Bài giảng Human Development - Chapter 10 The Lives of Adults

Chapter 10The Lives of AdultsCopyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-1 Focusing on adults at mid-lifeWhat ages?Roughly mid-30s to around 60But no clear beginning or endCohorts have different life experiencesBaby boomers- Large post-WW II population- NZ born 1946- 1972What defines YOUR cohort?Diversity in adult livesAge of having a child or losing a parent will differ across peopleCopyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-2Do adults keep developing?No one universal plan for every person’s development‘Stages’: very difficult to define for adults, so avoid this term!Erikson’s theory focuses on development through the lifespan, while Piaget and Freud stop at physiological maturityUS-based research (e.g. Levinson 1978, 1996) has a social and cultural context that may not be so relevant hereCopyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-3Discourses about adulthood[Refresher on discourse: words and practices that seem to define reality in an unquestionable way]Adulthood is the goal of childhood and the end of playtimeAdults are sensible, mature grown-upsAutonomy is the key to being an adultCopyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-4Physiological changes at mid-lifeAgeing begins from the moment you’re born!Common markers of ageing at mid-life: - grey hair, skin changes - eyes have less flexible focus & require more lightChanges require adaptations in behaviour e.g. care in night drivingCopyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-5Changes in the body’s reproductive system at mid-life: the climactericMenopause: - Final cessation of menstruation in women - Average age is 52 in NZ (Mackenzie, 1984)Peri-menopause: Gradual process before cessationEnd of child-bearing years may signal sadness (Bart, 1972) or relief (Rubin, 1979) for womenMale menopause? Little evidence for this, as male hormones decline gradually over timeCultures differ greatly in their interest in physiological changes at mid-life Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-6Psychological changes: is there a ‘mid-life crisis’?Levinson (1978) and Sheehy (1976) suggested that people at mid-life have doubts about their path in life in their 30s/40s and may undergo a transition to change directionDoubts today about how usual such transitions are Each cohort may experience different socio-political pressures at this ageIn NZ, current mid-lifers may have worries about saving for later years, whereasPrevious generations could rely on NZ SuperannuationCopyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-7Your working lifeLonger lifespan today compared with 100 years ago. Many people are healthier & fitter than previous generations at the same ageChanged social policies mean retirement is seldom compulsory (e.g. at age 60 or 65)Adults may have periods of paid work and periods without paid work throughout mid-lifeEconomic pressures differ by generation: current mid-lifers struggle with a troubled world economy, fewer jobs Do you think you will retire from work? When?Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-8Cognitive development and learning in adulthoodIntelligence & mental reasoning are composed of many skillsSome of these may decline as adults age (Schaie, 1994)Earlier cross-sectional studies gave the misleading view that mental ability declines with ageLongitudinal studies showed less decline over age (Schaie & Willis in Claiborne & Drewery, 2009, p. 321)Wisdom may increase over ageAbility to think through problems, reflect on experience & make realistic judgements (Labouvie-Vief & Hakim-Larson, 1989)Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-9Many indigenous cultures value wisdomMāori culture recognises the mana (prestige) that accrues over lifeHence, elders are very highly valued for their wisdomRoles of mātua and kaumātua recognise this knowledge accumulated over a lifetime (Macfarlane, 2004c)Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-10A second chance at education?Formal education ends with compulsory schooling or tertiary education study at universities, polytechnics, whare wānangaBut adults may:continue to have professional development in their jobsattend adult education classes experience learning in the community or over the internet.Participation by NZers over age 40 in tertiary education tripled between 1995 and 2005: now 30% of tertiary students (Scott, 2006)Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-11Gender and paid workChanging patterns of working lives of women and men in recent yearsWomen’s involvement in paid work has increased in the past 50+ yearsDue to family responsibilities, women are less likely to work full-time than menAnd women (age 15+) are still paid less than men, even with the same qualifications, earning 87% of what men earn (hourly measure) (Statistics NZ, 2005a)Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-12Expanding family connections at mid-lifeFamilies are smaller than 50 years agoLater childbearing:- Mothers aged 30 to early 40s starting a family are no longer unusualCurrent NZ birth rate increased 2005-2009 (Statistics NZ, 2009d)This affects the family life cycle - Mid-life adults may have longer involvement with children at home who are youth or young adults - Mid-lifers may also have responsibilities for ageing parentsMid-lifers may feel a ‘sandwich’ pressure’ between the two generations (e.g. Hillcoat-Nallétamby & Dharmalingam, 2004) Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-13Diversity in adult livesErik Erikson’s theory - Crisis for mid-lifers: generativity vs stagnationKotré’s (1984) extension of Erikson’s views on generativity: - Biological and parental generativity may differ - Work generativity may involve mentoring - Cultural generativity could help whole communities e.g. whānau, hapū and iwi developmentCopyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-14Mid-lifers without partnersBeing single increasingly common for NZ adultsMany adults never live with a partnerNZ’s divorce rate has dropped over last 15 years - Partly due to change in pattern of relationships away from marriage to serial monogamy (sequence of committed relationships)Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-15Single parentingWith more mid-life adults living without a partner, single parenting has become more commonNZ society more accepting of single parents than in previous decades though there is still prejudice against families that do not fit a stereotypical norm (Pool, 1996; Ritchie & Ritchie, 1997)How would the generational ‘sandwich pressure’ affect single parents?Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Claiborne & Drewery, Human Development10-16