19. Late Adulthood - Social and Personality Development

Ego integrity vs. Despair

Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development

_______________ - the last stage of Erikson’s stages, where older adults must achieve a sense of satisfaction w/ their lives

• How to achieve?

  • Come to terms with who they are and have been, how they have lived their life, and coming to terms with impending death

Ego integrity

Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development

_______________ - feeling that one’s life has been worthwhile

Reminiscence

Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development

_______________ - reflecting on past experience

• A way of communicating experiences to younger adults

  • Reminiscence bump

Reminiscence bump

Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development - reminiscence

_______________ - higher frequency of memories – mostly positive – concerning young adulthood

Life review

Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development (textbook)

_______________ - an evaluative process where elders make judgements about past behaviours

Criticisms of Reminiscence

Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development - reminiscence

_______________ - preparation for death is not the most important purpose of this process

Reminiscence bump: higher frequency of memories – mostly positive – concerning young adulthood

• Foundation for life review: an evaluative process in which seniors make judgements about past behaviour

• Research also supports Erikson’s generativity stage

Activity theory

Other theories

______________ - theory that it’s normal + healthy for older adults to try and remain as active for as long as they can

• Research: small, but consistently positive effects

Disengagement theory

Other theories

______________ - theory that it’s normal + healthy for older adults to scale down their social lives to separate themselves from others to a certain degree

• Three parts:

  • Shrinkage of life space

  • Increased individuality

  • Acceptance of these changes

Aging has three components – shrinkage of life space, increased individuality, and acceptance of these changes

• First two aspects beyond dispute; third is controversial

Shrinkage of life space

Other theories → disengagement theory

______________ - Beyond dispute. As people age, they interact w/ fewer and fewer people and fill less and less roles.

• Shrinkage of life space shows that the groups of people lessen the older they get, the smaller their life space gets

Increased individuality

Other theories → disengagement theory

______________ - Beyond dispute. In the roles + relationships that remain, the older individual is much less governed by strict rules or expectations

Acceptance of smaller life spaces + more individuality

Other theories → disengagement theory

______________ - Controversial aspect. The healthy older adult actively disengages from roles + relationships, turning more inwards and away from interactions w/ others

Continuity theory

Other theories

______________ - theory that older adults adapt lifelong interests and activities to the limitations imposed on them from physical aging

• Research suggests older adults work to maintain consistency which in turn supports a positive view of the aging process

Successful aging

Individual differences ______________ - term gerontologists use to describe maintaining one’s physical health, mental abilities, social competence + overall satisfaction w/ one’s life as one ages

• Components: health, mental activity, social engagement, productivity, life satisfaction

• Criticisms

Components of successful aging

Individual differences → sucessful aging

_______________ - health, mental activity, social engagement, productivity, life satisfaction

• Health: Impact of decisions made in early and middle adulthood; response to health crises of older adulthood

• Mental activity: Retention of cognitive functioning & degree of cognitive adventures

  • Cognitive adventurousness

• Social engagement allows for the provision and receipt of social support

• Productivity: volunteerism, trying new things

  • Volunteerism

• Life satisfaction: perception of own situation

Cognitive adventurousness

Individual differences → sucessful aging (retaining cognitive abilities/mental activity)

______________- a willingness to learn new things

• A key component of “successful aging”

Volunteerism

Individual differences → successful aging (productivity)

______________- performance of unpaid work for altruistic motives

Criticisms of successful aging

Individual differences → successful aging

______________ - misleading and may foster ageist stereotyping

• Portrays older adults who have disabilities as incompetent — assumes aspects of aging are under one’s control

• What comes first— components can be affected by one another

Religious coping

____________ - the tendency to turn to religious beliefs and institutions for support in times of difficulty - way to manage anxiety + depression symptoms

• Influences life satisfaction

• Primary means of managing symptoms of anxiety and depression

• Gender difference: used more often by women; similar effects

• Psychological component: beliefs and attitudes

• Social component: attending services

• Attendance does not change significantly with illness or disability onset

• Lower mortality

Social relationships

______________- Roles differ from earlier adulthood— Most socialization comprises time with family and friends

• Relationships with adult children and other family may become more central

• Meaningful social roles are critical for life satisfaction

Living arrangements

_______________ - Minority live in long-term care or seniors’ homes

Men typically have a spouse or intimate partner until death; women more likely to be widowed/alone

