Advanced Adult Development summary Select a 3-4 of critical thinking questions from each chapter and answer them in written format, summarizing key ideas,

Advanced Adult Development summary Select a 3-4 of critical thinking questions from each chapter and answer them in written format, summarizing key ideas, evaluating information, and relating it to real life experiences. Note: The critical thinking questions appear in blue in the margins of pages throughout each chapter, not at the end of chapters. rtc
—
Introduction
to Adult
Basic Concepts in Adult
Development
Sources of Change
Normative Age-Graded
I nfluences
Biology
Shared Experiences
lnternal Change Processes
Normative History-Graded
I n{luences
DeYelopment
Nonnormative Life Events
Sources ol Stability
Genetics
MY JOURNEY OF
adulthood began early, as
many women of my generation, when
I married shortly
did that of
after high school
and began a family. But unlike many women in my peer group,
I spent
more time reading than I did having morning coffee with the other moms.
I
always took a book along to read while the kids had music lessons, base-
ball practice, and orthodontist appointments. The library was a weekly stop
along with the grocery store and was as important to me. By the time my
youngest child began kindergarten, I enrolled in college a5 x f165[px1-a1
the age of 29, which was much older than the average at that time. For the
next7 years, my children and I did our homework together at the kitchen
Environment
lnteractionist View
A Word About “Age”
Sefting the Course: Some Guiding
Perspectives
Life-Span Developmental
Psychology Approach
Bioecological Model
of Development
Developmental Research
Methods
Measures
Ana lyses
Desig ns
table, counted the days to the next holiday break, and posted our grade
A Final Word
reports on the refrigerator. Today, as adults, they tell me that they can’t
Summary
remember a time in their childhood when I wasn’t in school. Just before
Key Terms
I
Suggested Reading
received my master’s degree in developmental psychology, the marriage
ended, and
I spent some time as a single mother. I abandoned
plans for
a PhD and took a job at the universiry, teaching psychology courses and
doing research on children’s memory development. And just
began to leave the nest,
as
my children
I married a man whose own journey of adulthood
had brought him to fatherhood rather late, making me stepmother of
5-year-old, who quickly became an important part of my life.
a
Not too
Chapter i
much later, the grandchildren began to arrive, and life settled into a nice routine. Ir
I had clone it all-marliage, parenthood, career, singie palenthood, stepparenthood, and grandparenthood; mv life u.as fu1l.
Suddenly, my 50th birthda,v loomed, and it seemed to represent so much more to
me than tr.rrning “just another year older.” The half-century mark was quite a shock and
caused me to reevali-rate my life. I realized that I wasn’t read,v to ride slor,vly into the sunset
for the next several decades; I needed to get back on track and move fonvard with my
education. The next fall I entered a PhD program in life-span developmental psychology
at the Universiw of Georgia. It was an invigorating experience ancl also very humbling.
Instead of being the teacher, I rvas the student. Instead of- supervising the research project, I was the neu.bie. L.rstead of being the one giving advice, I was the one rvho had
to ask where the bookstole was, where to park, and how to use the copv machine. But
3 years later I rvas awarded a red-and-black hood in a formal graduation ceremonl. 1vi1[
my children and grandchildren, parents, and siblings cheering for me frorn the audience.
Nor,r, I teach part rime at the Ioca1 universiw and lvrite college textbooks. l’welve years
ago my husband and I moved from our city home to a country home in soLltheastern
Florida, complete rvith a cypress stand in the front vard and a sma1l pine forest in the back.
Our neighbors have horses, and we rvake to roosters crow’ing in the rnorning. Two of our
younger grandchildren live nearby, and my typical day consists of teachine a university
class in the morning and then picking up mt’15-year-oid grandson at high school so he
can drive r-ne around town on lvhatever errands I might have. He .just got his learner’s
permit, and I am enjoying that magical year when he seemingly wants to go ever’1.vr..here
with r.ne. Last rveek I helped my 10-vear-old grandson lvith his fifth-grade science project-gror,ving flowers with ,rnd without magnesium sulfate to see which have the brightest
blooms. It was fun, but I rvas a 1itt1e irked when “-“ve” only got a B+.
Three years ago, rvith three adult children and eight grandchildren ranging in age
fiom 7 to 25, my husband and I felt that our lives r,vere settling down a little. But then
my older son, rvho had been divorced for many vears (and had for-rr children in college),
remarried and surprised us rvith Miss Lily Pearl-Grandchild #91 She just had her first
birthday last lr.eek, and rve can’t imagine how we ever thought our family was compiete
without her. So if there is a message to take from this book it is tl-ris: development doesn’t
stop at 21-or 40 or 65. Yor-rr’life will never srop sur;-,rising you rintil you breathe your
last breath. My wish for you is that the surprises are mostly happy ones.
seemed
E
a
si
e
ui-l* r: cen-“t
s i ;:
A i,i il
lt
i-.1
;:’r,
*l.l* 6 tn
i.:
r.
r.
