psy 355 dr. schuetze - buffalo state college faculty and staff web

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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Early and Middle Adulthood

PSY 355

Dr. Schuetze


MALE FEMALE

U.S. AGE STRUCTURE

From U.S. Census Bureau publication: “Data Base News in Aging” 1999


Life Expectancy at Birth, 2001

Selected Nations Among the41 Ahead of the United States

80.7

80.179.8

79.6 79.6 79.479

78.8 78.8

77.1

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

Japan

Singap

ore

Aus

tralia

Switz

erland

Swed

en

Can

ada

Italy

Spain

Franc

e

Unite

d Sta

tes

Nations

Years

Source: CIA World Fact Book, July 1, 2001

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Emerging Adulthood

• Slower than in past to reach milestones of adulthood

Prolonged identity

development

More education

Later career entry


Vision Changes in Middle Adulthood

• Presbyopia —“old eyes”

– Lens enlarges, creating farsightedness

– Bifocals if nearsighted

• Difficulties in dim light

• Reduced color discrimination

• Glaucoma risk


Hearing Changes in Middle Adulthood

– Gender, cultural differences• Men lose more hearing

– Hearing aids can help

Presbycusis — “old hearing”

Earliest, most loss in high frequencies

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Skin Changes in Middle Adulthood

• Wrinkles

– Forehead — starting in 30s

– Crow’s Feet — 40s

• Sagging

– Face, arms, legs

• Age Spots

– After age 50

• Faster with sun exposure, for women


Muscle–Fat Makeupin Middle Adulthood

• Middle-age spread common —fat gain in torso– Men: upper abdomen, back

– Women: waist, upper arms

• Very gradual muscle declines

• Can be avoided– Low-fat diet with fruits, vegetables,

grains

– Exercise - resistance training


Climacteric and Menopause

• Gradual end of fertility– Menopause follows 10-year

climacteric

– Age range extends from late thirties to late fifties

• Drop in estrogen– Shorter monthly cycles,

eventually stop

– Can cause problems

• Sexual functioning

• Cholesterol

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Menopausal Symptoms

Research shows

menopause link

Hot flashes/night sweats

Sexual problems

Not linked to

menopause, other

causes should be

investigated

Irritability

Sleep difficulties

Depression


Menopause SymptomsAround the World


Hormone Therapy for Menopause

Benefits

Reduces hot flashes, vaginal dryness

May help mood

Bone benefits

Risks

Heart attack, stroke, blood clots

Cancer

Cognitive declines, Alzheimer’s

Alternatives

Gabapentin for hot flashes

Antidepressants

Black cohosh

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Reactions to Menopause

• Individual differences

– Importance of child-bearing capacity

• Cultural differences

– Medicalization in industrial West linked to complaints

– Social status of aging women linked to reactions


Male Reproductive Changesin Middle Adulthood

• Reduced sperm and semen after 40

• Gradual testosterone reduction

– Sexual activity stimulates production

Erection problems

Frequent problems may be linked to anxiety,

diseases, injury, loss of interest

Viagra & other drugs


Motor Performance in Adulthood

• Athletic skills peak between 20 and 35

– Decline gradually until 60s or 70s, then faster

Continued training

slows loss

Keep more vital capacity,

muscle, response speed

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Aging and Athletic Performance


Substance Use in Early Adulthood

– Cigarettes, chewing tobacco

– Alcohol• Binge drinking

– Drugs• Marijuana

• Stimulants

• Prescription drugs

• Party drugs

Peaks from 19-22 years, then declines

But up to 20% ages 21-25 are substance abusers


Cigarette Smoking

• 25% of Americans, 19% of Canadians

– Numbers slowly declining

– Less with higher education, but many college students smoke

– More women smoking

– Most smokers start before age 21

Deadly health risks

Hard to quit

Most in treatment programs restart

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Alcohol Abusein Early Adulthood

• Causes mental, physical problems

• High social costs

• Treatment is difficult

– Half relapse in months

13% of men, 3% of women heavy drinkers

About 1/3 of these alcoholics

Genetic, cultural factors in alcoholism


Theories of Changes in Thinking in Early Adulthood

• Piaget – postformal

thought

• Perry – epistemic cognition


Criticisms cont.

• Not all reach formal operational stage

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Postformal thought

• Characterized by recognition that:

– 1) truth may vary from situation to situation

– 2) solutions must be realistic in order to be reasonable

– 3) ambiguity and contradiction are the rule rather than the exception

– 4) emotion and subjective factors usually play a role in thinking


Development of Epistemic Cognition

1. Dualistic thinking

2. Relativistic thinking

3. Commitment within relativistic thinking

Challenges

Opportunities to reflect

Peers

All help development


The College Experience

• Exposure to new ideas, beliefs, demands leads to cognitive growth, new thinking patterns– Relativistic thinking

– Increased self-understanding

• Depends on participation in campus life

Formative, influential “developmental testing ground”

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Dropping Out of College

• 30-50% drop out

• Personal factors

– Preparation, motivation, skills

– Financial problems, low SES

• Institutional factors

– Little help, community

– Cultural disrespect


Career Development in Early Adulthood

• Adjust expectations to opportunities to advance

– Fewer opportunities, more work disengagement

Disappointment near start of career common

Many job changes in 20s

Most settle in after evaluation and adjustment


Periods of Vocational Development

• Fantasy period

• Tentative period

• Realistic period

– Exploration

– Crystallization

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Factors InfluencingVocational Choice

