Lifespan Human Development Middle Adulthood

health in midlife

85% report good health

gender differences in health

men suffer more fatal illnesses, women suffer more nonfatal

physical changes (middle adulthood)

increase in body fat, loss of muscle and bone mass

can be offset by exercising, resistance training

exercise (middle adulthood)

18% engage in recommended levels

benefits of exercise

stress management, lowering disease risk

leading causes of death (middle adulthood)

cancer, cardiovascular disease

cancer (middle adulthood)

1 in 3 midlife deaths

9 out of 10 in ages 45+

more men than women

60% survive 5+ years

cardiovascular disease (MA)

1 in 5 midlife deaths

atherosclerosis

build up of plaque

angina pectoris

chest pain

osteoporosis

bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue

affects 10% of adults 50+

preventing osteoporosis

weight-bearing exercise, vitamin D, calcium

age of menopause

late 30s to late 50s

age of decrease of fertility (men)

age 40

problem focused coping

relieve stress by changing the stressor or way you interact with stressor

emotion focused coping

relieve stress by tending to emotional needs

hardiness

ability to turn stressful situations into opportunities for resilience

hardiness 3 C’s

control, commitment, challenge

crystallized intelligence (Gc)

recalled information and facts

fluid intelligence (Gf)

ability to solve newly encountered problems

percentage of students in midlife

40% of US college students are over 25

nearly 60% of them are women

changes in creativity in midlife

more deliberate

less focused on self-expression

less focused on new discoveries

more altruistic

practical problem solving

process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles

expertise

extensive and highly organized knowledge in a field

generativity

giving to and guiding younger generations

stagnation

self-centered, self-indulgent, lack of interest in young people

who created the four tasks of middle adulthood?

Daniel Levinson

four tasks of middle adulthood

young-old, destruction-creation, masculinity-femininity, engagemet-separateness

keepers of meaning

older people serve as guardians of their culture

who came up with “keepers of meaning”?

George Vaillant

stage view

midlife change as major restructuring

life events view

midlife change as adaptations to normative life events

possible selves theory

argues that people imagine different versions of themself

who created the possible selves theory?

Markus and Nurius

big five personality traits

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

divorce rate

rate doubled over past 20 years for US ages 50+

caregiver objective burden

physical effort required for caregiving

caregiver subjective burden

personal strain, emotional distress, lack of support and its impact