Adulthood
Physical Development
The peak of physical performance occurs around the
mid-twenties, after which it declines imperceptibly for
most of us.
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Middle Adulthood
Physical changes of adult life may trigger psychological responses,
depending on how varying cultures view aging. In some Eastern cultures,
where respect and power come with age, outward signs of advancing
years are accepted and even welcomed. In Western cultures, where the
perceived ideal is smooth skin and a slim torso, middle-age wrinkles and
bulges can threaten self-esteem.
Bettman/ Corbis
Willie Mays batting performance.
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Cognitive Development
Do cognitive abilities
like memory,
creativity, and
intelligence decline
with age the same
way physical abilities
do?
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Aging and Memory
As we age, we
remember some things
well. These include
recent past events and
events that happened a
decade or two back.
However, recalling
names becomes
increasingly difficult.
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Aging and Memory
Recognition memory does not decline with age, and
material that is meaningful is recalled better than
meaningless material.
David Myers
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Aging and Intelligence
Cross-sectional studies (where researchers
compared people of various ages) suggested that
intelligence declines as we age.
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Aging and Intelligence
Longitudinal studies (meaning they retested the same
people over a period of years) suggest that intelligence
remains relative as we age.
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Aging and Intelligence
Longitudinal studies suggest
that intelligence remains
relative as we age. It is
believed today that fluid
intelligence (ability to
reason speedily) declines
with age, but crystalline
intelligence (accumulated
knowledge and skills) does
not.
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Aging and Other Abilities
These cognitive differences
help explain why
mathematicians and scientists
produce much of their most
creative work during their late
twenties or early thirties,
whereas those in literature,
history, and philosophy tend to
produce their best work in
their forties, fifties, and
beyond, after accumulating
more knowledge.
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Social Development
Many differences between the young and old are not simply based on physical and
cognitive abilities, but may instead be based on life events associated with family,
relationships, and work.
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Adulthood’s Ages and Stages
Another reason skeptics
question age-linked stages,
like the midlife crisis, is the
social clock—the culturally
preferred timing of social
events such as marriage,
parenthood, and
retirement, and it varies
from culture to culture and
era to era.
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Adulthood’s Commitments
Love and work are defining themes in adult life.
Evolutionary psychologists believe that commitment has
survival value. Parents that stay together are likely to leave
a viable future generation.
JLP/ Jose Pelaez/ zefa/ Corbis
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Marriage
• Both Canada and
the US now have
about one divorce
for every two
marriages. (So that’s
a 50% divorce rate)
• Does “test driving”
a marriage minimize
divorce…meaning
living together
before you get
married?
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Marriages aren’t without conflict, but after
observing the interactions of 2000 couples,
John Gottman reported one indicator of
marital success: at least a five-to-one ratio
of positive to negative interactions.
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Having Children
•
Often, love bears children, yet
when children begin to absorb
time, money, and emotional energy,
satisfaction with the marriage itself
may decline.
•
Putting effort into creating an
equitable relationship can thus pay
double dividends: a more satisfying
marriage, which then breeds better
parent-child relations.
•
After children leave home
(emptying of the nest), compared to
middle-aged women with children
at home, those living in an empty
nest report greater happiness and
greater enjoyment of their
marriage.
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Adulthood’s Commitments
Happiness stems from working in a job that fits your interests
and provides you with a sense of competence and
accomplishment.
Charles Harbutt/ Actuality
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Well-Being Across the Life Span
Well-being and people’s feelings of satisfaction are stable across the life
span.
Fact:
When people are
asked what they
would have done
differently if they
could relive their
lives, their most
common answer is
“taken my education
more seriously and
worked harder at it”.
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Well-Being Across the Life Span
From early adulthood to midlife, people
typically experience a strengthening sense of
identity, confidence, and self-esteem.
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Well-Being Across the Life Span
Teenagers typically come down from elation or up
from gloom in less than an hour. Adult moods are
less extreme but more enduring.
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Successful Aging
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Death and Dying
Grief is especially severe when the death of a
loved one comes suddenly and before its
expected time on the social clock.
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Death and Dying
But contrary to popular
misconception…
(1) no amount of
talking can eliminate
the feeling of being
alone and separated
from the loved one
(2) terminally ill and
bereaved people do not
go through predictable
stages, such as denial,
anger, and so forth.
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