Social and Emotional Development in Late Adulthood - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Social and Emotional Development in Late Adulthood

Chapter 18Slide2

Erikson’s Theory: Ego Integrity vs. Despair

The final psychological conflict of Erikson’s theory is

ego integrity vs. despair

Involves coming to terms with one’s life

Ego integrity

Adults who arrive at a sense of integrity feel whole and satisfied with their achievements, they have

adapted to life’s triumphs and disappointments

The capacity to

view one’s life in the larger context of all humanity

contributes to the contentment that accompanies integrity

Despair

Despair occurs when elders feel they have made

many wrong decisions, yet time is too short to find an alternative

The despairing person finds it hard to accept that death is near and is overwhelmed with bitterness, defeat, and hopelessness

According to Erikson, these attitudes are often expressed as anger and contempt for others, which disguise

contempt for oneself Slide3

Other Theories of Psychosocial Development in Late Adulthood

As with Erikson’s stages of early and middle adulthood, other theorists have clarified and refined his vision of late adulthood

Specifying the tasks and the thought processes that contribute to a sense of ego integrity

All agree that optimal development involves greater integration and deepening of the personality Slide4

Peck’s Tasks of Ego Integrity and Joan Erikson’s

Gerotranscendence

According to Robert Peck, attaining ego integrity involves 3 distinct tasks

Ego differentiation:

for those who invested heavily in their careers, finding other ways to self-worth – through family, friendship, and community life

Body transcendence

: overcoming physical limitations by emphasizing the compensating rewards of cognitive, emotional, and social powers

Ego transcendence

:

as contemporaries die, facing the reality of death constructively through efforts to make life more secure, meaningful, and gratifying for younger generations

Research suggests that body transcendence (focusing on psychological strengths) and ego transcendence (orienting toward a larger, more distant future) increase

Joan Erikson, suggested that these attainments actually represent development beyond ego integrity (which requires satisfaction with one’s past) to an additional psychosocial stage

Gerotranscendence

– a cosmic and transcendent perspective directed forward and outward, beyond the self

Seen in heightened inner calm and contentment Slide5

Labouvie-Vief’s Emotional Experience

Elders improve in

affect optimization

– the ability to maximize positive emotions and dampen negative emotions

Which contributes to their remarkable resilience

Most older adults sustain a sense of optimism and good psychological well-being

About 30%-40% of elders also retain a considerable capacity for cognitive-emotional complexity – a combination related to especially effective emotional self-regulation

Older adults’ emotional perceptiveness helps them separate interpretations from objective aspects of situations

They readily use emotion-centered coping strategies (controlling distress internally) in negatively charged situations

In sum, a significant late-life psychosocial attainment is becoming expert at reflecting on one’s own feelings and regulating negative affect Slide6

Reminiscence

Reminiscence

– telling stories about people and events from their past and reporting associated thoughts and feelings

Current theory and research indicate that reflecting on the past can be positive and adaptive

Life review –

a form of reminiscence in which a person calls up past experiences, with the goal of achieving greater self-understanding

Reminiscence often occurs during times of life transition, such as retirement or widowhood

Helps elders sustain a sense of personal continuity

But, many elders who are high in self-acceptance and life satisfaction spend little time evaluating their pasts

Today, many elders in industrialized nations are largely present- and future-oriented

, rather than focusing on the past and wishing to be young again

Experts believe a new phase of late adulthood has evolved

The third age

– spans ages 65-79, is a time of new goal setting, personal fulfillment, and high life satisfaction Slide7

Stability and Change in Self-Concept and Personality

Longitudinal research reveals continuing stability of the “big five” personality traits from mid- to late-life

Yet the ingredients of ego integrity – wholeness, contentment, and image of the self as part of a larger world order – are reflected in several significant late-life changes in both self-concept and personality Slide8

Secure and Multifaceted Self-Concept

Elders have accumulated a lifetime of self-knowledge, leading to

more secure and complex

conceptions of themselves

Research indicates that the autobiographical selves of 65-85 year olds emphasize coherence and consistency

Positive, multifaceted self-definitions are associated with psychological well-being

Hobbies, interests, social participation, family, health, and personality traits

Most elders continue to mention – and actively pursue – some hoped-for selves in the areas of physical health, personal characteristics, relationships, and social responsibility Slide9

Resilience: Agreeableness and Acceptance of Change

Open-ended interviews and personality tests reveal that elders gain in agreeableness and show greater acceptance of change

At the same time, elders show modest age-related dips in extraversion and openness to experience

Most older adults are resilient – especially if they were earlier in life

Older adults’ general cheerfulness strengthens their physiological resistance to stress, enabling them to conserve physical and mental resources needed for effective coping Slide10

