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AP PSYCH 6.5 Adulthood and Aging
Aging and Bio-Psychological Changes
In the brain, there is a regional loss of volume in the frontal lobe and cerebellum
The telomeres (at the end of chromosomes and keep them together) shorten and plasticity continues to decline with age
This creates a risk of dementia at more advanced ages
Overall, there is a decrease in the ability to think and remember
Memory is also affected by age
The procedural and semantic memory is stable, but there is a decline in working memory
This creates a decline in fluid intelligence, which is how we solve problems and find new perspectives
It is also related to the speed at which we can think
Other changes include declining vision (presbyopia, or the lens’ inability o change shape), sex hormone levels, and muscle mass
There are certain things that can be done to prevent some of these processes from occurring sooner
Inevitably, they will happen, but they can be postponed and the severity reduced
Exercise, a healthy diet, and new experiences all keep the brain healthy
Erikson’s Social Development
In early adulthood, the conflict is intimacy vs. isolation
This comes right after the identity and role confusion conflict
This focuses on the ability for one to establish and maintain intimate relationships
If one is not able to have intimate relationships, they will develop a sense of isolation from the rest of the community
In the middle adulthood stage, there is a conflict between generativity and stagnation
Generativity is leaving something behind, like giving something important to the next generation
That may mean having children or finding a sense of purpose that benefits others
If middle adults don’t feel that they are moving forward in life or aren’t contributing much, they can feel stagnant and purposeless
The last stage in later adulthood has to do with someone looking back on their life
How they lived their life will influence how they feel about the end of it
This is the conflict of ego-integrity vs. despair