Developmental psychology/Chapter 14 & 15/Theories of Late Adulthood

• Self Theories - A theory of late adulthood that puts emphasis on maintaining one's identity. One's self-image relies less on other people, appearances, and external segments and more on their own self as time goes on. Being independent, despite certain adversities (such as neurological diseases), is what elders strive for.
• Integrity vs. Despair - This is Erikson's 8th and final stage, where adults want to mix their views and perspectives into their surrounding community. Elders look back at their lives, even poor decisions, in a positive life to prevent excessive despairs or regrets. The life review and acceptance of death are all crucial in one's "integrity".
  • Compulsive Hoarding - This is an elderly person's urge to retain all pieces of material that correlate with their past. This may become hazardous. This intention shows that they want to maintain their true selves.
• Socio-emotional Selectivity theory - The elderly seek familiar contacts that give them joy. This may be a form of selective optimization with compensation. An "outgrowth" of both selective optimization and socio-emotional selective theory is known as the positivity effect, where the elderly remember positive things vs. negative things. This results in an elder's pride and their view that they "overcame" their difficulties.

• Stratification Theories - These theories focus on "social forces" (related to a person's social status or category) that affect one's life choices and life later on. This may prove positive or negative for some folks. Stratification can begin in the womb, for example to an alcoholic mother, and be further affected by sex, gender, and race. Overcoming difficulties in life gets less easier as time goes on.
  • In terms of sexist stratifications, elderly women may not be financially well-put because they've worked as underpaid caregivers. On the flip side, elderly men may be urged to live alone - which goes against statistics showing that elderly men are more at risk of death when living alone vs. elderly women.
  • Ethnic stratifications have existed in the past, for example with racial segregation in almost everyday life in the 1900s USA.
  • Income stratification exists for those that may never hold a well-payed job when they were younger, thereby missing social security.
  • Age stratification holds the disengagement theory as the most controversial piece of age stratification. This theory states that traditional roles are no longer present, one's social circle diminishes, coworkers stop relying on them due to their age, and children focus on their own children more than their parents. An opposing theory is active theory, which explains that the elderly seek to remain active within their community. Scientific research backs up the active theory.