Tell me everything your remember about the theory of Erik Erikson, especially as it pertains to adult development.
Trait Approach to Adult Personality
Chapter 9 Pages 318-325 ]
-Traits are lasting personality qualities. Dispositions
-Relatively enduring qualities that a person shows in most situations. They influence our
behavior.
-Description, rather than explanation.
– Traits are not just REACTIVE. Rather they are MOTIVATING tendencies! We seek
out or produce situations that allow for the expression of certain behavioral tendencies!
Our personalities will change very little over time, but we may change what we do within our
given personality traits! Some remain constant; others go through modest changes.
McCrae and Costa’s Five-Factor Model of Personality:
1. Neuroticism (hostility, anxiety, self-consciousness,
depression, impulsiveness, and vulnerability.) When
people are high in this dimension, they tend to have
negative, violent emotions that interfere with people’s
ability to handle problems and get along with others.
2. Extraversion (Warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness as
well as activity, excitement seeking and positive emotions)
Like to keep busy and work in people-oriented jobs. Zest,
delight and fun!
3. Openness to Experience – Having a vivid imagination and
active dream life. Openness in the appreciation of art and
beauty. Willing to try something new. Curious and value
knowledge for the sake of knowing. Open-minded in
values. Psychologist? Minister?
4. Agreeableness – Opposite of antagonistic who are
skeptical, mistrustful, callous, unsympathetic, stubborn and
rude. Agreeableness people tend to be overly dependent
and self-effacing.
5. Conscientiousness – Hardworking, ambitious, energetic,
scrupulous and persevering. Strong desire to make
something of themselves. At the opposite end, people tend
to be negligent, lazy, disorganized, late, aimless and not
persistent.
It appears that individuals change very little in personality traits over periods of up to 30 years
long and over the age range of 20 – 90 years.
These are the basic tendencies that are the core potential of the person.
Older Adulthood
FIVE FOR FIGHTING – 100 YEARS SONG
I.
Overview: Ageism
The fastest growing segment of the U.S. population — will continue into the next century.
Early 60s, but could span up to 40 more years!
Baby Boom + Increased Life expectancy = two major demographic trends
Baby Boom — The generation who were born between 1945 and 1964. This “bulge”
will move upward! Now approximately 1/3 or the US population.
Average Life expectancy – This refers to the number of years an individual born in a
certain year can expect to live, given the conditions present at the time. It’s an
average.
– A person born in 1900 had a life expectancy of 47
– A person born in 2005 has a life expectancy of 80
ASK CLASS… Why is this? (decline in infant + child mortality)
Not a homogeneous group!
-“Young-old” 60-69: coping with role change, centering around retirement
– Middle-aged old: 70-79: coping with illness, loss of loved ones, social isolation
– Old-old: 80-89: coping with increasing frailty and maintaining social connections
– Very old-old: over 90: retaining one’s abilities and keeping positive attitude.
Often especially “hearty.”
A 65 year-old could be caring for parent in late 80s!
At this stage of life it is difficult to generalize about people. In general, most people are
not needy and frail, but most are fairly independent, healthy and involved.
Most people can expect to grow old:
The shifting age of the population has focused more attention on the needs and
characteristics of older adults. In old age, people undergo numerous physical,
cognitive, and socioeconomic changes.
Advanced medical technology has not only increased the average life expectancy, it has
raised serious medical, legal and ethical questions…
The variation among the elderly in the extent and patterning of change is considerable.
II. Ageism
1
STEREOTYPES: A set of beliefs about the characteristics of the people in a group that is applied to
almost all members of that group. An overgeneralization. It implies inferiority.
The untrue assumption that chronological age is the main determinant of human
characteristics and that one age is “better” than another.
Ageism occurs when people are negatively judged on the basis of age alone. The
negative consequences of ageism can affect the overall experience of growing older..
* NAME SOME STEREOTYPES OF AGING:
Stereotypes differ between men and women, right? Women portrayed as unattractive.
– cranky, sexless, childlike, senile and useless.
Perpetuated by tv, commercials, birthday cards, jokes on the internet…
Age stereotypes may include:
– The elderly are perceived as children who require instruction and
supervision. Out of date, old fashioned, behind the times, of no value
or importance. Can’t drive, are frail and cranky.
– Stereotypes differ between men and women and older women portrayed as
unattractive.
– May take the form of overly POSITIVE attitudes –e.g., “cute” or “kindly” or “wise.”
