Middle Adulthood (Unit 11)

Physical Changes

= 40-60

• most/all hair turning grey

• continued hair thinning/baldness

• ↓ fat content→ skin loosening/wrinkles

• ↑ fat/loss of muscle mass→ obesity

Sight

• lens enlarges/less flexibile/more opaque

• harder to see w sharp focus, worse in dim light

• 60: only ½ rods (light) + cones (colour)→ most need reading glasses

Hearing

• decreases after 40 (esp high pitch)

• cillia (sound transmitting) thin

• eardrum less flexible

• auditory cortex less efficient at processing info from inner ear

• M: greater hearing loss (jobs w chronic exposure to loud noise)

• greater loss in devloped (exposure to high noise)

Menopause

late 40s/early 50s (can range 30s - 50s)

• climacteric: changes in reproductive in ma → F: stop ovulation / M: decline sperm quality/quantity

• perimenopause: 10yrs before menopause, estrogen/progestrone production steadily ↓

• early: smoking/never give birth

• later: reg excercise

Menopause: Symptoms

• hot flashes: sudden sweating/heat sensation/red skin → followed by feeling chilled (daily/never)

• other: mood change, dizzy, headache, heart palpitations, mem problems

• cultural variation in freq of symps: diet w estrogen, compensating hormone changes

Menopause: Views

• pos cross culturally → no accidental preg, less demanding focus on young children, end of cultural restrictions (when menstrating)

• primates usually dont

• response to ↑ death risk during birth + longer dependency of child (improves survival of offspring)

• grandmother hypothesis/kin selection: improve survial of relatives (genes still pased on)

Male Reproductive Changes

• andropause: proposed condition in ma, unusually low testosterone, research hasnt supported

• t drops 1% per yr

• ↓ en, sexual desire, sexual performance issues

• ↓ sperm quality/quanitity (more mutations)

Health Problems

• slight decline

• difficult sleeping through night

• prostate enlarges → pressure on bladder, urethra causes waking up to urinate

osteoporosis: bones thin → rapid ca depletion, (common in W, estrogen strenghts)

• W lose 50% bone mass (most decade after menopause)

• sm builds = higher risk

• ca rich diet, reg excercise helps prevent

Cancer

• leading death cause from 45-64 (M: prostate / F: breast)

• lung/colon 2nd/3rd most common

• norm cell production goes wrong → rapid/uncontrolled

• abnorm cells form tumors → take nutrients from healthy cells (interfere w norm func)

• genetic risks, exposure to radiation, sun, hazardous chems, obesity, smoking

Cancer Diagnosis

• 5 yr survival rate: improved over 40yrs (prognosis diff depending on type)

• early diagnosis → improved treatment

• mammograms: x ray, screen for breast cancer

• risk stratification: cancer prevention focuses on more frequent screening/exams (high risk people → genetics/lifestyle)

Cancer Treatment

• chemo: drugs introduced into cancerous part of body, poison cancerous skills

• radiation: focused radiation kills cancer cells

• surgery

• immunotherapy: alter immune system by re-engineering cells→ more effective in fighting cancer cells, reintroduce into body

Coronary Heart Disease

• 2nd most common death @ age (↑ fat diet, smoke, lack phys excecise) → more in M

• atherosclerosis: plaque builds in coronary arteries, restricts blood passage (↑ bp/heart attacks)

• varries across cultures (diet)

• chronic/acute stress contributes: direct + indirect (coping behaviours)

• sustains lower chol levels

Deaths of Despair

• ↑ mortality of white american/canadians w hs degree/less over last 20yrs (strong in rural)

• DoD (destructive behaviours) → alcholism, overdose, suicide (opioid epidemic)

• poverty, poor job prospects, social isolation, hopeless/powerless for future

Fluid Intelligence

= info processing abilities (ST mem, discern realtions b/w visual stimuli, speed of synthesizing new info)

• biologically based aspect of NS (cant train/teach)

Crystallized Intelligence

= accumulation of culturally based knowledge, language, understanding of social conventions

• depends on environment

• peak in ma

• expertise is form

• decline from ya to ma → continues declining in late

Work

• satisfaction peaks in 50s

• ↑ performance → expertise (enjoy work youre good at)