Spirituality and Religiosity

Older adults may develop a more mature sense of spirituality

Older adults attach great value to religious beliefs and behaviors

72% of Americans age 65 and older say that religion is very important in their lives

At least in the U.S., elders tend to become

more religious with age

Involvement in both organized and informal religious activities is

especially high among low-SES ethnic minority elders

Involvement in both organized and informal religious

activities

is

higher among women

Both organized and informal religious participation is

associated with longer survival Slide11

Contextual Influences on Psychological Well-Being

Most adults adapt well to old age

Yet some feel dependent, incompetent, and worthless

Personal and situational factors often combine to affect psychological well-being

Identifying these contextual influences is vital for designing interventions that foster positive adjustment Slide12

Control vs. Dependency

2 predictable, complementary behavior patterns can be seen in observations of people interacting with older adults

The

dependency-support script

– dependent behaviors are attended to immediately

The

independence-ignore script

– independent behaviors are mostly ignored

Both scripts reinforce dependent behavior at the expense of independent behavior

Research shows that negative reactions to caregiving can result in persisting depression

When elders experience difficulty with daily activities, social contact is linked to a less positive everyday existence

This suggests that social interaction while assisting elders with physical care, household chores, and errands is often not rewarding but demeaning and unpleasant Slide13

Control vs. Dependency

Whether assistance from others undermines well-being is a function of many factors

Including the caregiver-elder relationship and the social context in which helping occurs

A stereotype of the elderly as passive and incompetent appears to be responsible for caregiver responses that promote excessive dependency in old age

Old people seem to be aware that people think they are feeble… and attribute their dependency to

overresponsive

social partners

Dependency in old age can be adaptive if it permits older people to conserve their strength by investing it in highly valued activities

Ex. Mowing the lawn for grandpa so he isn’t too tired to go play golf Slide14

Physical Health

Physical health is a powerful predictor of psychological well-being

Physical declines and chronic disease can lead to a sense of loss of personal control

Which is a major factor in mental health

More than actual physical limitations,

perceived negative physical health

predicts depressive symptoms

So how bad their health actually is, doesn’t matter as much as how bad they think their health is

The relation between physical and mental health can become a vicious cycle

With each intensifying the other, as one goes down so does the other

Elders generally do not get the mental health care they need-even in nursing homes, where mental health problems are widespread Slide15

Negative Life Changes

Negative life changes may evoke

less stress and depression

for older people than younger adults

Because elders have learned to cope with hard times and to accept loss

However, when negative changes pile up, they test the coping skills of older adults

In very old age, such changes are greater for women than for men

Older women are more likely to be widowed, have lower income, and suffer from more illness Slide16

Social Support

In late adulthood, social support continues to reduce stress, thereby promoting physical health and psychological well-being

However, because many older adults place a high value on independence, they do not want a great deal of support from people close to them unless they can reciprocate

Formal support as a complement to

informal

assistance spare elders from feeling overly dependent

in their close relationships

Ethnic minority elders do not readily accept formal assistance but are more willing to do so when helpers are connected to a familiar neighborhood organization, especially church

For social support to promote well-being, elders need to

assume personal control of it

Besides tangible assistance, elders benefit from social support that offers affection, affirmation of their self-worth, and sense of belongingSlide17

A Changing Social World

Extraverts continue to interact with a wider range of people than to introverts and people with poor social skills in old age

Nevertheless, studies reveal that size of social networks and, therefore, amount of social interaction decline for virtually everyone

This finding presents a curious paradox:

If social interaction and social support are essential for mental health, how is it possible for elders to interact less yet be generally satisfied with life and less depressed than younger adults Slide18

Social Theories Of Aging

Social theories of aging offer explanations for changes in elders social activity

Two older perspectives,

disengagement theory

and

activity theory

interpret declines in social interaction in opposite ways

More recent approaches,

continuity theory

and

socioemotional

selectivity theory

, account for a wider range of feelings Slide19

Social Theories Of Aging: Disengagement Theory

According to

disengagement theory

, mutual withdrawal between elders and society takes place in anticipation of death

Older people decrease their activity levels and interact less frequently

Becoming more preoccupied with their inner lives

At the same time, society frees elders from employment and family responsibilities

The result is viewed as beneficial for both sides

Elders are granted a life of tranquility and once they disengage, their deaths are less disruptive to society

However, not everyone disengages, and even when old people disengage, it may not be their preference

Rather it may be due to a failure of the social world to provide opportunities for engagement Slide20

Social Theories Of Aging: Activity Theory

Activity theory

states that social barriers to engagement, not the desires of elders, cause declining rates of interaction

