09 Middle Adulthood: Physical, Cognitive, and Psychosocial Development

Vocabulary flashcards covering physical, cognitive, and psychosocial transitions and theories associated with middle adulthood (ages 40-65).

Middle Adulthood

The years between ages $40$ and $65$, considered a distinct stage of life with specific societal norms, roles, and challenges.

Afternoon of Life

A conceptualization of middle adulthood coined by Carl Jung.

Presbyopia

An age-related visual problem involving difficulty focusing on near objects.

Myopia

The term for nearsightedness, which is one of the five main areas of age-related visual problems.

Presbycusis

Gradual hearing loss that proceeds more quickly in men than in women and is often influenced by noise at the work site.

Basal Metabolism

The minimum amount of energy the body needs to maintain vital functions while resting, which decreases after age $40$.

Vital Capacity

The maximum volume of air the lungs can draw in and expel, which may begin to diminish at about age $40$.

Menopause

The stage when a woman permanently stops ovulating and menstruating and can no longer conceive a child, occurring one year after the last menstrual period.

Perimenopause (Climacteric)

The transition period beginning in the mid-thirties to mid-forties where a woman's production of mature ova and estrogen starts to decline.

Hypertension

High blood pressure, defined by a cutoff of $130/80$, which serves as a risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney disease.

Type 2 Diabetes

The most common type of diabetes that typically develops after age $30$, caused by cells losing their ability to use insulin.

Type 1 Diabetes

Juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes where blood sugar rises because the body does not produce enough insulin.

Osteoporosis

A condition resulting from extreme bone loss, often signaled by a marked loss in height and a hunchbacked posture.

Mammography

A diagnostic x-ray of the breasts used to screen for breast cancer.

Seattle Longitudinal Study of Adult Intelligence

A study conducted by Schaie beginning in $1956$ that followed participants every $7$ years to test six primary mental abilities.

Fluid Intelligence

The ability to solve novel problems that require little or no previous knowledge, which typically peaks in young adulthood.

Crystallized Intelligence

The ability to remember and use information acquired over a lifetime, which increases through middle age and often until the end of life.

Expertise

A form of crystallized intelligence related to specialized knowledge and the process of encapsulation.

Encapsulation

A process that allows expertise to compensate for processing declines by bundling relevant knowledge together for easier access and use.

Integrative Thought

A feature of postformal thought that involves integrating intuition, reason, and imagination.

Phased Retirement

A process where individuals reduce work hours or days, gradually moving into retirement over a number of years.

Bridge Employment

A retirement transition involving switching to another company or a new line of work.

Literacy

A fundamental requisite for participation in all facets of an information-driven society, which tends to be lower in middle-aged and older adults than in young adults.

Religion

An organized set of beliefs, practices, rituals, and symbols that increases an individual's connection to a sacred or transcendent other.

Religiousness

The degree of affiliation with an organized religion and participation in its rituals.

Spirituality

Involves experiencing something beyond oneself in a transcendent manner.

Frankl's Logotherapy

A therapeutic approach that helps people find personal meaning in life by focusing on spirituality, freedom, and responsibility.

Generativity

Finding meaning through contributing to society and leaving a legacy for future generations, according to Erikson.

Stagnation

A sense of being disconnected from communities due to a failure to contribute to society.

Midlife Crisis

Changes in personality and lifestyle during the middle forties triggered by realization of mortality or unfulfilled dreams.

Turning Point

A psychological transition involving significant change in the perceived meaning, purpose, or direction of a person's life.

Midlife Review

A time of taking stock and discovering new insights about the self, often involving corrections in life trajectory.

Ego Resiliency

The ability to adapt flexibly and resourcefully to potential sources of stress.

Identity Process Theory (IPT)

Whitbourne's theory that physical characteristics, cognitive abilities, and personality traits are incorporated into identity schemas through assimilation, accommodation, and balance.

Narrative Psychology

A view of self-development as a continuous process of constructing one's life story.

Social Convoy Theory

The concept that people move through life surrounded by social convoys (close friends and family) whom they rely on for support.

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory

The theory that we select friends based on their ability to meet goals such as information seeking, self-development, or emotional well-being.

Marital Capital

The joint financial and emotional assets couples build up over long marriages that discourage the relationship from breaking up.

Empty Nest

A life transition that occurs when the youngest child leaves home, which may increase marital satisfaction in good marriages.

Revolving Door Syndrome

Also known as the Boomerang Phenomenon, it is the tendency for maturing children to return to their parents' home.

Filial Crisis

A stage where adults learn to balance love and duty to their parents with their own autonomy.

Sandwich Generation

Middle-aged adults caught between the competing needs of their own children and the emerging needs of their parents.

Caregiver Burnout

Physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion affecting adults who care for aged relatives.

Respite Care

A service that provides caregivers with time off from their responsibilities.

Kinship Care

Care provided by grandparents who do not become foster parents or gain legal custody and have few legal rights.