Middle & Late Adulthood I

University of Lethbridge - KNES 3630: FIAT LUX

  • Instructor: Kelsey Kendellen, PhD

Lecture Objectives

  • Differentiate the theories of aging

  • Describe the Selective Optimization with Compensation model

Periods of Life

  • Prenatal Period: Conception to birth (9-month period)

  • Infancy: First 2 years of life (first month is neonatal or newborn)

  • Childhood: 2 to 10-12 years old

    • Early: up to age 5-6

  • Adolescence: 10-12 to 18-22 years old

  • Early Adulthood: Late teens or early 20s to 45 years old

  • Middle & Late Adulthood:

    • Middle: 45-60 years old

    • Late: 60 to death

Overview of Middle and Late Adulthood

Middle Age (45 to 60 Years Old)

  • Characteristics:

    • Time of career growth followed by retirement

    • Children leave parental home and parents become grandparents

    • First confrontations with health problems or significant loss

    • Considered a "wake-up call"

Stage 7: Middle Adulthood - Conflict: Generativity vs Stagnation

  • Generativity: Feeling useful and accomplished

  • Stagnation: Shallow involvement in the world

Old Age (60 Years Old to Death)

  • Characteristics:

    • Engagement in work, physical activity, and leadership roles in the community o - Others may face retirement, health challenges, and need assistance

    • Notable decline often observed after age 80

Stage 8: Maturity - Conflict: Integrity vs Despair

  • Integrity: Wisdom and satisfaction

  • Despair: Regret, bitterness, and despair

  • Involves a life review, evaluating the past and coming to terms with it

Theories of Aging

  • Focus on the following theories:

    • Disengagement Theory: Gradual withdrawal from the world

    • Activity Theory: Importance of continued involvement

    • Continuity Theory: Maintaining consistency over time

  • Successful aging refers to individuals maintaining physical, cognitive, and socioemotional health longer than the average

Disengagement Theory: Interpretations

  • Process: Gradual withdrawal on physical, psychological, and social levels

  • Withdrawal is seen as a mutual process

  • Criticism: Disengagement is not universal or automatic

Activity Theory: Continued Involvement

  • Successful Aging Criteria:

    • Maintain interests and activities

    • Maintain types and amounts of social interactions

    • Engage in replacement activities for happiness and satisfaction

  • Research Findings:

    • Active, energetic, and productive older adults age more successfully

    • Physical activity correlates with slower functional disability progression and greater life purpose

  • Notable importance of active days for life satisfaction

Activity Theory: Criticisms

  • Less distinction between the types of activities engaged in

  • Quality of engagement may be more important than quantity

  • Some individuals may prefer a more inactive and solitary lifestyle

Continuity Theory: A Compromise Position

  • Older adults focus on selective goals and activities to maximize emotional positivity

  • Spend more time with familiar people to optimize emotional experience

  • Result: Smaller social networks compared to younger adults

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST)

  • Focus on positivity: Older individuals remember and emphasize positive information over negative

  • Reactivity to negative information may diminish with age

Selective Optimization with Compensation

  • Definition: Focused approach to skills to compensate for losses in other areas

    • Selection: Choosing which goals to pursue

    • Optimization: Refining resources to achieve these goals

    • Compensation: Using compensatory processes to maintain functioning amid losses

Preceding Conditions and Outcomes

  • Conditions: Developmental changes over the lifespan and reduction in motivational, cognitive, and physical resources

  • Processes: Involve selection, optimization, and compensation to result in a reduced yet effective life.