Chapter 25: Psychosocial Development Notes

Theories of Late Adulthood

Self Theories

  • Emphasize the core self and the search to maintain integrity and identity.
  • Integrity versus despair manifests as a life review, where older adults integrate their experiences with their vision of community (Erikson).
  • Accepting one's life and retaining identity despite changes is critical.

Holding on to the Self

  • Personalities and attitudes remain stable despite physical changes.
  • Objects and places become precious for maintaining identity.

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory

  • Older people prioritize emotional regulation and seek familiar social contacts.
  • These contacts reinforce generativity, pride, and joy.
  • Positivity effect: Elderly people remember positive experiences more than negative ones.

Stratification Theories

  • Social forces limit individual choices and affect functioning in late adulthood.
  • Past stratification continues to limit life in various ways.
  • Stereotypes add to stratification.

Stratification by Gender

  • Irrational fear may limit women’s independence.
  • Young women typically marry older men.
  • Men seek medical help less than women.

Ethnic Stratification

  • Factors like education, health, employment, and residence create income discrepancies.
  • Immigrant elders face challenges related to cultural differences, housing, and stereotypes.

Income Stratification

  • Poverty magnifies stratification of gender, ethnicity, and age.
  • Employment is related to income (e.g., Social Security).
  • Stress and disadvantages accumulate with age.

Age Stratification: Opposing Theories

Disengagement Theory

  • Aging narrows a person’s social sphere, leading to role relinquishment, withdrawal, and passivity.

Activity Theory

  • Elderly people want to remain active in social spheres and become withdrawn unwillingly due to ageism.

Technology in Late Adulthood

  • Advocates envision benefits from the internet.
  • No consensus on how technology affects older people's development.
  • Most over 65 use the internet for connection, shopping, and information, but less than younger adults.

Activities in Late Adulthood

Working

  • Older people's activities are intense and varied.
  • Volunteer work provides psychological benefits.
  • Work provides social support, status, and self-esteem.
  • Employment allows generativity.

Retirement

  • Employees over 65 stay on the job for social recognition and self-fulfillment.
  • Retirement was once believed to cause illness and death, but this isn't necessarily true.

Volunteer Work

  • Linked to generativity, social connections, less depression, and health.
  • May reduce death rate.
  • Increased by knowing someone who volunteers, encouragement, and suggestions.

Home

  • Favorite activities include caring for homes and needs.
  • Aging in place involves remaining in the same home and community, adjusting but not leaving.
  • Interruption of social connections is harmful, especially for women.

Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC)

  • Neighborhood with mostly retired people who moved there as younger adults.
  • Aging in place and NORCs are supported by the social convoy of close relationships.

Religious Involvement

  • Correlates with physical and emotional health.
  • Religious prohibitions encourage good habits.
  • Faith communities promote caring relationships.
  • Beliefs give meaning for life and death, reducing stress.
  • Important for older members of minority groups, often stronger than national or ethnic identity.

Political Activity

  • About 2% volunteer in political campaigns.
  • 7% of people aged 65+ volunteer for political groups.
  • They write letters, identify with parties, vote, and stay current with news more than any other age group.

Friends and Relatives

Long-Term Partnerships

  • Strong marriages buffer against old age problems.
  • Positive spouse portrayal facilitates discussions and integration.
  • Couples achieve selective optimization with compensation.

Relationships with Younger Generations

  • Adults often outlive their grandchildren.
  • Families may span five generations.
  • Beanpole family: multiple generations with few members in each.
  • Changing close family relationships.

Intergenerational Relationships

  • Familism prompts family caregiving.
  • Filial responsibility varies by culture.
  • Older U.S. adults value independence and provide more help than they receive.
  • Conflict may be frequent in emotionally close relationships.
  • Developmental age may impact ambivalence.

Parent and Adult Children Relationships

  • Affected by assistance needs, ability to provide, geographical proximity (not affection), childhood interactions, sons' obligation, and daughters' affection.

Grandparents

  • Most (85%) elders over 65 are grandparents.
  • Factors influencing the relationship include personality, ethnicity, national background, past family interactions, age, and child’s personality.

Friendship

  • Middle-aged adults may have no children.
  • Elderly without spouses have friendships and social connections.
  • Older adults need at least one close companion.

The Frail Elderly

Definition

  • People over 65 (often over 85) who are physically infirm, ill, or cognitively disabled.
  • Frailty is common preceding death (terminal decline).
  • North Americans who live to 95 are mostly independent.

Activities of Daily Life (ADLs)

  • Actions important to independent living:
    • Eating
    • Bathing
    • Toileting
    • Dressing
    • Transferring from bed to chair
  • Inability to perform these tasks is a sign of frailty.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Life (IADLs)

  • Actions important to independent living requiring intellect and forethought (e.g., paying bills, driving).

Caring for the Frail Elderly

  • Cultural differences in frail elderly care.
  • Family caregivers experience stress, health risks, and depression (especially with NCD).
  • In the U.S., the spouse is the usual caregiver.

Risks in Caregiving

  • Resentment and social isolation lead to depression, poor health, and abuse.
  • Elder abuse is more likely when:
    • Caregiver has emotional problems or substance abuse.
    • Care receiver is frail, confused, and demanding.
    • Care location is isolated.

Long-Term Care

  • Good nursing care is available for those who can afford it.
  • Allows independence, choice, and privacy.
  • Provides continuity of care from trained staff.

Alternative Care

  • Assisted living combines privacy and independence with medical supervision.
  • Ranges from group homes to large developments.
  • Assisted-living facilities have increased as nursing homes have decreased.