• Personality

• Family influences

• Teachers

• Gender stereotypes

• Access to vocational information


Social Clock

• Age-graded expectations for life events

• Less rigid than in earlier generations

• Following a social clock lends confidence, contributes to social stability

• Distress if not following or falling behind


Selecting a Mate

• Physical proximity

• Most select partners who are similar

• Gender differences

– Women: intelligence, ambition, financials, morals

– Men: attractiveness, domestic skills

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Triangular Theory of Love

• Three components:

– Intimacy

– Passion

– Commitment

Passionate love early; companionate love later

Passion gradually fades while intimacy, commitment

grow

Cultural differences


Trends in Marriage

• Marrying later

• More cohabiting before marriage

• Fewer marriages

– Staying single, cohabiting, not remarrying

– But North Americans still pro-marriage

• Legalization of same-sex marriage in some places

• More religious and ethnically mixed marriages


Traditional and Egalitarian Marriages

Traditional• Clear division of

roles– Woman: cares for

husband, children, home

– Man: head of household, economic support

Egalitarian

• Partners relate as equals

– Share authority

– Balance attention to jobs, children, home, spouse

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Gender and Housework


Trends in Having Children

• Fewer married couples have children - 70%

– Mothers’ careers

– Divorce

• Have first child later

• Smaller numbers of children

– Average of 2 or fewer


Transition to Parenthood

• Many profound changes

• Roles often become more traditional– Roles get less traditional with second

birth

• Marriage can be strained– Problems before children predict

problems after

– Sharing care predicts happiness

• Later parenthood eases transition– Couple’s groups, paid leave help, too

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Options in Parenthood

• Step Parenting

• Single parents

– Divorced

– Never married

• Gay and Lesbian Parents

Childlessness

Voluntary

Involuntary


Parenting

• With adolescents– Brings sharp changes

– Challenges: negotiation of roles, dip in marital satisfaction

Powerful source of adult development

With young children

Best parents work together as coparenting team

Challenges: few social supports; hard to find child care


Parent Education

• Parenting books

• Doctors

• Social networks– Especially mothers

• Classes

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Singlehood

• Increasing

– One-third of males, one-fourth of females

– 8-10% single for life

Gender Differences

Women more likely to stay single

More high SES women, low SES men single after 30

Stressful periods

Late 20s

Mid 30s for women


Cohabitation

• Can be preparation for marriage

– North Americans who cohabit before marriage more likely to divorce

Unmarried, sexually intimate, living together

Increasing


Increases in Cohabitation

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Divorce Rates

• Stabilized since 1980s

• 45% U.S., 30% Canadian marriages

– About 7% higher for remarriages soon after first marriage

First seven years, midlife

most common times

Young and adolescent

children involved


Causes and Factors in Divorce

• Background factors: Age, religion, prior divorce, family background

• SES

• Gender roles, expectations

Ineffective problem solving

Separate lives

Major problems: Infidelity, money issues, substance abuse


Consequences of Divorce

Immediate consequences - generally

subside in 2 years

Disrupted social networks, support

Increased anxiety, depression, impulsive

behavior

Traditional women, noncustodial fathers may

have more problems

New partner helps satisfaction

More important to men

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Remarriage After Divorce

• Most within four years of divorce

– Men sooner than women

• Vulnerable to breakup

– Reasons for marriage

• Often too pragmatic

– Carry over negative patterns

– View divorce as acceptable resolution

– Stepfamily stress

• Takes 3-5 years to blend

– Education, couples and family counseling can help


Challenges to Women’s Career Development

• Discontinuous employment

– Leave for child-rearing, family care

– Hinders advancement

• Concentration low-paying, low-advancement jobs

– Contributes to salary gap

Low self-efficacy for male-dominated fields

Gender stereotyping

Few mentors


Work-Family Balance

• Dual-earner marriages dominant family form

– Most also parents

• Role overload common problem

– Especially for women

• Workplace supports can help

– Time flexibility

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Grandparenthood

• Trends in grandparenting

– Raising grandchildren

– Coping with divorce of grandchildren’s parents

Become grandparent average late 40s

Can spend one-third of life

Highly meaningful to most

Grandparenting styles vary

Geography, age, gender, SES, ethnicity are factors


Meanings of Grandparenthood

• Valued elder

• Immortality through descendents

• Reinvolvement with personal past

• Indulgence


Middle-Age Children andTheir Aging Parents

• More likely than in past to have living parents

• Reassess relationships with parents

• Proximity increases with age

– Move closer or move in together

• Children provide more help

to parents

– Financial, household aid; caregiving

– Helping based on earlier relationships

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Caring for Aging Parents

• “Sandwich generation”

• Finances, location, gender, culture are factors

• Highly stressful

– Average 20 hours/week

– Often starts suddenly, duration uncertain

– Work and costs increase

– Hard to witness parent’s decline

– Support needed


Who is Caring for Aging Parents?


Relieving Caregiving Stress

• Use effective coping strategies

• Seek social support

• Use community resources

• Get workplace help

• Work for helpful public policies

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