week 9

Question 1

whats people aged 35 to 60 called

Answer 1

middle adulthood

Question 2

physical changes in middle adulthood

Answer 2

• Thinning or grey hair, dry skin, wrinkle lines
• Andropause - reducing testosterone (men)
• Menopause - sleeplessness, depression, changes in self-identity (women)
• Later middle adulthood sees bone loss exceed bone formation
• Early middle adulthood sees bone remodelling equilibrium
• Basal Metabolic Rate declines (leads to weight gain)
• Osteoarthritis (aging joints and stiffness)

Question 3

sensory changes in middle adulthood

Answer 3

Visual acuity remains stable for much of middle adulthood.
• Hearing acuity diminishes, especially for high-pitched sounds. Impacted by a persons occupations eg loud music or loud work place

Question 4

lead causes of death in middle adulthood

Answer 4

1. Coronary heart disease
2. Lung cancer
3. Suicide
4. Breast cancer
5. Colorectal cancer

Question 5

cognitive changes in middle adulthood

Answer 5

• Cognitive performance tends to remain stable throughout middle adulthood
• Whilst brain shrinkage commences in middle adulthood, the majority of people are not affected functionally (doesn’t impact daily life).
• Rates of brain shrinkage vary depending on intrinsic (genetics, weight) and extrinsic factors (diet, exercise)

Question 6

whats fluid intelligence

Answer 6

: ability to process new information without previous knowledge. (declines with age)

Question 7

middle adulthood shift to what type of intelligence and what I it

Answer 7

crystallised intelligence: ability to apply knowledge gained over life to respond to situations. Life time of skills. (inclines with age)

Question 8

whats generatively

Answer 8

the capacity to contribute to the quality of life for future generations.

Question 9

how is generativity measured

Answer 9

Some researchers are seeking to operationalise generativity e.g. as self-evaluation – a ‘view of the self’.
• Other researchers are measuring generativity similar to the construct of identity, along two dimensions.
• While researchers vary in the age where generativity becomes pronounced for most people, the research suggests that it is between 45-50 years of age

Question 10

whats stagnation

Answer 10

: a lack of psychological movement or growth during middle adulthood that may result from self-aggrandisement or from the inability to cope with developmental tasks.

Question 11

whats rejectvity

Answer 11

is the unwillingness to include certain others or groups of others in one’s generative concerns

Question 12

middle adulthood interaction with other

Answer 12

• Middle adults can communicate effectively with strangers, friends, relatives, family members and partners
• Many valued occupations in this stage are inherently social (work, spending time with family and friends)
• Negative impacts on interpersonal interactions can have a broad negative impact on a person’s overall health and well- being

Question 13

marriage and intimate relationships in middle adulthood

Answer 13

• Typical development = expressing love through more than sexuality
• Studies show the median age at which couples marry has been rising for the past several decades
• Australian’s are now marrying later and marrying less
• Relationships are changing within Australia

Question 14

divorce in middle adulthood

Answer 14

• Rate have fallen in recent years
• Median age that it occurs is during middle adulthood 45 for men 42 for women
• Loss in social network, sense of self, friends, income
• Impacts support, social network
• Increase financial stress and work stress
• Rates decline as we move through the age range

Question 15

caring relationships for middle adulthood

Answer 15

• Middle aged adults may have children of any age
• Being a parent is a difficult, demanding task that requires a great deal of learning
• During middle adulthood, the stages of family development that will likely take place are:
- Children in early and middle childhood.
- Children become adolescents.
- No children are living at home.
- Adult children may return home
- Parents become grandparents
• At each stage of a child’s life, the demands on parents change

Question 16

whats parenting alliance

Answer 16

the capacity of a spouse to acknowledge, respect, and value the parenting roles and tasks of the partner

Question 17

what occurs in a one parent household

Answer 17

• About 30% of all families are one-parent families; 80% of these are headed by women.
• The greatest stressor for solo parents is the lack of financial resources.
• Solo parents may also suffer from social isolation, continuous pressure to meet the needs of their children, and role overload.

Question 18

remarriage / new relationships middle adulthood

Answer 18

• Blended families include more than just children from different partners
• About 40% of marriages involve a remarriage for the bride, the groom, or both.
• Re-structure of family unit - changes in roles
• changes in time use
• may miss out on leisure activities with children

Question 19

whats the sandwich generation

Answer 19

• conflict in care-giving, caught between providing care for ageing parents and their children
  • Care of ageing parents may be in the form of coordinating social supports / appointments or may involve hands on care
  • Difficult to achieve / maintain occupational balance (paritcally a chronic disease)

Question 20

what issues can middle adults face

Answer 20

• Role overload.
• Role conflict.
• Role spill-over.

Question 21

how do middle adults manage a carer

Answer 21

• Understanding and managing leadership and authority.
• Expanding interpersonal skills and relationships.
• Meeting new skill demand.

Question 22

whats substantive complexity

Answer 22

the degree to which the work requires thought, independent judgment, and frequent decision making. People who have this show levels of flexibility and independence.

Question 23

whats intellectual flexibility

Answer 23

: the ability to handle conflicting information, grasp several perspectives on a problem, and reflect on one’s own values and solutions.

Question 24

why would work activities or goals change five reasons

Answer 24

• Some careers end during middle adulthood.
• Cannot resolve conflicts between job demands and personal goals.
• Realisation that one has succeeded as much as possible in a given career.
• Some women decide to make a greater commitment to career once their children are in high school or university.
• With the restructuring of the workforce, some workers are laid off and cannot be rehired in the same field.

Question 25

whats the impact of joblessness

Answer 25

• There is a difference in how people cope with seasonal or short-term (less than 5 weeks) unemployment and chronic unemployment.
• Job loss has been associated with both physical and psychological consequences, such as self-doubt, passivity, and social withdrawal.
• The effects of job loss in middle age can be profound; especially as the period of unemployment between jobs can be long and finding a new career problematic.

Question 26

managing the household

Answer 26

• Management of the household includes: planning, problem solving, and activities adults must engage in, to care for themselves and others
• Families may differ in their investment in the family unit

Question 27

leisure activities middle adulthood

Answer 27

• Important for Occupational Balance
• Positive support to emotional and mental health
• Reduce social isolation, increase mental stimulation and physical activity which in turn can help reduce the rates of chronic conditions
• Must find the time
• Increasing leisure occupations in retirement