Kind of patronizing. Although “favorable” these attitudes cannot be applied to each
and every older person!
–
Elderly may be perceived as children who require
instruction and supervision. Out of date, old fashioned,
behind the times, of no value or importance.
But many elderly simply do not fit this stereotype!
1. The negative feature of ageism is that, like other stereotypes, it involves making
overgeneralizations about individuals based on an outward characteristic that they possess.
→ Ageist views portray older adults in a negative light e.g., cranky, “senile” etc.
Younger people view old people as disgusting and avoid contact. Closeness may be seen
as FEAR OF AGING.
– Frightening?
– When we lie about our age we hope to project a more youthful
image.
– The old remind younger people of their own mortality.
2. But unlike other “isms” (race, sex) people who hold these stereotypes will eventually
become targets of their own negative beliefs as they themselves grow old.
Why is this SO interesting and important?
→ The negative consequences of ageism can affect the overall experience of growing older.
1. Cultures vary in the esteem associated with aging.
2
2. Middle aged and especially older adults are a highly diverse segment of the population
in terms of their physical functioning, psychological performance, and conditions of living.
As people get older, their lives diverge increasingly from each other because of the many
choice points that are offered to them and the many different choices they make.
5. The physical changes associated with aging affects how we are perceived by OTHERS.
Individuals often make a great effort to appear young. WHY? WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE
METHODS? See picture in text re: a woman preparing for Botox.
II.
Physical Aspects of Aging: Primary and Secondary Aging
A. Health, Disease and Nutrition
IMMUNE SYSTEM:
See page 465 in the text:
As the immune system ages, T cells, which attack antigens (foreign substances) directly
become less numerous and effective .
In addition, the immune system is more likely to malfunction by turning against normal
body tissue in an autoimmune response. A less competent immune system reduces the
effectiveness of available vaccines and increases the risk of a variety of illness.
For example: The flu and other infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease, certain
forms of cancer, and various autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and
diabetes.
-Normal age-related changes that occur in response to biological decline.
-Decline in vision continues
Appearance changes: Wrinkles. Sun exposure hastens it. Thinning, loss of
elasticity. Criss-cross look of fine tissue paper.
Age spots – pigment
Loss of teeth
Declines in hearing continue. They have difficulty with high-pitched sounds.
Lower your voice – not shout to help elderly hear you better.
-Taste and odor sensitivity may decline
– Touch sensitivity declines, particularly in fingers.
– Adding salt because of this sensory slow-down. Could lead to hypertension.
-Declines in cardiovascular and respiratory functioning lead to greater physical
stress during exercise. Decrease lung functioning.
Compression of cartilage in the spine. Old people lose inches of height.
3
Atherosclerosis – hardening of the arteries. Related to diet. Older people require
20% fewer calories, but same balanced nutritious diet.
Changes in the gastrointestinal system, such as deterioration of the mucous lining in the
intestinal tract, and reduction of gastric juices. This contributes to the frequent intestinal
and digestive complaints of the aging.
Sleep difficulties increase, leading to insomnia.
Graying and thinning of hair continue
Skin wrinkles further and becomes more transparent as it loses fatty layer of support
and elasticity.
Increase in warts, age spots. Small broken blood vessels — tiny black and blue marks.
For many people, skin changes are due to exposure to wind, sun, abrasions.
A “healthy tan” leads to thin, wrinkled skin for some and skin cancer for others.
We become weaker, shorter and less able to maintain our balance. Changes in the
VESTIBULAR SYSTEM.
Muscle weight, strength and endurance DECREASE. It takes older muscles longer to
restore themselves after physical activity.
Decreased lung and heart functioning. Diminish the supply of oxygen in the blood.
As heart muscle weakens, this results in decreased circulation.
Height and weight (due to loss of lean body mass) decline.
Loss of bone mass continues, leading to rising rates of osteoporosis. Can be prevented
by increased consumption of calcium and exercise programs.
-Visual acuity: the ability to distinguish fine detail.
-Cataracts: Formation of opaque covering of the lens. Affects 60% of the elderly
-Macular Degeneration: Central vision blurs and gradually is lost. Leading cause of
blindness.
-Glaucoma: Pressure within eyes builds up and gradually damages the optic nerve.
Central nervous system – Slows down
Older people take more time to process information
Slowing down of response behavior.
ASK: What are some consequences of this slow-down?
A regular and moderate level of physical activity and exercise can help slow down the
aging process and help older people feel better.
