3.  ERIKSON
 Ego Integrity vs. Despair
Ego Integrity Despair
 Feel whole, complete,  Feel many decisions
satisfied with were wrong, but now
achievements time is too short
 Serenity and  Bitter and unaccepting
contentment of coming death
 Associated with  Expressed as anger
psychosocial maturity
and contempt for
others

4. --Ego differentiation versus work-role
preoccupation
--Body transcendence versus body
preoccupation
--Ego transcendence versus ego
preoccupation

5. PERSONALITY
 Remains stable
 Some slight changes
 Agreeableness and acceptance of
change increase slightly
 Extraversion decreases slightly

6. COPING/DEALING WITH STRESS
 Seniors have developed coping styles to
deal with problems
 Seniors have social support, familial
support, and friends which help to
reduce stress
 High quality relationships have the
greatest impact on psychological health

7. COGNITIVE-APPRAISAL COPING MODEL
(Lazarus & Folkman, 1984)
 States that people choose appropriate
coping strategies to deal with situations
that tax their normal resources
 2 types of coping strategies: problem-
focused or emotion-focused

8.  Problem focused coping: aims at
eliminating, managing, or improving a
stressful situation
 This strategy is used when the person
sees that they have a chance of
changing the situation

9.  Emotion focused coping: managing or
regulating the emotional response to a
stressful situation
 Works to lessen the physical or
psychological impact of the stressor
 Utilized when a person realizes that little
or nothing can be done about a
situation/stressor

10. SOCIAL INTERACTION
 Disengagement theory: social
interactions decline because of mutual
withdrawal between elders and society
 Adults are anticipating death
 Not everyone disengages

11. ACTIVITY THEORY
 States that social barriers cause
decreased engagement not the desire
of elders
 Yet, offering adults opportunities for
social contact does not guarantee
greater social activity

12. CONTINUITY THEORY (Atchley, 1989)
 People need to maintain a connection
between past and present activities
 Activity levels represents the
continuation of a person’s individual
lifestyle; adults should remain active

13.  Adults engage in the same sorts of
behaviors they always have:
MEN: engage in work, leisure activities,
role of father, husband
WOMEN: engage in roles of mother,
wife, worker, volunteer, and leisure
activities

14. SOCIOEMOTIONAL SELECTIVITY THEORY
 As we age we become more socially
selective
 Adults tend to limit their contacts to
individuals with whom they have
developed pleasurable, rewarding,
relationships

15. RELATIONSHIPS IN LATE ADULTHOOD
 Social Convoy: cluster of family members
and friends that provides safety and
support
MARITAL SATISFACTION
 Tends to rise in late adulthood
 Couples engage in joint leisure activities
 Less overall stress; no children to support

16.  When divorce occurs, remarriage rates
are low
 Widowhood: wide variation in
adaptation
 Maintain social ties, outgoing personality,
high self esteem, and self efficacy in
handling daily living tasks foster
adjustment
 Women who have developed
relationships outside the marriage fare
better than men

17. FRIENDSHIPS/RELATIONSHIPS
 Social support from siblings increases;
especially when they live nearby
 Siblings engage in joint reminiscing
 Friendships provide companionship,
acceptance, and a link to the larger
community

18.  Women are more likely to have intimate
friends and secondary friends: people
with whom they spend time occasionally
 Adults and their adult children are often
in touch
 They exchange advice and give
moderate support

19.  Grandparent/grandchild contact tends
to decline over time, but grandparent
affection remains

20. RETIREMENT AND LEISURE
 Decision to retire depends on
affordability, health status, opportunities
to pursue meaningful activities, and
societal factors
 Women tend to retire earlier than men
because of family events
 Those near poverty will continue to work

21. FACTORS THAT AFFECT ADJUSTMENT TO
RETIREMENT
 Health status
 financial stability
 Satisfaction derived from work
 Social support
 marital happiness

22.  Family-focused lifestyle: low cost
activities that revolve around the home,
family, and friends
 Balanced investment: time is spent
across family, work, and leisure
 Serious leisure: lifestyle focused around
pursuing an interest or hobby