PSY 213 1st Edition Lecture 24 Outline of Last Lecture I Love and Close Relationships II Adult Lifestyles Outline of Current Lecture I Challenges in Marriage Parenting and Divorce II Gender Communication and Relationships III The Nature of Middle Adulthood IV Physical Development V Cognitive Development Current Lecture I Challenges in Marriage Parenting and Divorce Becoming a parent a For many young adults parental roles are i Well planned aren t surprises ii Coordinated with other roles in life iii Developed with the individual s economic situation in mind a lot of young people they think about if they have the money for it iv Fathers are increasing their role of involvement v Most couples have slight dip in satisfaction of relationship 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 vi Most happy couples happy with relationships continue to be happy after having baby vii Troubled relationships bringing a baby into relationship notice a big dip in satisfaction b For others the discovery that they are about to become parents is a startling surprise Becoming a parent c Trends in childbearing overall have changed drastically in the past 50 years i Better access to birth control ii Societies expectations have changed a great deal iii By giving birth to fewer children and reducing the demands of child care women free up a significant portion of their life spans for other endeavors iv As working women increase in number they invest less actual time in the child s development v Men are apt to invest a greater amount of time in fathering vi Parental care is often supplemented by institutional care Dealing with divorce d Divorced adults i Difficulty in trusting someone else in a romantic relationship especially if divorce was bad e But they feel better after than before the divorce f Younger adults are more likely g Person who initiates divorce usually remarries first h Strategies for divorced adults i Thinking of divorce as a chance to grow personally and to develop more positive relationships ii Making decisions carefully iii Focusing more on the future than the past iv Using your strengths and resources to cope with difficulties v Not expecting to be successful and happy in everything you do II Gender Communication and Relationships Two ways of communications a Rapport talk Language of conversation b Report talk Talk that is designed to give information i Includes public speaking III The Nature of Middle Adulthood Changing midlife a As adults become older their age identity is younger than their chronological age i Age identity is younger than chronological age they feel happy and healthier b An increasing percentage of the population is made up of middle aged and older adults i Life expectancies is 78 ii Whole population is growing older 1 50 year olds are in better shape and report better health than 40 year olds a decade ago Defining middle adulthood c Middle adulthood 40 45 years of age to about 60 65 years of age d Declining physical skills and increasing responsibility e Awareness of the young old polarity more years behind you than you have left f Transmitting something meaningful to the next generation Want to feel as if their life meant something g Reaching and maintaining career satisfaction h This group of middle aged are the healthiest best educated and largest group of middle aged adults i Late midlife 55 to 65 is likely to be characterized by j Gains and losses and biological and sociocultural factors balance each other k Death of a parent l Last child leaving parental home m Becoming a grandparent n Preparing planning for retirement IV Physical Development Physical changes a Visible signs i Wrinkling and sagging of skin ii Appearance of aging spots iii Hair becomes thinner and grayer iv Nails become thicker and more brittle v Yellowing of teeth b Height and weight i Individuals lose height and gain weight ii Being overweight is a critical health problem in middle adulthood c Strength joints and bones i Cushions for bone movement become less efficient 1 Leading to joint stiffness and more difficulty in movement ii Progressive bone loss d Vision and hearing i Accommodation of the eye Ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina ii Difficulty viewing close objects iii Reduced blood supply decreases visual field iv Hearing can start to decline by the age of 40 v High pitched sounds are typically lost first e Cardiovascular system i High blood pressure high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease ii Exercise weight control and a diet rich in fruits vegetables and whole grains can often help iii Metabolic syndrome related to being obese f Lungs i Lung tissue becomes less elastic at about age 55 decreasing the lung s capacity ii Sleep iii Wakeful periods become more frequent in the 40 s iv Sleep disordered breathing and restless legs syndrome Health and disease g Frequency of accidents declines in middles adulthood i Individuals are less susceptible to colds and allergies ii Don t take as many risks h Stress is increasingly being found to be a factor in disease i Mental health concerns ii More likely to be sick don t eat or sleep as well much more likely to have cardiovascular disease Chronic stress can interfere with immune functioning i Linked to disease through immune system and cardiovascular factors Mortality rates j Infectious diseases tend to decline in middle adulthood i Cold ii flu k Chronic diseases are the main cause of death during middle adulthood i Heart disease ii Cancer 1 Leading causes of death Sexuality l Climacteric Midlife transition in which fertility declines happens in men and women m Menopause Cessation of a woman s menstrual periods i During the late forties or early fifties ii Hot flashes nausea fatigue and rapid heartbeat n Hormonal changes in middle aged men i Decline in sexual hormone level and activity ii Erectile dysfunction Inability to achieve and maintain an erection V Cognitive Development Intelligence a Crystallized intelligence accumulated information of what we know reading comprehension vocabulary and ability to apply what we know i Continues to increase in middle adulthood Fluid intelligence abstract reasoning skills and speed in which we think b May begin to decline in middle adulthood c The Seattle Longitudinal Study Extensive evaluation of intellectual abilities during adulthood i Main focus on individual change and