Medical disease – Older people more susceptible to disease and less likely to recover
quickly.
– Chronic Health problems: Health probs that never go away (e.g., high blood
pressure).
4
– Mental health: Depression, chronic anxiety and hypochondriasis.
Older white males: Highest suicide rate of any group of individuals.
LOSS – common factor in depression in old age.
Dementia: A common condition in old age in which people experience declines in
physical, cognitive, and personality behaviors as a result of brain deterioration or
damage. Progressive.
–
–
Alzheimers: Most common form of dementia.
Affects 6 – 10% of all people over 65.
It is a chronic and progressive disorder that can last for 10 – 15 years
or more before the victim dies.
Causes deterioration in mental, social, and personality behaviors.
Symptoms: starts as forgetfulness or confusion, problems recalling
names and other information, loss of appetite, insomnia and
depression.
Lack of control of bodily functions.
Substantial impact on family.
Cause not known. Probably genetic.
–
Multi-infarct dementia: Refers to dementia as a result of reduced blood
flow, specific damage and deterioration in brain tissue or ministrokes.
Symptoms include irritability, fatigue, headaches, and memory losses.
A person can suffer several of these ministrokes over a lifetime.
–
Both of these forms of dementia can only be definitively diagnosed with autopsy.
Intensity of sexual response and sexual activity decline, although most healthy married
couples report regular sexual enjoyment
–
Misuse of Prescribed medication
Alcohol abuse – problematic when there are negative interaction
effects with other meds.
Cognitive Changes?
There is a great deal of research in this area, unfortunately results are contradictory.
Difficult to separate out cognitive changes from physical changes
response time
perceptual ability
Modest memory problems very common.
Memory problems mainly affect: Working memory
Evidence indicates that active elderly differ from inactive. Studies show that physical
fitness affects mental tasks as well as physical tasks.
5
Cognitive decline could also be related to:
1) nutritional deficits
2) Use of alcohol over an extended period. Even moderate amounts results in reduced short and long-term
memory.
3) Prescription and over-the-counter pills – e.g., sleeping pills, pain medication.
4) Use it or lose it! Over a prolonged illness, or depression, many people do not return to previous level of
functioning.
Motivational factors affect the research as well. Elderly may be intimidated by testing,
or may not be motivated to perform.
IQ? IQ scores on standardized tests start to decline around age 40.
Decline is typically in fluid intelligence scores (performance scales,
abstract reasoning tasks that are nonverbal)
Compensated for by a rise in crystallized intelligence (vocabulary,
verbal analogies). Problem-solving gets better.
Terminal drop: a sudden decrease in intellectual performance shortly before
death.
Wisdom: A cognitive perspective characterized by a broad, practical, comprehensive
approach to life’s problems, reflecting timeless truths rather than immediate expediency;
said to be more common in the elderly than in the young.
Attributes of wisdom stated in your text: wealth of experience, high personal and interpersonal
competence, the ability to listen and give advice, reflectiveness, mastery of emotional responses,
creativity, and transcendence.
PRAGMATICS matters.
–
Must have a personality that is open to new experiences
Must have specific experiences in matters relating to life planning and the resolution of
personal and ethical dilemmas. LIFE EXPERIENCES MATTER!
Personality –
Erikson
Part of adjustment to aging includes the psychological need to reminisce and reflect on
past events. Older people often spend time searching for themes and images that give
their lives meaning and coherence. Some people ruminate over what sort of legacy
they will leave, what contributions they have made….
The crisis of old age is that of ego integrity vs. despair
Most old people continue to grow psychologically as they face challenges of old age.
Old people must adjust to retirement, physical aging, and the inevitability of their own
death.
Integrity is experienced as an emotional integration, a transcendence of the limitations
of the self, through full acceptance of the one and only life one is granted.
Despair – a feeling that time is now too short, no further chance of finding an alternate
path to an acceptable life. This may lead the person to experience profound regret and
6
fear of death. Look back on life and see a succession of wrong turns and missed
opportunities.
Inner struggle: Lessons of life… become part of wisdom in old age. Look back at life
and see a pattern of coherence and wholeness.
A life review – People organize their memories and reinterpret the actions and decisions
that have shaped their lives.
A.
“Successful” Aging
It is not unusual for older people to be preoccupied with their health, their restricted
economic circumstances and their lack of autonomy.
For life satisfaction at this stage of life, health is the most important factor, followed by
money, social class, marital status, adequacy of housing, amount of social interaction
and transportation. Some of the elderly receive lots of support from the church,
especially African-American older adults.
