Bài giảng Human Development 2e - Chapter 12 Reflecting on life and death

Chapter 12Reflecting on life and deathDevelopment through the lifespanDevelopment is less predictable than science would perhaps prefer.No single theory is 'right'.We can see some patterns of change through life.Individuals affect society and the social world affects individuals: a reciprocal relationship.There is no single developmental pathway that must be followed from birth to death.Making meaning of a lifeThe modernist approaches look for 'the march of progress'. But this depends on the possibility of full control over change through life.We can never fully control what happens to us through life.Human Development studies the optimal conditions of growth and development through life.Lives are meaningful, however long or short they may be.The possibility of change through life is a hopeful approach.Length of lifeLife expectancy is growing through most of the world.Average life expectancy for a girl born in New Zealand in 2010 is 82 years.Average life expectancy for a boy born in New Zealand in 2010 is 77 years.Māori life expectancy is lower, but improving.Lifestyle is one of a number of factors affecting longevity.Quality of lifeSocio-economic factors linked with longevity include:incomeeducation.Wellbeing has become a focus of study by: psychologistslocal authoritieshealth development researcherseducators.Positive psychologyMartin Seligman and colleagues noticed that psychology largely focuses on negative outcomes.They developed the Handbook of Character Strengths and Virtues (Peterson & Seligman, 2004).Character strengths categories include:wisdom and knowledgecouragehumanityjusticetemperancetranscendence. Thinking about deathThanatology: the scientific study of deathA modernist approach to science tends to support the idea that a death is a failure to live a longer life.Death comes to all of us eventually.There is increasing interest in and support for dying well.Different cultures may have very different customs and expectations about death and funeral rites.Physiological considerationsMajor causes of death in New Zealand:cancerheart diseasecerebrovascular diseasediabetes.Major causes of death among younger people aged 15 to 24:unintended injury (such as car accidents)suicidecancer.Cultural responses to deathMāori attitudes to death are often thought about in relation to the tangi.The tūpapāku (deceased) is taken back to their marae, lies in the wharenui (meeting house) until the burial and they are never left alone.A poroporoaki (final farewell) takes three or more days, with extended family and other people visiting to pay their respects.The dead are never forgotten and are usually acknowledged at the beginning of meetings.The death of a young personThe death of a young child or person may be more devastating than that of an older person.For parents to lose a child is contrary to the 'normal' course of events.Māori boys (15–24 years) have the highest rate of suicide in New Zealand.Pākehā women (15–24 years) hospitalised after suicide attempts are higher than any other group.Preparing for death: Kübler-RossThis stage approach may constrain other possible approaches to death and dying.Kübler-Ross's five stages of dyingRe-membering conversations: Hedtke & WinsladeThe influence of a person on our lives continues after their death.Relationships with those who have died continue after they are gone.Re-membering addresses questions about how the one dying wants to be remembered after their death.Suggests that those who go before are nevertheless members of the 'club' of our life.It encourages us to reconsider the idea of loss.Ethical issuesMedical advances allow persons to be kept alive for long periods without hope of recovery.Euthanasia is the deliberate shortening of life, often spoken about in relation to long-term terminal illness such as dementia.Euthanasia and assisted suicide are not legal in most countries in the world.With increasing longevity and incidence of dementia, the question of assisted suicide is likely to become a more talked about option among the growing population of elders.Dying wellThere is a general trend toward the need to preserve the dignity of the dying.An enduring power of attorney (EPA) is a legal authority given to someone who can look after any affairs of money and property.The hospice movement ensures that terminally ill people die in comfort.Complex constructionist ecologyIn contemplating our own dying, and that of those we love, we may see that how we live today is important.The ecology of a life is complex and the end of life offers an opportunity to reflect on this.Your developmental pathway is unique.The quality of our interactions and our social and physical environments can produce developmental outcomes for ourselves and those around us, even as we approach our own death.Development is a product that we construct, with others.