Chapter 18: Socioemotional Development in Late Adulthood

Activity Theory

The view that older adults want to remain active and that declines in social interaction are not a result of elders’ desires but are a function of social barriers to engagement.

Continuity Theory

The perspective that older adults strive to maintain continuity and consistency in self across the past and into the future; successful elders retain a sense that they are the same person they have always been despite physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes.

Disengagement Theory

The view that declines in social interaction in older age are due to mutual withdrawal between older adults and society as they anticipate death.

Ego Integrity vs. Despair

The final stage in Erikson’s psychosocial theory, in which older adults find a sense of coherence in life experiences and conclude that their lives are meaningful and valuable.

Elder Maltreatment

Acts or omissions of care that cause harm to the older person and occur within the context of a trusting relationship, such as physical, sexual, psychological, or financial abuse.

Life Review

The reflection on past experiences and one’s life, permitting greater self-understanding and the assignment of meaning to their lives.

Reminiscence

The process of telling stories from one’s past, to oneself or others.

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory

The perspective that as the emotional regulation function of social interaction becomes increasingly important to older adults, they prefer to interact with familiar social partners, accounting for the narrowing of the social network with age.