Tlris book is about adult development, and it follolvs the tenets of ,,r’,,,,,’,ir,’:’,i’::,r”:n.i;:.i
psvcho{*g;r-, the ficld of studv that deals r.vith the behavior, thoughts, and emotions ol
individuals as they go through various parts of the life span. The flcld also includes child
development, adolescent development, and :iil,ir. ii,,’,,,.l’,:rrtc,-,’. which is the particular
concern of this book. We are interested in the changes that take place r’vithin individuals
as they progre.ss frorn emerging adr-ilthood (when adolescence is ending) to the er-rd of
life. Although marr1, autobiographies give first-person accounts of people’s lives and man,v
interesting stories about people’s experiences in adulthood, this book is based sn ea..;:’,rii:.ii
reseffrc!!.-scientific studies of observable events that are measured and evaluated objectively. V/hen personal accolrnts and examples :rte used (including the opening story about
my life), they are chosen to illustrate concepts that have been qrrefully researched.
Son’re of you reading this are just beginning the journe,v of your ou’n adult life; some
of you irre partway along the road, having traveled thror-rgh your 20s, 30s, and perhaps
40s. 50s. and bevond- V/hatever /oLrr Age. l,olr are travelins. movins throush the vears
Introduction to Adult Development
and through the transformations that come along the way. tWe do not all follow the same
itinerary on this journey; you may spend a long time in a location that I do not visit at
all; I may make an unscheduled side trip. Or we may visit the same places but experience
them very differently. Every journey has individual differences, aspects that are unique
to the individual. You may not have experienced the trials of single parenthood as I have
or the joys of grandparenthood, and I cannot relate to the independence you must feel
when living alone or the confusion you experience when your parents divorce. Likewise,
there also have to be some commonalities, rypical aspects of adult life that most of us can
relate to (either now or in the future). Most of us have moved out of our parents’ homes
(or plan to soon), experienced romantic relationships, entered college with some plans
for the future, and either started a family or given some serious thought to parenthood.
tVithout these common hopes and experiences, there would be no reason for a book on
adult development. My goal for this book is to explore with you both the uniqueness and
the common grounds of our adult lives.
Two of the concepts featured in this book are stability and change during the developmental process. Stability describes the important parts of our selves that make up a consistent core. It is the constant set of attributes that makes each of us the individuals that we
are throughout our lifetimes. In other words, yow 4}-year-old self will be similar to your
Z}-year-old self in some ways, as will your 60-year-old self. For example, one of the stable
themes of my adult life is a love for books. In fact, it goes back to my childhood. Some of
my most prized possessions are the books in my library. I always have several
books sitting around the house that I am in the process of reading. And 10 years
ago I started a book club in my neighborhood that has become a big source
‘What are some of the stable themes
of joy for me. Another theme that keeps popping up in my life is children,
of 1.our life? How do you think these
beginning early on with three younger sisters, then my own children, then my
themes will be expressed 20 years lrom
stepdaughter, nieces and nephews, then grandchildren. I have always had a toy
now?
box in my living room and sippy cups in the kitchen cabinet. In fact, the two
themes of books and children often mix. I send books on birthdays for the
children on my gift list, and when visiting children spend the night, I have a
shelf of children’s books in the guestroom,
some of them that belonged to their own
parents so many years ago. Perhaps you
find stabiliry in your life in terms of play-
ing a musical instrument or participating
in sports. The genre of books I read may
change over the years, and your choice
of
musical selections or sporting events may
be different from time to time, but the
core essence of these stable themes remains
an integral part
ofour lives.
Change is the opposite force to stabiliry. It is what happens to us over time
that makes us different from our younger
(and older) selves. An example from my
life that illustrates this is travel. fu a child I
never traveled too far out of my home state
of Florida. Almost all my relatives lived
nearby, and those who didn’t were more
than happy to visit us in the warm climate
during the winter. In fact, at the age of 35,I
—
Middle adulthood can
bring large-scale changes
in lifestyle and interests,
as illustrated by this
photo of author Barbara
Bjorklund along the city
wall of Siena, ltaly,
Chapter
1
much later, the grandchildren began to arrive, and life setded into a nice routine.
seemed
I
a
I
I
L
L
I had done it all-marriage, parenthood,
It
career, single parenthood, stepparent-
hood, and grandparenthood; my life was full.
