Sourced from: Human Adjustment John W. Santrock Chapter 11:

Emerging Adulthood, Adult Development, and Aging

The Developing AdultEarly – Late Adulthood

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11-2

Emerging Adulthood

Emerging Adulthood = term for the transition from adolescence to adulthood (18 to 25 years of age) that is characterized by experimentation and exploration

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11-3

Who Is an Adult?

Determining just when an individual becomes an adult is difficult

Some markers include:–marriage

– full-time job

–economic independence

– self-responsibility

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11-4Adjustment Strategies for Emerging Adulthood

1. Experiment and explore responsibility

2. Develop intellectual assets

3. Create psychological assets

4. Establish social assets

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11-5

Lifespan and Life Expectancy

Lifespan - maximum number of years any member of the species has been documented to live–Our lifespan is about 120 years

Life expectancy - number of years that will probably be lived by the average person born in a particular year–The life expectancy of individuals born today in the United

States is 77 years (80 for women, 73 for men)

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Adult Periods of Development

Early adulthood - begins in late teens/early 20s and lasts through the 30s

Early adulthood is a time of: –establishing personal and economic independence–developing a career– selecting a mate– learning to live with someone in an intimate way– starting a family– rearing children

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11-7

Adult Periods of Development

Middle adulthood - period from 40 years of age to about 60

Middle adulthood is time of: –expanding personal and social involvement and

responsibility

–assisting next generation in becoming competent, mature individuals

– reaching and maintaining satisfaction in a career

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11-8

Adult Periods of Development

Late adulthood - period that begins in the 60s and lasts until death

Late adulthood is the time of: –adjusting to retirement

–decreasing strength and health

–new social roles

– reviewing one’s life

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11-9PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN ADULTHOOD: Early Adulthood

Most adults reach their peak physical development and are healthiest during their 20s

Young adults rarely recognize that bad eating habits, heavy drinking, and smoking in early adulthood can impair their health as they age

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11-10PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN ADULTHOOD: Middle Adulthood

Physical changes in middle adulthood include changes in appearance– Individuals begin to lose height in middle age, and many

gain weight

People become more concerned about their health in their 40s

For women, menopause occurs in late 40s or early 50s

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11-11PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN ADULTHOOD: Late Adulthood

The fastest-growing segment of the population today is 85 years old and older

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11-12Physical Changes and Health in Late Adulthood

Changes in physical appearance become more pronounced in older adults

Chronic diseases (arthritis, hypertension) become more common in late adulthood

Exercise slows the aging process and helps older adults function in society

A sense of control is important for health and survival

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11-13

The Brain in Late Adulthood

Adults can grow new brain cells throughout their lives Even in late adulthood, the brain has remarkable repair

capability

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11-14

Dementias & Alzheimer’s Disease

20% of individuals over 80 years of age have dementia

– More than 70 types of dementia have been identified

More than 50% of dementias involve Alzheimer’s disease

The deterioration of the brain is characterized by the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles

Dementia = global term for any neurological disorder in which the primary symptoms involve deterioration of mental functioning

Alzheimer’s disease = progressive, irreversible brain disorder characterized by a gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, eventually, physical functioning

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11-15

Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood

Jean Piaget (1952) - in each stage of cognitive development, people think in a qualitatively different way

Piaget believed that the formal operational stage (ages 11 to 15) is the highest stage of thinking

Adults gain knowledge, but ways of thinking are the same as those of adolescents

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11-16

Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood

Some researchers disagree with Piaget and believe that thinking in early adulthood becomes more realistic and pragmatic

Post-formal thought - thought that is– reflective, relativistic, and contextual–provisional– realistic–open to emotions and subjective

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11-17

Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

John L. Horn argues that some intellectual abilities decline in middle age, but others increase– Crystallized intelligence (individual’s accumulated information and

verbal skills) increases in middle adulthood

– Fluid intelligence (one’s ability to reason abstractly) begins to decline in middle adulthood

K. Warner Schaie (1996) found that two intellectual abilities (numerical ability and perceptual speed) declined in middle age and four intellectual abilities (vocabulary, verbal memory, inductive reasoning, and spatial orientation) improved after early adulthood

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11-18Figure 11.8 Longitudinal Changes in Six Intellectual Abilities From Age 25 to Age 67

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11-19Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

During early adulthood, individuals enter Erikson's intimacy versus isolation stage (developmental task of forming intimate relationships with others or becoming socially isolated)

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11-20

Erikson's Eight Life-Span Stages

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11-21Degree of Personal Life Investment at Different Points in Life

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11-22Socioemotional Development in Middle Adulthood

Generativity (the consciousness of being in the middle of one’s life) and questions about the meaning of life are themes of middle adulthood

Generativity versus stagnation - Erikson’s seventh stage, in which individuals leave a legacy of themselves to the next generation (generativity) or do nothing for the next generation (stagnation)

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Generativity

Middle-aged adults can develop generativity through:–biological generativity - giving birth to an infant

–parental generativity - providing nurturance and guidance to children

–work generativity - developing skills that are passed down to others

–cultural generativity - creating or conserving an aspect of culture

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11-24

Midlife Crises

Levinson (1978) interviewed middle-aged men and identified four major conflicts:–being young versus being old

–being destructive versus being constructive

–being masculine versus being feminine

–being attached to others versus being separated from them

Other research indicated only 10% of people experienced a midlife crisis

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11-25Socioemotional Development in Late Adulthood

Integrity versus despair - Erikson’s late adulthood stage in which individuals engage in a life review that is either positive (integrity) or negative (despair)

Life review - involves looking back on one’s life experiences and evaluating them

Older adults report experiencing more positive emotion and less negative emotion

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11-26

Self-Regulation

As individuals get older, they face losses so they are likely to adjust best when they:– reduce performance in areas in which they are not

competent (selectivity)

–perform in areas in which they can still function effectively (optimization)

– compensate in circumstances with high mental or physical demands (compensation)

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11-27

Social Development of the Aged

Religion can provide important psychological needs in older adults:– help them face impending death

– find and maintain sense of meaningfulness in life

– accept inevitable losses of old age

Religion has been shown to be related to a sense of well-being and life satisfaction

The more active and involved older adults are, the more satisfied they are and the more likely they are to stay healthy

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11-28

Facing One’s Own Death

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1969) - five stages of dying:–denial and isolation

–anger

–bargaining

–depression

–acceptance

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11-29Adjustment Strategies for Communication With a Dying Person1. Establish your presence2. Eliminate distraction3. Be sensitive to how long you should stay4. Don’t insist the person feel acceptance of death5. Encourage expression of feelings6. Don’t be afraid to ask what the expected outcome for their illness is7. Ask if there is anyone he or she would like to see 8. Encourage the dying person to reminisce9. Talk when she or he wishes to10. Express your regard for the dying person

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11-30

Grieving

For most individuals, grief becomes manageable over time

Many grieving spouses report that they have never gotten over their loss

Grief = emotional numbness, disbelief, separation anxiety, despair, sadness, and loneliness that accompanies loss of someone you love