity Theory
Continuity Theory
Role of Productivity
Selective Optimization with
Compensation
Disengagement Theory
• Successful aging is characterized by
mutual withdrawal between the older
person and society
• Society stops providing useful roles
for older adult
Activity Theory
• Successful aging is dependent on persons
ability to remain active.
• Adult’s roles are major sources of
satisfaction – The greater the loss of roles
the less satisfied a person will be.
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Retirement
Widowhood
Distance from children
infirmity
Continuity Theory
• To age successfully people must maintain
a balance of continuity and change in both
the internal and external structures of their
lives.
• Continuation of a lifestyle.
• Retired people are happiest pursuing work
or leisure activities similar to those they
have enjoyed in the past
Role of Productivity
• Productive activity, either paid or unpaid is
key to aging well.
• 9 out of 10 agers engage in some form of
productive activity
• On average
– One-third more housework
– Twice as much yard work
– Three times as much paid work
– Four times as much volunteer work.
Selective Optimization with Compensation
• Older adults can be:
• More flexible in coping strategies
– Emotion-focusing compensate for loss of control over
certain areas of their lives
• More selective about social contacts
• Maintain contact with people who can best meet
their current needs for emotional satisfaction.
– Compensate for narrowing of possibilities in their lives
Work, Retirement, Leisure
• * The concept of retirement became
widespread during the early twentieth
century
• 1950 compulsory retirement was virtually
outlawed in the US as a form of age
discrimination
• Most adults who can retire do retire
Work, Retirement, Leisure
• Older workers are
– More productive
– Slower but more accurate
– Dependable
– Responsible
– Frugal with time and materials
Work, Retirement, Leisure
• * The size of a retiree's social support network is
the most powerful predictor of satisfaction in
retirement
• Family-focused lifestyle
– Low-cost activities around family, home and
companions
– Conversation
– Watching television
– Visiting with family and friends
– Playing cards
– Doing “what comes along”
Work, Retirement, Leisure
• Balanced investment – retirement activity
allocated among family, work, and leisure.
• Serious leisure – requiring skill, attention
and comment
– Master a craft
– Pursue an intense
Living Arrangements
• Developing countries both elderly men
and women typically live with adult
children and grandchildren in
multigenerational households.
• Developed countries the minority of older
adults living alone has increased greatly
since 1960. (95.5% live in the community)
Living Arrangements
• * The growth of elderly single-person
households are because of
– increased old age benefits
– reverse mortgage programs enable people to live at
home longer
– long-term care policies that discourage institutional
living
• Factors for not living alone
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Personality
Cognitive abilities
Physical health
Depleted social network
Group Living Arrangements
• Retirement hotel – remodeled to meet needs
(switchboard, made service, message)
• Retirement community (self-contained development)
• Shared housing (shared informally by adult parents)
• Accessory apartment or ECHO (elder cottage housing
opportunity) independent units on the grounds of family
members)
• Congregated housing (private or government-subsidized
rental apartment complexes or mobile homes)
• Assisted-living facility (semi-independent living in one’s
own room or apartment)
• Foster-care home
• Continuing care retirement community
Mistreatment of Elderly
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Physical violence
Psychological abuse
Emotional abuse
Material exploitation
Neglect
Violating personal rights
– Right to privacy
– Make their own personal and health decisions
Social Contact
• Social Convoy Theory
– Changes in social contact
• Coworkers and other casual friends drop away
• * Retain a stable inner circle of social convoys
– Close friends
– Family members
• Socioemotional selectivity theory
– Become increasingly selective about the
people they spend their time with
UN’s Principles of Older
Persons
• Independence
– Access to adequate food, water, clothing and
health care
– Opportunity to work
– Participate in determining when and what
pace withdrawal from labor force
– Access to appropriate educational and
training programs
– Able to reside at home for as long as possible
UN’s Principles of Older
Persons
• Participation
– Remain integrated in society, participate
actively in formation and implementation of
policies that affect their well-being, share
knowledge and skills with younger generation
– Seek and develop opportunities for service to
the community
– Able to form movements or associations of
older persons
UN’s Principles of Older
Persons
• Care
– Should benefit from family and community care and protection in
accordance with values
– Have access to health care to help maintain or regain optimum
level of physical, mental and emotional well-being
– Able to utilize levels of institutional care providing protection,
rehabilitation and social/mental stimulation in humane and
secure environment
– Able to enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms including
full respect for
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Dignity
Beliefs
Needs
Privacy
Quality for their lives
UN’s Principles of Older
Persons
• Self-fulfillment
– Able to pursue opportunities for the full development
of their potential
– Access to educational, cultural, spiritual, and
recreational resources of society
• Dignity
– Able to live in dignity and security free of exploitation
and physical/mental abuse
– Treated fairly regardless of age, gender, racial/ethic
background, disability or status, and valued for their
economic contribution
Long-Term Marriage
• Long-term marriage a new phenomenon
• One in five marriage lasts fifty or more
years
• Conflict resolution skills are key to marital
satisfaction
• Long marriage tested by advancing age
and physical ills
• Divorce and remarriage is rare
Friendships
• * Friends are important because they are
chosen by the person
• Soften the impact of stress on physical
and metal health
Relationships with Adult
Children
• In US, social security and Medicare have
lifted some responsibilities for the elderly
from family members
• Older parents become depressed if they
have to ask for help from family because
of strong value of independence