PSYCH 250 1st Edition Lecture 19 Outline of Last Lecture I. Middle AgeII. Health and Body Changes in Middle AgeIII. Sensory and Motor Change in AdulthoodIV. Sexual Attitudes and InfertilityV. MenopauseVI. Variations and Adaptations in AgingVII. The Intelligences and Intellectual Abilities in Middle AgeOutline of Current Lecture VIII. Trends in Having ChildrenIX. Advantages and Disadvantages of Parenthood X. Changes with ParenthoodCurrent LectureTrends in Having Children70% of couples choose to have children, and in today’s society, most parents are older when they decided to have their first child. Since 1950, the size of the typical family has decreased. In the United States, the average number of children per couple is 2, compared to 1950 when the average number of children was 3.1 The decision to have children is perhaps the biggest decision a couple will ever make. This decision is hinged on a variety of factors including:Financial CircumstancesPersonal and Religious Beliefs and ValuesBiological and Health Issues Advantages and Disadvantages of ParenthoodParenthood comes with several advantages and disadvantages: Advantages Disadvantages Warmth and affection Parenthood is fun Community status Gives meaning to life Immortality Loss of freedom Financial strain Role overload Interferes with career Worries Sense of accomplishment Personal growth Less time with partnerChanges with ParenthoodParenthood brings changes to not only home life, but also to the identities of the parents, as wells relationships, and roles and responsibilities. Roles are generally more traditional with the birth of the first child, and become less traditional with the next child as the father steps up his responsibility to help the mother with both children. Parenthood can strain a troubled marriage, divorce rates among couples tend to be high during the first five years of the child’s life, and there are many factors that go into determining the adjustment of the parents:o Social Supporto Division of Laboro Marital Happiness during Pregnancy (often continues afterwards)o Child’s TemperamentA longitudinal study of newlyweds showed that three things predicted the mothers level of satisfaction after the birth of a baby: 1. Spouses affection toward her2. Spouses expression of “weness” more alike and similar they were the happier she was3. The more aware he was of her everyday
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