Chapter 10: the sense of an ending

why does the author say that generativity is a response to the certainty of dying?

we know that we can’t live forever, so we provide for the next generation in order to live through our kids

true or false: many people don’t live long enough to go through Erikson’s final psychological challenge (ego integrity VS despair)

true

explain the last psychological challenge of “ego integrity VS despair”

• ego integrity: accept your life as being worthwhile, sense of ending is met with acceptance and gratitude (life was well lived)

• despair: reject your life, hasn’t been good or worthy, regrets

what happens to your narrative identity during the challenge of ego integrity?

you go from author to reader/critic: you become the audience of your own life story and you evaluate it

true or false: in some cases, end of life is the most fulfilling period

true: successful aging = attaining wisdom

what are some threats to authorship?

• memory loss: Alzheimer’s, dementia

• older adults are fragile

explain how dementia is a threat to authorship

• dementia takes away the episodic memories upon what your narrative self is built

• therefore, you don’t have a story to live by

define the “positive bias of aging”

tendency in older people to emphasize on positive and deemphasize on negative emotions in their autobiographical memories

why does the positive bias of aging happen?

to consider your life as good and worthwhile, you need to select only a good few

what matters the most in the life story?

relationships: family, friends

why do older people simplify their goals? what are the goals the focus on more?

• simplify because they know they don’t have much time left, they select the social and emotional aspects that gives them the greatest meaning, comfort and satisfaction

• focus on family and friends; forget about new connections and building up their lives (money, possessions)

true or false: long-term planning skills continue to stay sharp in later years

false: those abilities are related to the brain’s frontal lobes which decline in cognitive abilities

what happens to the big 5 traits when you’re old? (2)

• personality stability may decline (traits can change in unpredictable ways)

• reverse the gains made on positive personality traits

*we don’t know much though, not enough research

true or false: every old adults experience an increase in N

false:

• not everyone but some do and will see their lives as more stressful than before

• even those who don’t, aging brings a decline in coping skills and mechanisms against anxiety

why is the emergence of the theory of the mind important?

because it brings the kid into understanding themselves as a motivated agent

what happens during the 5-7 shift?

the kid becomes more or less rational, purposeful and planful agent

what do the dispositional traits represent?

the style and the reputation of the actor

define “autobiographical reasoning”

deriving semantic meaning about our lives from episodic evidence that we stored away in autobiographical memory

define “narrative identity”

ongoing narratives with scenes, plots, characters and themes

true or false: the actor, agent and author are all distinct

false: they form our personality (and it’s normal if features of the actor, agent and author overlap or interact)

what are the milestones of the journey of personality development? (5)

1. age 2

2. transition from childhood to adolescence

3. emerging adulthood

4. midlife

5. old age

how can temperamental differences have an effect on the caregiver-infant attachment bond?

• negative emotionality babies: hard to establish relationships

• positive emotionality babies: easier to have secure attachment

when do babies start to recognize themselves on the mirror?

18 months old → they now have a sense of self

why is age 2 an important milestone?

• kid’s start to develop a sense of self

• this means that they can observe their own actions and goals → agency

• they can also start to remember and tell personal events → authorship

• → we have some small traces of agency and authorship starting to peek

why is there an increasing number of mid-20s who don’t consider themselves as adults?

because they aren’t ready to assume roles that are associated with adulthood (jobs, marriage, parenthood)

what’s associated with the development of self-esteem? (2)

• rising expectations from parents and teachers about the kid’s achievement

• kid’s new tendency to compare themselves

define “personal fable”

teenagers imagine their lives as fantastical stories of greatness and distinction

define “autobiographical reasoning”

learning how to derive personal meaning from personal events

true or false: autobiographical reasoning abilities develop during adolescence

true

what are the big 5 traits that change during emerging adulthood? (3)

• C: go up

• A: go up

• N: go down

in modern societies, why is emerging adulthood the best time to explore and develop yourself?

many social and cultural factors influence this

what do we mean when we say “the central developmental task of emerging adulthood is to author a suitable narrative identity”?

during emerging adulthood, you

• explore and commit to new life goals, values

• integrate many roles, goals

this will help you create a life story, a purpose and meaning

how will people with low generativity and high generativity will tell their narrative identity? (explain individually)

• low: life stories without progress or growth

• high: protagonist overcome obstacles, suffering is personal enhancement

true or false: midlife adults will, continue to pursue their goals

false: they will slow down their goal pursuits and focus on areas such as family and friends (exploration → connection, protection, securing gains)

according to Baltes, why is development an incomplete architecture?

we aren’t as flexible and don’t have the same potential once we are have matured beyond childbearing heats

how does culture compensate with older people’s loss of potential?

by providing resources for middle-aged and older adults

how is advanced aging characterized according to Baltes?

deterioration, entropy and breakdown (not a happy ending where you’re wise)

as older adults, what could interfere with agency? (2)

• health concerns (illnesses)

• interpersonal losses (friends dying)

true or false: older adults recall fewer vivid details from their past

true

true or false: at some point in old age, agency can fade away

true: you might return to being only a social actor

what’s the sense of dying characterized by?

anticipating death

true or false: all old people will lose their psychological forces at the end

false: most keep them until the end