When older people lose certain roles (retirement or death of a spouse), they try to find others in an effort to stay about as active and busy as they were in middle age

In this view, elders’ life satisfaction depends on conditions that permit them to remain engaged in roles and relationships

Problems with this theory

Activity theory fails to acknowledge any psychological change in old age

Many studies show that merely offering elders opportunities for social contact does not lead to greater social activity

When health status is controlled, elders who have larger social networks and engage in more activities are not necessarily happier

Apparently, quality over quantity applies hereSlide21

Social Theories Of Aging: Continuity Theory

According to

continuity theory

, most aging adults strive to maintain a personal system – an identity and a set of personality dispositions, skills, and roles – that promotes life satisfaction by ensuring consistency between their past and anticipated future

Participation in familiar activities with familiar people helps preserve physical and cognitive functioning and affirms identity Slide22

Social Theories Of Aging: Socioemotional

Selectivity Theory

Socioemotional

selectivity theory

asserts that social interaction does not decline suddenly in late age

Rather, it extends lifelong selection processes

Physical and psychological aspects of aging lead to changes in the functions of social interaction

Elders emphasize the emotion-regulating function of interaction (approaching those who evoke positive feelings and avoiding those who evoke negative feelings)

And deemphasize other functions, such as information gathering (being friends with someone because they offer information you don’t have)

In collectivist cultures, where people value an interdependent self, social relationships tend to not become restricted Slide23

Social Contexts of Aging: Communities, Neighborhoods, and Housing

The physical and social contexts in which elders live affect their social experiences and, consequently, their development and adjustment

Communities, neighborhoods, and housing arrangements vary in the extent to which they enable aging residents to satisfy their social needs Slide24

Social Contexts: Communities and Neighborhoods

Suburban elders have higher incomes and report better health than inner-city elders do

Inner-city elders are better off in terms of transportation and proximity to social services

And are not as disadvantaged in health, income, and availability of services as those who live in small towns and rural areas

Small-town and rural elderly compensate for distance from family and social services by interacting more with neighbors and friends Slide25

Social Contexts: Victimization and Fear of Crime

Media attention has led to a widely held belief that crime against the elderly is common

Although older adults are less often targets of crime than other age groups

However, I will say that this statistic came out before the big phone scam of last year…

Fear of crime restricts activities and undermines morale among frail elders living alone and in inner-city areas

Ex. My grandparents are still trying to find a way to come visit me that doesn’t involve driving within 20 miles of Detroit or getting on an airplane…Slide26

Social Contexts: Housing Arrangements

Elders housing preferences reflect a strong desire for

aging in place

– remaining in a familiar setting where they have control over their everyday life

Ordinary homes

For the majority of elders, who are not physically impaired, staying in their own homes affords the greatest possible personal control

More elders in Western countries live on their own today than ever before, as a result of improved health and economic well-being

Older adults of Southern, Central, and Eastern European descent, as well as African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, more often live with extended families

During the past half-century, the number of unmarried, divorced, and widowed American elders living alone has risen dramatically

Over 40% of them are poverty stricken Slide27

Social Contexts: Housing Arrangements

Residential Communities

Housing developments for the aged differ from ordinary homes in that they have been modified to suit elders’ capacities

For elders who need more help with everyday tasks, assisted living arrangements are available

Congregate housing

– an increasingly popular long-term care option – provides a variety of support services, including meals in a common dining room, along with watchful oversight of residents with physical and mental disabilities

Life-care communities

offer a range of options, from independent or congregate housing to full nursing home care, guaranteeing that elders’ changing needs will be met in one place as they age

Studies of diverse residential communities for the aged reveal that they can have positive effects on physical and mental health

No U.S. federal regulations govern assisted-living facilities

But physical designs and support services that enable aging in place are vital for elders’ well-beingSlide28

Social Contexts: Housing Arrangements

Nursing Homes

The 5% of Americans age 65 and older who live in nursing homes experience

the most extreme restriction of autonomy and social integration

Potential social partners are abundant in nursing homes, but interaction is low

More homelike nursing homes could do much to increase residents’ sense of security and control

The new

Green House

model offers aging-in-place features that ensure late-life well-being, such as physical and emotional comfort and meaningful relationships Slide29

Relationships in Late Adulthood

The

social convoy

is an influential model of changes in our social networks as we move through life

Ships in the inner circle represent people’s closest relationships (spouse, best friend, parent, child, etc.)

Those less close but still important travel on the outside

With age, ships exchange places in the convoy, and some drift off while others join the procession

As long as the convoy continues to exist, you adapt positively