Many older people will report “they are doing OK, compared to others.” Social
Comparison is an important psychological process.
IV.
Retirement
Big variation in ages of retirement! 55, 65, 70…. A major change in status! What does
that mean?
People retire for various reasons. Those who choose to retire usually do so because of
adequate financial resources, good pension plans, desire to spend more time with the
family, or dislike of job. Healthy men who choose to retire adjust the best to retirement.
Adjustment to retirement is easier when you are prepared for it.
Involuntary retirement is associated with mandatory retirement policies or poor health.
Money is an issue! If you retire at 65, and expect to live till 85, do you have enough?
Retirement is a process involving a number of phases. As individuals go through the
phases, they develop, implement, re-evaluate, and enact their plans for the retirement
years. They assess if they have adequate savings and income, place to live and plans
for further work activities.
Some find retirement exciting and satisfying; others disenchanted and depressed.
VI. Marriage, Family and Social Life
In general, older married couples report that they are more satisfied with their marriages
after the children leave home. Marriage becomes more of an emotional center in their
lives.
7
Strains on older people’s marriages include differences in values, interests and
philosophies.
Poverty and illness strain an older married life.
However, people benefit in old age from being married. They live longer and
experience less mental illness and loneliness where there is a spouse to buffer them
from the stresses of old age.
Sexual activity is still important to old people. They enjoy sex but are often frustrated by
the lack of an available and willing partner. Focus less on sexual performance and
more on sexual pleasure.
Family life: Most older people are neither abandoned nor isolated. They live
independently of their children and often, nearby.
Older people rely on their children in times of illness, but give them advice, emotional
support, and services.
Relationships with grandchildren vary considerably from one older adult to another, and
from culture to culture.
Over 40% of the elderly have great-grandchildren!
Widowhood represents the single greatest loss suffered by the aging individual.
Of women over 75, 70% are widowed. There are more than 5X more older adult
widows in the US than widowers.
Widowers generally have greater income, education, freedom from health problems,
and access to more partner-like relationships than do widows. But they have more
trouble coping emotionally.
– Most prefer to maintain their independence despite the problem of loneliness.
– Many older adults report increased contact with and concern for siblings.
V.
Lifestyle Options for Older Adults
Only about 5% of older Americans live in nursing homes. About 20%, however, will be
institutionalized at one time or another in some form of extended-care facility.
Generally, people enter an institution when their physical condition is increasingly
deteriorating and there is no other care available. Mortality rates following
institutionalization are high.
Alternatives include retirement or age-segregated residential communities, in-home
(day) care, and living in apartments attached or close to the home of adult children.
Most elderly Americans value their independence but want to live in a secure setting.
8
➔Sam lives by himself in the same home he has occupied for over 30
years. His adult children can’t understand why he won’t move across
town to a modern apartment, which would be easier to care for than
his old, dilapidated house.
➔Seventy-year-old Sean says his 40-year marriage to Caitlin is the
happiest it’s ever been. Caitlin agrees that she’s more content than
ever before, but she isn’t quite as positive as Sean. What might
account for Caitlin’s and Sean’s high marital satisfaction and Sean’s
especially favorable response?
➔Lottie, a never-married elder, lives by herself. Curt, a college
student who just moved in next door, is certain Lottie must be very
lonely. Why is Curt’s assumption probably wrong?
➔Mae, who lost her job at age 51 and couldn’t afford her own
apartment, moved in with her 78-year-old widowed mother, Beryl, who
was glad to have Mae’s companionship. Mae grew depressed and
spent her days watching TV and drinking heavily. Although Beryl
tried to be patient, she complained about Mae’s failure to look for
work. Mae became belligerent, pushed her mother against the wall,
and slapped her.
9
Older Adulthood
I. Social and Societal Aspects of Older Adulthood
– Aging of America and Ageism
– ADL: Activities of Daily Living
II. Physical Aspects of Aging and the Changing Body
A. Health, Mental health, Appearance, disease and
Nutrition, prescription medications.
B. Balance, immune system decline
C. Sensory changes – vision, hearing
D. Sleep problems increase
E. Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
IIII. Cognitive Abilities and Wisdom
V. Personality
A. Erikson: Ego integrity vs. Despair
B. “Successful” Aging
VI. Retirement
VI. Family and Social Life
VII. Lifestyle Options for Older Adults
10
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
