Middle Adulthood Ages 40-60

First, the forms of aging and life course structures depend on the nature of the society in which individuals participate. Second, while social interaction is seen as having the greatest formative influence in the early part of life, such interaction retains crucial importance throughout the life course. Third, that social forces exert regular influences on individuals of all ages at any given point in time” (Theories of Aging. (n.d.)). The movie portrays aging being more about living the rest of life rather than dyeing in them.

Late Adulthood is a time in people’s lives when they come to terms with their lives and reevaluate what they have done or accomplished in the lieu of what they still would like to accomplish for the remainder of their lives. During this stage of life adults around the ages of 65 begin to experience a variety of changes in their physical appearance and a decline in their health. The process of aging in an individual occurs at different speeds and during this stage older adults are being treated as second-class citizens especially by younger adults. The skin begins to wrinkle at an

“Though the age boundaries are not set in stone, we will consider middle adulthood as the developmental period that begins at approximately 40 to 45 years of age and extends to about 60 to 65 years of age” (Santrock, 2013, p. 485). I interviewed two individuals for this paper. Each person was asked the same fifteen questions (Appendix). I interviewed a male and a female who fell in the midrange of middle adulthood.

Finally, adulthood consists of early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. Early adulthood is a stage where individuals are physically in their best condition. Memory and thinking abilities are sharp, life decisions are made, and they take on roles of independence. Middle adulthood is when individuals start to reflect on their lives as a whole. Retirement planning and sadness over unaccomplished goals began to surface, during this particular stage. Some physical changes such as hearing and vision start to take place. Focusing more on health, relationships and becoming tolerable with death are all signs of late adulthood development. The immune system, vision, hearing, and muscle strength start to decline. Loss of memory is a cognitive trait that is related

Byl, she said, “40 for me was just another number, but we did have to celebrate and have a big party.” Turning 40 did not impact her that much because it is just another stage of life. Mrs. Byl disagrees with the statement that “life begins at 40,” because it just doesn’t, life starts when you are born. “Life is a gift every day, if you wait for your life to begin at 40 you have already missed out on a lot of enjoyment.” When Mrs. Byl thinks about turning 60 it doesn’t concern her, it is just another number. It excites her, “who know what is going to be going on then, I might be close to retirement! But every season of life has its’ advantages and

As much as we look for meaning in our lives, we also try to understand the things we can’t understand such as mortality and the future. Since the end of the 20th century, social norms have started to change and life expectancy increasing. Everyone was very involved with their R/S and their futures were laid out for us based on gender and income. However with social norms continuously changing this is no longer so for many people and things such as

Aging is an inevitability of life. With age man exchanges the physical prowess of youth for the wisdom that comes through experiencing the trials and triumphs of life. As an individual enters late adulthood, age 65 and older, they experience many physical, emotional and mental changes never previously encountered and which may require an adaptation of their earlier lifestyle. Some of these late adulthood changes are primary and secondary aging, issues regarding health and wellness, family and personal relationships, and the milestone of retirement. Understanding these changes can help late age adults

Today people who are age 65 or older make up more than one tenth of the U.S. population and are the quickest growing age group (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman,  2010). As adults reach later adulthood, they begin to undergo mental, physical, and social transformations. All of these changes are experienced and handled differently by each individual. Time and planning help to alleviate stress and can make these changes easier to deal with. Family and friends are an exceptional source of support during these tough times.

Late adulthood in Erikson’s life stage theory is the difference between in integrity versus despair. (Ashford & Lecroy, 2013, p. 99) Doris has found her life to be very satisfying. The only thing she wishes could have been changed is the passing of her husband so early. She is content and proud of the way her children have turned out and where her life is currently. We have talked much about how things were as she raised her children and even that of when she was a child. Cappeliez calls this the reminiscence bump, the ability to recall memories from adolescence through young adulthood. (2008, p. 1) She appreciates the life she has been fortunate to have and enjoys sharing the memories she has. I observed the way her face lit up as we talked about her as a child and her children.

We create our own plot line. And that plot line soon turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy” (Sheehy, p. 169). By creating our own life plot lines, we can control the outcomes to be either progressive or degenerative. Erikson’s theory has only three stages that address the ages of 21-65 years and older, whereas Sheehy believes that the first adulthood stage ends around the mid-forties and the second adulthood begins. There is a change in the mind of people entering this stage and they will either progress through the stage and be ready to be reborn or they will have some struggles they will have to overcome. Even though Erikson’s stages have individual’s fulfill their stages in one way or another, Sheehy’s stage of second adulthood is based more on the ways we create our life path and how fulfilled we make our

It is estimated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that there will be 71 million U.S. adults over the aged of 65 by 2030 (CDC, 2011, May 11). It can be certain, as was with their predecessors, that the geriatric journey for these adults will be filled with multiple anti-aging face creams and miracle hair growth products as they reluctantly cross over to the last stage of their lives. As shown not only through our media and social interactions’ growing old is not the popular choice. Ironically, the reality is that aging and dying is just as significant as our first breath. It is a journey made by everyone and everything though it is fought with a

For this paper, I had the privilege of interviewing one of my friend’s grandmother. Her name is Jamie Hansen and she is a healthy and active 68-year-old grandmother. In the beginning of the phone call, I asked some basic background knowledge questions such as how many grandkids she has and if she was a widower or not. I found out that she and her husband are happily married and that she has six grandchildren. As I got to know her more I started asking questions that pertained to the interview aspect of social theories. I figured out that Mrs. Hansen’s responses led to an application of the continuity and socioemotional selective theories.

Getting old and aging are things that have become difficult points for many and despite

Middle-aged adults experience change in many different areas of their life at this time, they will find that not only their health is changing, but their appearance, their family, their thinking, and their emotions are changes as well. When discussing people that fall into the middle adulthood age of life, the term “midlife crisis” is often used, but according to an article titled Middle Adulthood Developmental Psychology, “most people during middle adulthood are satisfied and pleased with their lives”, ("Physical Changes," 2008-2013, expression 1). This article also states that the age range for middle adulthood is approximately age thirty-five to sixty-four. Midlife crisis is a when an individual views themselves and are unhappy with

Life is something that is much more complex than anyone can imagine. No matter who the person is or how old they are, everyone faces various obstacles and challenges that make their lives difficult. Some people are faced with physical limitations such as not being able to pick something up or walk up a flight of stairs while others may be faced with mental limitations such as being unable to comprehend something that’s going on. Two of the toughest points in an individual’s life come during the years of adolescence and late adulthood. These points of a person’s life can be overwhelming and stressful as a person tries their best to grasp the changes occurring before their very eyes.