Suddenly, my 50th birthday loomed, and it seemed to represent so much more to
me than turning “just another year older.” The half-century mark was quite a shock and
caused me to reevaluate my life. I realized that I wasn’t ready to ride slowly into the sLrnset
for the next several decades; I needed to get back on track and move forward with my
education. The next fall I entered a PhD program in life-span developmental psychology
at the University of Georgia. It was an invigorating experience and also very humbling.
Instead of being the teacher, I was the student. Instead of supervising the research project, I was the newbie. Instead of being the one giving advice, I was the one who had
to ask where the bookstore was, where to park, and how to use the copy machine. But
3 years later I was awarded a red-and-black hood in a formal graduation ceremony with
my children and grandchildren, parents, and siblings cheering for me from the audience.
Now I teach part time at the local university and write college textbooks. Twelve years
ago my husband and I moved from our ciry home to a country home in southeastern
Florida, complete with a cypress stand in the front yard and a small pine forest in the back.
Our neighbors have horses, and we wake to roosters crowing in the morning. Two of our
younger grandchildren live nearby, and my rypical day consists of teaching a universiry
class in the morning and then picking up my 15-year-old grandson at high school so he
can drive me around town on whatever errands I might have. He just got his learner’s
permit, and I am enjoying that magical year when he seemingly wants to go everywhere
with me. Last week I helped my l0-year-old grandson with his fifth-grade science project-growing flowers with and without magnesium sulfate to see which have the brightest
blooms. It was fun, but I was a little irked when “we” only got a B+.
Three years ago, with three adult children and eight grandchildren ranging in age
fromT ro 25, my husband and I felt that our lives were settling down a little. But then
my older son, who had been divorced for many years (and had four children in college),
remarried and surprised us with Miss Lily Pearl-Grandchild #9! She just had her first
birthday last week, and we can’t imagine how we ever thought our family was complete
without her. So if there is a message to take from this book it is this: development doesn’t
stop at 27-or 4O or 65. Your life will never stop surprising you until you breathe your
last breath. My wish for you is that the surprises are mostly happy ones.
Basic Concepts in Adult Development
This book is about adult development, and it follows the tenets of developmental
psychology, the field of study that deals with the behavior, thoughts, and emotions of
individuals as they go through various parts of the life span. The field also includes child
development, adolescent development, and adult development, which is the particular
‘W’e
concern of this book.
are interested in the changes that take place within individuals
as they progress from emerging adulthood (when adolescence is ending) to the end of
life. Although many autobiographies give first-person accounts of people’s lives and many
interesting stories about people’s experiences in adulthood, this book is based on empirical
research-scientific studies of observable events that are measured and evaluated objectively. tVhen personal accounts and examples are used (including the opening story about
my life), they are chosen to illustrate concepts that have been carefully researched.
Some of you reading this are just beginning the journey of your own adult life; some
ofyou are parrway along the road, having traveled through your 20s, 30s, and perhaps
40s, 50s, and beyond. ‘Whatever your age, you are traveling, moving through the years
Introduction to Adult Development
Eces of Change
ffi**e**’t,’g*wutrw
-ge-Graded Influences
first thought is-probablv of wl-rat
-‘ -.r”: the phrase “sources of change”‘1’our
th”1 are linked to age and
.-.;matile *g.-g,^a”d influences’ iho” i’1flt”t”t’
thev grow older’ At least three rypes of
‘
-.:,-, =
I
—
–
– r’
–
:-
::rr)st adults
”
“;;;;;;;;otiot’
..,i.tlces impinge on the typical adult’
shared by all of us because we are all
.- i .:’: trf tire changes we see in ad’ults areprocesses’
This is often represented bv
. ,-r s;,ecies undergoing nattiral aging
‘ .- biological .loof,, tiiki”g away to mark the common changes that occur
or skin
– . ,..:’.’. ,.,.1-, .t .ng-..t “;t t;dt() “t’ ‘uth as l-rair gradually turning gray
inwardly’
occur
but
outside
th-e
‘: : :-..rer’ o.1r.^;;t ;;t “iitrt aittctiy from
strength’ The
,, ,-rii.t.tt-tscle tirr,r.,,uhith results in a gracluai loss of physical
another’
– – ,—lt phvsical changes occtLr varies qtltt ” lot from one Person to
‘ – – — .,-.:re,-1 nlore fullf in Chapter 2’
–
is dictated for most of us by our
:”.-::”:;itct-i. Atrother normative influence that
the normal sequence of adult life experi. ‘ – . : ‘ :.trued t t'”
‘oeJti()tkdtfi’1ing
“-i,rritro,,fnrarriage’collegegradtration’artdretiretnent’Eventhough
;l rhe timing of these experiences’ ve stili
,,. -ili.rnded ,;. ;;;:.’;;h;;;
j: -,. :t..,rnlarive” timing of these events. 7he-re we stat.rd in relation to the
at
,.lf-rrorth. The middle-aged. mar-r still living
. ” – … …:tect ou, orrr, ,.nr’. of
retired-all
have
f'[nds
‘ – : r::r:iii’ll ,r.rdt’-‘tt,i tht olcier working woman whose lives are out of sync
” – -: ‘ .il i” i-p;;;o;’ “‘ptt1t of tl”‘eii lives’ but if those
. – .:-. ePec,, ti-‘” ** of ti-ming’ it may lead.to some Personal doubts’ In
^ is CEO of his Lu’n high-tech to^p”tit”,the middle-aged
‘ : –r.s itdlllt rvho
– : : :-.:-:let.-s .r., school, ,.rnd tl-re ottogt’-‘”ii””’ rvho finishes the Boston Mara- : :. .raon ro celebrate over ..rnd above t-re face value of their accomplishrnents.