• Predictive factors

Factors that affect living arrangements

Living arrangements

1. Health: Older adults w/ higher levels of functioning less likely to live in institution

2. Income: Higher income = less likely to live in institution

3. Adult child’s characteristics: daughters and married adults = more likely to take in parents

4. Public home care + social support services: elders who get homecare services = less likely institution. social support = less likely to have family or institution arrangements

Partnerships

_____________ - Higher marital satisfaction, companionate love more common

• Most still sexually active and somewhat more sexually adventurous

• Lower levels of conflict; resolution more affectionate and less negative

  • More time spent together

• Spouse provides highest level of support and assistance

• Men more likely to remarry

• Marriage = protective factor; divorce = risk factor for mental health in older adulthood

Adult children

Social relationships

_______________ - Family relationships grow more harmonious as adults age

• Half of senior parents see their children at least once/week

• Distance affects frequency

• Satisfaction with contact is more important than frequency

• Many senior parents describe at least one child as a confidant

Effects of relationships with adult children:

• Mixed findings

• May be due to role prescriptions seniors may feel need to live up to kids’ demands/expectations—can influence positive benefits from a relationship

Grandchildren, siblings + friends

Social relationships

Grandchildren: contact declines

Siblings: May become more important

• Provide a unique kind of emotional support and “insurance policy”

Friendships: Significant impact on life satisfaction, health, self-esteem, and degree of loneliness

• Can provide a support network equally effective to a familial one

• Particularly important for unmarried seniors (fills in space spouse usually fills)

• Fulfill different needs: more equitable and reciprocal

• Second only to spouses

Gender diff. in social networks

Social relationships

_____________- Different types of social networks:

• Men’s friendships have less disclosure and intimacy (smaller too often)

• Women’s networks are larger and closer

Continuation of gender differences found across lifespan

• Research may be inherently biased

Retirement

_______________ - Retirement age on the rise

• Decisions affecting retirement:

  • Age, Health, Family considerations, Financial support

• Work characteristics: non-Unionized, self-employed, highly committed and enjoying the work, better educated, work is intellectually challenging and less physically demanding

• Gender differences: women typically retire before men (5yrs earlier)

Decisions affecting retirement

Retirement

• Age: internal model of “expected life history” impacts

• Health: those with poor health are much more likely to retire early

• Family considerations: less likely to retire when supporting minor children

• Financial support: availability of adequate financial support for retirement associated with earlier retirement age

Retirement effects

Retirement

____________ - Positive outcomes most likely among adults engaged across the following domains in earlier adulthood: child, spouse, health, financial, work, others’ welfare

Available income can be significant change; early planning often necessary

• Post-retirement poverty rates have declined

  • Group differences: unattached and female seniors more likely to live below the poverty line

• Retirement doesn’t change health status

• Often improved life satisfaction due to resolution of work-life imbalance

• Most difficult for those who had the least control over the decision to retire

Geographic mobility

Retirement effects

__________ - Retirement often results in more choice about where to live

• Most don’t move far

• Three types of moves:

  • Amenity move

  • Compensatory/kinship migration

  • Institutional migration

Amenity move

Retirement effects → geographic mobility (types of moves)

____________ - post-retirement move away from kin to a location with a desirable feature (e.g., warmer weather, gated community)

Compensatory/kinship migration

Retirement effects → geographic mobility (types of moves)

____________ - move to a location near family or friends, as the elder needs frequent help due to disability or disease

Institutional migration

Retirement effects → geographic mobility (types of moves)

____________ - a move to an institution (like nursing home) that is necessitated by a disability

Choosing not to retire

Retirement

_____________ - Small subset of adults keep working past usual retirement age (65 years)

• Two subgroups: never retired and new (often part-time) work

  • Reasons: economic necessity, career investment and satisfaction

• Ageism can be obstacle to continued employment