PSYC 2314
Lifespan Development
Chapter 20
Middle Adulthood:
Biosocial Development
Physical Changes in Middle Adulthood
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Graying and thinning of the hair
Drying and wrinkling of the skin
Change in body shape
Loss in height
Sense Organs
• Hearing
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Environmentally caused
Men are more likely to developed hearing loss
Genetic
Age
Sense Organs
• Vision
– Farsightedness and astigmatism
– Depth perception, eye-muscle resilience, color
sensitivity and adaptation to darkness
– Glaucoma
Vital Body Systems
• Immune system is actually stronger.
However, recovery takes longer.
• Autoimmune disease—when the immune
system mistakes the person’s own body
cells for foreign invaders and attacks them
(rheumatoid arthritis or lupus).
Health Habits
• Smoking
– A risk factor for many diseases.
– Nonsmokers have a 30% higher risk of lung
cancer if they are married to smokers than if
they are married to nonsmokers.
– All smoking diseases are dose- and durationsensitive.
Health Habits
• Alcohol
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Moderate use may lower the risk of heart disease
Heavy use is the main cause of cirrhosis of the liver
Puts stress on the heart and stomach
Destroys brain cell
Hastens calcium loss associated with osteoporosis
A risk factor in many forms of cancer
Health Habits
• Nutrition
– Strongly related to the onset and progress of
heart disease and cancer.
– A high-fat, low-fiber diet promotes the
development of heart disease and several types
of cancer.
Health Habits
• Weight
– Overweight is present in 2 out of every 3
middle-aged residents of the US.
– Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease,
diabetes, and stroke. It is also a contributing
factor for arthritis.
Health Habits
• Vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes daily:
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Increases heart and lung capacity and metabolism
Lowers blood pressure
Reduces the ratio of body fat to body weight
Enhances cognitive functioning through improved
blood circulation
– Improves self-image and general sense of well-being
Variations in Health
• Four distinct measures of health
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Mortality
Morbidity
Disability
Vitality
• Quality-adjusted life years (QUALYs): calculates
how many years of full vitality are lost as a result
of a particular disease or disability.
Ethnicity and Health
• Mortality
– African Americans die at twice the rate of
European Americans, who themselves die at
twice the rate of Asian Americans.
– Native Americans have about 20% higher death
rate and Hispanic Americans a 20% lower rate
than the overall average
• Morbidity and disability follow the same
ethnic patterns.
Beyond Black and White
• Group differences in health are often
misattributed to genes and ancestry:
– Current education
– SES
– Pressures and opportunities provided by the
larger society
Gender Differences
• Mortality
– Middle-aged men are twice as likely to die of
any cause and three times as likely to die of
heart disease.
• Men are more likely to smoke, drink, be overweight,
repress emotions, and ignore their medical
symptoms.
• Morbidity and disability
– Women have higher rates than men.
Sexual Reproductive System
• Sexual responses gradually become slower
and less distinct
• Reproduction less likely
• Attitudes are more important than biology
in assessing the impact of these changes.
The Climacteric
• Climacteric: various biological and
psychological changes that accompany
menopause:
– Variations in the timing of a woman’s menstrual
cycle
– Hot flashes and cold sweats
– Drier skin
– Loss of breast tissue, bone calcium
HRT
• Hormone Replacement Therapy
– Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease,
Alzheimer’s disease, tooth loss, and hip
fractures.
– Long-term consequences are not yet known,
however, may increase the risk of some forms
of cancer, particularly breast cancer.
Psychological Impact of Menopause
• Historical changes have meant that the end of
childbearing is now determined less by age than
by personal factors, such as the number of
children a couple already has or the couple’s
financial status. The end of childbearing thus
represents a conscious decision and makes
menopause—the time when sexual activity is no
longer accompanied by fear of pregnancy—a
liberating and welcomed event.
Sexual Expression
• Sexual activities usually declines in terms
of frequency of intercourse and orgasm.
• Sexual stimulation, esp. in men, takes
longer and needs to be more direct
• A reduction in the intensity of orgasmic
reactions and less vigorous contractions and
ejaculations.