Social Development of Late Adulthood Essay Example for Free

Social Development of Late Adulthood Essay The Social Development in Late Adulthood LaTricia R. Scott BHS 325 May 20, 2013 Jane Winslow, MA, LMFT Social Development in Late Adulthood 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 accelerated rate, the senses lose their acuity, and the voice becomes less powerful. Other physical changes occur like the loss of teeth, bones become brittle, joints become stiff, and the graying of hair. Cognitive changes that occur in late adulthood are the loss of memory, mostly the working memory or short-term memory. In general, those in later adulthood are less able to integrate numerous forms of information at once. Though late adulthood has its challenges it can often be a time of rewarding experiences with family, friends, and reconnecting socially to the world. This paper will address the changes in late adulthood and help potential clients and their family’s better understand this stage of life and how to proactively deal with all the changes. Role and Social Position In late adulthood our society sees older adults as useless and non-existent, older adults have transitioned from operating as productive and viable workers in the workforce to facing the myths that older adults are less productive, out of touch, and incompetent. During this stage older adults begin to retire from their lifetime jobs and find the current workforce to be very intimidating and discriminatory. Living Accommodations Adjustment from Work to Retirement Female Menopause is when every woman stops menstruating and can no longer bear children. Menopause happens due to the decrease of estrogen in the female body which then leads to the Marriage, Family, and Peer Relationships Social Policies Conclusion In middle adulthood there are many changes that occur physically, psychologically, and socially as explained in the above passages. Yet, some say that this is the best time of their life, they experience enhanced self-confidence, great sex lives, career success, and enhanced brain functions. Middle age adults are better equipped to make better life choices and decisions and not worry so much about the negative parts of life. Their problem solving skills are greater which allows them to reason more creatively. They are able to enjoy sex freely without the worries of getting pregnant and they feel more confident with their partners. In general they are happier about life and look forward to enjoying the rest of their lives. References Dale, O. , Smith, R. , Norlin, J. M. , amp; Chess, W. A. (2009). Human behavior and the social indent second line of references please environment: Social systems theory (6th Ed. ). Boston, MA: Pearson Drury, K. (2009) 12 Steps of Middle Adulthood. Welcome to Middle Age. Retrieved from http://www. rurywriting. com/keith/development. middle. age. htm Zastrow C. H. amp; Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2010). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (8th Ed. ). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole * References Duncan, R. (2010) Education. Com: Family Characteristics of Children Involved in Bullying. Retrieved from http://www. education. com/reference/article/Ref_Family/ MBNBD (2009) Bul lying Statistics Retrieved from http://www. bullyingstatistics. org/ Stepp, D. (2010) Bullying: The Family Connection Retrievedfromhttp://familymatters. vision. org/FamilyMatters/bid/34439/Bullying-the-Family-Connection