Greta Darmanin
1. Introduction to Adult Development and Ageing
- 4 key principles:
Changes are continuous over the life span
It’s the survivors who grow old
Individual differences must be recognized (physical functioning, psyche, living
conditions)
Normal ageing is different from disease (normal, impaired, optimal)
Primary ageing: age-related changes, universal, intrinsic, progressive
normal
Secondary ageing: due to disease, eventually causing death impaired
Tertiary Ageing: rapid and marked physical deterioration immediately prior
to death
Optimal ageing: changes that improve indiv. Function active, successful
- Personal vs. social ageing (p. 11)
Personal ageing: ontogenetic
Social ageing: result of historical changes
Normative changes: happen to most within a social group
Age-graded influences, reflecting environmental and social factors
History-graded influences, everyone within a certain culture/ geopolitical unit:
wars, economic trends, sociocultural changes, values, attitudes
Nonnormative changes: idiosyncratic to individuals’ life, “random” occurrence
2. Principles of Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Adult Development and Ageing
- 3 models of develop. Science (p. 26)
Organismic model: nature as prime mover of development
Mechanistic model: nurture as primary force individuals’ exposure to experiences
Interactionist model: genetics + environment interact, individual actively participates
- perspectives on development (p. 28)
sociocultural perspective: Biological (Erikson, Freud, Piaget) + ecological
Ecological (Bronfenbrenner): multiple levels of environment interact with individual
Life course perspective: age-based norms, roles, attitudes as influences
Disengagement, Activity & Continuity Theory
- Main changes:
Biological
Auditory
Visual
Neuronal: structural changes in the brain, neurotransmitter changes
Cognitive: longitudinal studies
Decreasing intellectual ability
Psychomotor slowing
Decreased working memory
Loss of flexibility in problem solving
Emotional regulation
Personality & behavioural changes
- Butler: ageism as a set of beliefs, occurrence because:
Terror management theory
Modernization hypothesis
Multiple jeopardy hypothesis
Age-as-a-leveller view
Inoculation hypothesis
, - Successful/ active ageing
optimum stage: absence of disease and disability, high cognitive and physical
functioning, engagement with life (Rowe & Kahn, 1998).
high scores in:
Self-efficacy
Optimism, Positive attitudes towards ageing
Resilience
Low scores in:
Depression
Not so important:
Cognitive functioning
WHO: “…the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in
order to enhance quality of life as people age.”
- Major tasks of old age
Accepting proximity of death
Coping, adjusting to physical disabilities
Achieving rational dependence on medical, social and family support, identifying and
exercising available choices to maximise satisfaction
Sustaining mutually emotionally gratifying relationships with friends and relatives
3. Changes in the Middle-Adult and Older Population in the World and in Malta
- Malta National Strategic Policy for Active Ageing 2014-2020 (NSPAA)
Implementation of active ageing principles
Strengthening levels of older and ageing workers continuous vocational
training for older adults
improving healthy working conditions, age management techniques and
employment services
taking a constructive stand against ageism and age discrimination;
implementing a tax/benefits system
encouraging mentoring schemes in occupational organisations strengthening
the available measures reconciling work and informal care
Policy responses to population ageing integrated together with concerns of older
persons into national development frameworks
Aims at improved levels of positive, productive, successful living
Active participation in labour market, society
Independent living
- Life vs. health expectancy
Life expectancy: average number of years of life remaining to the people born within
a similar period of time
Health expectancy: whether or not longer life is accompanied by an increase in the
time lived in good health (the compression of morbidity scenario) or in bad health
(expansion of morbidity)
- Demographic and gender differences in life expectancy
Biological factors
Lifestyle (eating, sleep, exercise, smoking, alcohol, social networks)
Stress
Genetic factors, disease
Physical exercise (can raise expectancy by up to 50%)
4. Models of Development
- Organismic model
1. Introduction to Adult Development and Ageing
- 4 key principles:
Changes are continuous over the life span
It’s the survivors who grow old
Individual differences must be recognized (physical functioning, psyche, living
conditions)
Normal ageing is different from disease (normal, impaired, optimal)
Primary ageing: age-related changes, universal, intrinsic, progressive
normal
Secondary ageing: due to disease, eventually causing death impaired
Tertiary Ageing: rapid and marked physical deterioration immediately prior
to death
Optimal ageing: changes that improve indiv. Function active, successful
- Personal vs. social ageing (p. 11)
Personal ageing: ontogenetic
Social ageing: result of historical changes
Normative changes: happen to most within a social group
Age-graded influences, reflecting environmental and social factors
History-graded influences, everyone within a certain culture/ geopolitical unit:
wars, economic trends, sociocultural changes, values, attitudes
Nonnormative changes: idiosyncratic to individuals’ life, “random” occurrence
2. Principles of Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Adult Development and Ageing
- 3 models of develop. Science (p. 26)
Organismic model: nature as prime mover of development
Mechanistic model: nurture as primary force individuals’ exposure to experiences
Interactionist model: genetics + environment interact, individual actively participates
- perspectives on development (p. 28)
sociocultural perspective: Biological (Erikson, Freud, Piaget) + ecological
Ecological (Bronfenbrenner): multiple levels of environment interact with individual
Life course perspective: age-based norms, roles, attitudes as influences
Disengagement, Activity & Continuity Theory
- Main changes:
Biological
Auditory
Visual
Neuronal: structural changes in the brain, neurotransmitter changes
Cognitive: longitudinal studies
Decreasing intellectual ability
Psychomotor slowing
Decreased working memory
Loss of flexibility in problem solving
Emotional regulation
Personality & behavioural changes
- Butler: ageism as a set of beliefs, occurrence because:
Terror management theory
Modernization hypothesis
Multiple jeopardy hypothesis
Age-as-a-leveller view
Inoculation hypothesis
, - Successful/ active ageing
optimum stage: absence of disease and disability, high cognitive and physical
functioning, engagement with life (Rowe & Kahn, 1998).
high scores in:
Self-efficacy
Optimism, Positive attitudes towards ageing
Resilience
Low scores in:
Depression
Not so important:
Cognitive functioning
WHO: “…the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in
order to enhance quality of life as people age.”
- Major tasks of old age
Accepting proximity of death
Coping, adjusting to physical disabilities
Achieving rational dependence on medical, social and family support, identifying and
exercising available choices to maximise satisfaction
Sustaining mutually emotionally gratifying relationships with friends and relatives
3. Changes in the Middle-Adult and Older Population in the World and in Malta
- Malta National Strategic Policy for Active Ageing 2014-2020 (NSPAA)
Implementation of active ageing principles
Strengthening levels of older and ageing workers continuous vocational
training for older adults
improving healthy working conditions, age management techniques and
employment services
taking a constructive stand against ageism and age discrimination;
implementing a tax/benefits system
encouraging mentoring schemes in occupational organisations strengthening
the available measures reconciling work and informal care
Policy responses to population ageing integrated together with concerns of older
persons into national development frameworks
Aims at improved levels of positive, productive, successful living
Active participation in labour market, society
Independent living
- Life vs. health expectancy
Life expectancy: average number of years of life remaining to the people born within
a similar period of time
Health expectancy: whether or not longer life is accompanied by an increase in the
time lived in good health (the compression of morbidity scenario) or in bad health
(expansion of morbidity)
- Demographic and gender differences in life expectancy
Biological factors
Lifestyle (eating, sleep, exercise, smoking, alcohol, social networks)
Stress
Genetic factors, disease
Physical exercise (can raise expectancy by up to 50%)
4. Models of Development
- Organismic model