‘ .::.-: tl-r.- social clock can have is ageism, a Wpe of discrin-iinatior-r in which
‘ -: i ::-:e.f rr.c1 clecisions are rnatle
othe.s based solely on the f:rct that
“b.r..t
r” -‘: – :.:::;r,rlttr age group. Older irdults
arc somerimes perceived to be cranky,
–: :-.. -..J less valr-rable than l.ounger people. ‘I’hese stereorypes are perpetu- . . -.1)ms. commercials, birthday cards, and jokes on Facebook. Emerging
:.- “- : .
‘:*
–: :.rrgets of ageism, when they are perceived as being less capable than
rr” – : – – , :-i.rs or u’hen they are stereotvped as delinquents because of their style
‘ : — – ::::cir. One of 61, goals for this book is to give a realistic and respectful
-‘”t
:_:.,.n
”
J”
aqe.
-‘.”-:-,r:r-:i-on of the infrtre’ce .f the social crock in virtuafly orfi curtures is
-.-:–rrcnces irs.sociated u,ith fhnrilv ,,r:.,U:.. exarnple,
.h. ;ra”-r;;;;;;;
–‘ :–: :..rrer.rrhood, and once
their flrst child is U”.”iiir”f-fregin a fixed
par_
” : ‘ – ‘ ” .tp.ri:l:.: with otl-rer parenrs
that move
*rrr, their childre,,s
:-:.:.:r.,. roddlerhood, the school
“r.,rf
1,ears, adoles..n.I,
pr.p”.”tior, ,o
,-
“rd
Chapter
1
had never been on an airplane. But when I married my current husband (and no longer had
children living at home), I had the opportuniry to travel with him to national conferences
and accompany him on international trips as he collaborated with colleagues and worked
as a visiting professor around the world. In the last 20 years, we have spent extended periods of time in Germany, Spain, and New Zealand. 7e have made shorter trips to Japan,
China, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, England, Scotland, 7a1es, Austria, Switzerland,
and Egypt. Last year we made it to Paris! I am an expert packer, and my office is filled with
fra-.J photos I have taken in many exotic locations. To compare myself at 30 and 50, my
travel habits would consriture a dramatic change. Other examples of change in the adult
developmental process occur when one becomes a parent, switches careers, or decides to
move to anorher part of the country (or to an entirely different country). One way to view
the journey of adulthood is to consider both the stabiliry and fie change that define our lives.
Still another way of looking at this journey is gauging how straight the road is. Some
stretches of our lives are continuous-slow and gradual, taking us in a predictable direction. My gardening certainly fits this definition. In my earliest apartments I had potted
plants, and when we rented our first house, I persuaded the iandlord to let me Put in a
small flower garden. As our yards have grown bigger, so have my garden projects. I enjoy
plant fairs, trade plant currings with friends, and of course, read books about gardening.
i nna lt relaxing to spend time “digging in the dirt.” I have increased my knowledge and
skill over the years. Now that our yard is measured in acres instead of square feet, I’m in
heaven. So far I have a butterfly garden in the front yard, and I’m working on a vegetable
garden in the back. Hopefully I wili continue to “develop” as a gardener for many years.
In contrast, our lives also have stages, parts of the journey where there seems to be no
progress for some time, followed by an abrupt change. Stages are much like driving on a
(rriit country road for a long time and then getting onto a busy interstate highway (or vice
versa). In my adult life I view the years of being home with my young children as a stage that
was followed by the abrupt change of the youngest entering school and me starting college.
I suddeniy wenr from having minute-to-minute, hands-on parenting duties to the rype that
involve prepararions the night before and then dropping the children off at school in the
mornin[. And I also went from having mostly tasks that involved physical work and concrete
thinking skills (how to ger crayon marks offfie wails) to those that required abstract thinking
(Psychology 101)…
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