HDFS 105 1st Edition Lecture 19Outline of Last Lecture I. Possible conflicts in the future- middle adulthoodII. What is likely to happen to you in the next 20 years? Outline of Current Lecture I. A broad age rangeII. Baby boomers reach middle ageIII. Physical changesIV. Menopause in womenV. Later motherhoodVI. Men’s midlife changeVII. SexualityVIII. HealthIX. Health and personality typeX. Cognitive developmentXI. Socio-emotional changesXII. Divorce in middle ageXIII. Leisure timeXIV. Life satisfactionXV. Family violenceXVI. Families with adolescentsXVII. Family at midlife: children leave homeXVIII. Family in later lifeXIX. Middle adulthood terms to know Current LectureI. A broad age rangea. Earlier middle age range: 35- 50b. Current middle age range: 40- 65c. Middle agers today more active than ever befored. Some 70 year olds consider themselves in middle age today! They are more active than past cohorts! We have better medical technology and knowledge about fightingoff diseasese. Health and medical advances have extended the middle age rangeII. Baby Boomers reach middle age These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.a. Baby boomers born from 1946-1964 are of interest to the study of human development today (great increase in population moving into old age) b. Increased number of people in middle agec. Best educated and most affluent cohort in history to pass through middle age II. Physical changesa. Middle aged people report that they do not feel olderb. Organs do begin very gradual decrease in efficiencyc. Some gain weight, slight loss of weight (metabolism changes) d. Some begin to develop cardio vascular problemse. Very slow strength loss, loss of bone densityi. Women's bone loss rate greater than men's (since women's hormones change; get shorter in height) b. Vision and hearing- very slow decline after age 40i. Eyes lose some ability to change focus quickly and zoom in (need reading glasses even though didn’t need glasses before in younger years)ii. We hear less in high frequency range (first, that’s why we don't notice our hearing loss early) II. Menopause in womena. Also called climactericb. Menstrual periods cease c. Average age 51d. Estrogen begins to drop gradually in 40'se. Biologically middle aged women can have children right up to menopausei. Birth control still important to women in the child-bearing range (ovaries still functional), careers important to many women- may not want babies in middle age ii. There are greater risks giving birth in mid to late 40's and up II. Later motherhood a. Some women focus on career in early adulthood and put off child-rearing until middle age b. Positives- maturity in parenting, often have more money to support childrenc. Negatives- slightly greater risk of birth defects, less energy than young parents?d. Father's perspectives? Not much research has been done. II. Men's midlife change a. Hormone levels drop only slightlyb. Daniel Levinson described Mid Life Crisisi. Interviewed middle aged men, looked at famous men's biographies rather thanstatistical studiesb. Psychological- "crisis in self-concept"c. No hormonal cause (mostly psychological), rather adjusting to declining physical energy, family and work pressures d. Only a minority of adults experience a mid life crisisII. Sexualitya. Healthy men and women can function sexually into their 80'sb. There may be a gradual slow-down beginning later in middle agec. People in middle and older age report satisfaction and fulfillmentII. Healtha. Life styles affect general healthb. Diet, smoking, alcohol usec. Strong social ties are conducive to good health in all stages of adulthood (weak social ties lead to loneliness and bad health) d. Stress- takes toll on healthe. Good health may reflect personality, sense of control, perceiving problems as challenges rather than great obstaclesf. A person's outlook on life is a factor!II. Health and personality typesa. Type A- driven, in control, competitive types are at higher risk of heart problemsb. Type B- relaxed and easy going- often retain good health longerc. Type C- uptight, inexpressive, holds in stress- at greater risk for cancerII. Cognitive developmenta. Use it or lose it!a. Long term memory begins to decline just a bit in middle age. No serious cognitivechangesb. Fluid intelligence begins declinei. Abstract reasoningb. Crystalized intelligence increasesi. Accumulated information and verbal skillsa. Expertise in specific domains is at highest b. It is good for the brain to learn new skills, physical and cognitive!II. Socio-emotional changesa. Erikson- psychosocial tasks of midlifeb. Stage: Generativity vs stagnationc. Generativity- leave legacies and benefits for the next generation, work for improvement of societyd. Stagnation- self-absorption- have done little for the next generatione. Erikson's work presents mostly positive images of mid-lifeII. Divorce in middle agea. Positives- adult children handle it better, some divorcees understand selves better, search for changes including end of unhappy marriageb. Negatives- some feel betrayed, see divorce as failing in the best years of lifec. Reasons given for cause of divorce in middle age:i. Men: 1. Fell out of love, cheating, different valuesii. Women:1. Verbal, physical, emotional abuse, alcohol or drug abuse, cheatingII. Leisure timea. By middle age many people have time and resources to diversify their interests and spend time and money on leisure activitiesb. Adults who enjoy leisure activities- take vacations- take time to relax- remain healthier and live longerc. Leisure interests help prepare psychologically for transition to retirementII. Life satisfactiona. Life satisfaction affects our conception of aging and mental healthb. Married people report higher levels of satisfactionc. People with strong social networks = better healthd. Religious beliefs have been documented to have positive effect on health as we ageII. Family violencea. Violence- tends not to be a big issue for most families in middle age, yet statisticsshow that when violence against family members occurs, both men and women can be perpetratorsII. Families with adolescentsa. Increasing flexibility of family boundariesb. Financial- more moneyc. Interpersonali. Parental allianceii. Care for aging parent- the Sandwich Generation1. Average cost of nursing home $5,512/mo2. Average