• more authority/control over how works done

• sm role of higher pay/promotion

• lowered work expectations → satisfied w actual level of achievement

• unemployed longer than younger adults → employeers may see less LT future in them

• may lack tech skills needed

• new jobs → lower paying/prestigious

• unemployment more damaging to mental health/well being

Processing Speed & Memory

• perceptual speed/reaction time declines (not much sig in real life)

• selective/divided attention declines → declined productiviy in work, inable to multitask

• long term mem stores increase

• use occipital lobe + prefrontal cortex & use both hemispheres for tasks ya use 1

Self Concept

• contentment w self highest (across cultures)

• indentity formation finished → better self understanding, still in good health

• goals: do well in existing roles (ex. parent, spouse, friend)

3 qualities that improve through 50s:

1. self acceptance: aware/except mix of pos/neg traits, feel more pos about self

2. autonomy: less concerned of others opinions of them, judge self according to own standards

3. environmental mastery: feel able to handle roles/responsbilities effectively

Mid-Life Crisis

= anxiety, unhappiness, critical re-appraisal of life → can provoke dramatic changes (assumed ma, largely fictional)

• jung (1930s): typical part of devlopment, research on his life

• in 1970s: supporting findings had sm sample sizes

• subsequent research: no evidence, lower worry/anxiety in ma

Generativity

• Eriksons generativity vs stagnation (contribute to well being of generations to come vs. narrow self interest)

• triggered by awarness of own mortality (want to live on)

• parent/grandparenthood (can continue into childs adult life)

• mentor/teacher/org leaders → community involvement

Gender

• enjoy freedom, authority, well being

• ya trad: focus on child/house keeping, outranked by mother in law, restrictions on leaving home

• ma trad: higher ranking as children marry, new religious responsibilities

• risk of being divorced → leave vulnerable/dependent on child for support (decline attractiveness → marry young woman)

• M freer from social pressure to be tough/strong → feel able to be loving/em sensitive

Children

• trad cultures: daughters may have little/no contact with birth family

• cultural variation in children moving out b4 marriage (mixed feelings when child moves out)

• sense of freedom → focus on own interests, careers, spend more time together

• US/EU: 50-60% of parents provide financial support to EA within last yr

• parents dont get along w childs partner → damage parent child relationship

Parent-Child Relationships

• responsibilities for children near adulthood + parents in late adulthood

• west: rare for elderly parent to live with ma (independent/care home)

• lower conflict → living seperate

• bi directional support b/w ma + parents (who needs help at time/has resources to help)

• help w day to day activities → more wiling if pos relationship growing up

Parent-Child Relationships: Reflection

• supporting parents = rewarding

• need for care sometimes during crisis

• cultures w strong emphasis on parental care: stressful, greater responsibility

• siblings may roate care → take turns hosting/looking after

• daughters often have more parental care responsibilities

Becoming a Grandparent

• deeply involved in household responsibilities/childcare

• grandm: childcare during work hrs

• high involvement w single parents

• may live far from grandchildren → still want to be involved (digital contact)

• relationship w own children strained = less contact w grandchildren

• after divorce: M’s parents have less contact w grandchildren (F’s more)

Enjoyment of Grandparent role

• grandm: more em close (participate in fam/religious activity), enjoy role more

• grandp: more involvement as kids get older

enjoyment from:

1. pass on family history

2. min responsibilities, max fun (fun parts, leave diff aspects to parents)

3. wise grandparent (viewed as having good judgement/experience)

4. reduced fear of death (generativity satsified seeing grandchild grow up, aspect of them continues after death)

Marriage

• marital satisfaction rises once children become independent + under less financial stress (more time spent as a couple)

• link b/w happy marriage + good mental health

• settle into companionate love (partner is best friends)

• ↑ independent interest/leisure activity

Divorce

• often when child leaves

• ↑ over time (less stigma, greater financial independence of W, longer lives → dont want to spend post child raising w incompatible spouse)

• gray divorce: partners over 50 (less neg effects)

• in ya: involved anger/hostility

• in ma: grown apart, dont enjoy eo company

• feel marriage over before divorce → stay together waiting for children to leave

reasons based on gender:

• M: fall out of love & diff lifestyle/values

• W: verbal/phys abuse & drug/alcohol abuse