Chapter 13 lecture slides
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Emotional intimacy strengthens between couples as they age together. Those in midlife may experience empty nesting as children leave home, while taking on caregiving roles for aging parents. Menopause and andropause bring physical and emotional changes. Maintaining a strong marriage through communication, shared interests, and time together provides benefits in later life. Widowhood involves grieving and establishing a new identity, though some pursue new relationships. Sibling bonds often deepen with age if nurtured over the years.
Chapter 13 lecture slides
- 1. Chapter 13 Midlife and Older Couples
- 2. 13-2 • Emotional intimacy strengthens as couples grow old together • Sandwich generation • Creates new opportunities to tap into family strengths and unexpected intergenerational family relationships • Couples in middle and later years have problems with new family structures
- 3. 13-3 Middle age • Period of life between the ages 35 and 65 Still raising teenagers Launching young adults and then coping with their absence Entering retirement Baby boomers • The group of Americans who were born in the post-World War 2 baby boom period, which ran from 1946 to 1964 • The oldest Baby Boomers are in their early seventies • Their growing number increases pressure on society to focus on retirement, health care, and empty-nest issues
- 4. 13-4 Realization that: • One’s life is half over and that many goals have not been attained (can cause emotional upheaval) • Evidence does not support the existence of a generalized midlife crisis • Early life is more a time of crisis than midlife
- 5. 13-5 • Financial obligations may seem less daunting as children leave home • Career change for the breadwinner • Caretaker of the children can go back to work or school Opportunities • Economic downturn had made it difficult for some to retire early or find new jobs • Many saw their retirement funds diminish dramatically when the stock market fell Challenges
- 6. 13-6 Female menopause • End of monthly menstrual periods • Signals the cessation of a woman’s ability to have children • Many women experience distress, irritability, insomnia, hot flashes, headaches, and depression • Reproductive organs shrink • Amount of fatty tissue in the breasts and other parts of the body decreases • Vulva becomes thinner • Vagina shrinks and loses some elasticity • Vaginal secretions that provide lubrication during intercourse diminish
- 7. 13-7 Male menopause • Sexual changes in men related to age • Production of androgen declines slowly Androgen: Male hormone • Amount of fluid ejaculated with orgasm diminishes • Testicles become smaller and less firm • Erections become less frequent and less rigid
- 8. 13-8 • Establish priorities early in marriage • Be alert for warning signs of marital problems • Strive toward equality • Seek a balance between togetherness and personal growth • Have a positive daily life together • Develop a network of friendships with other couples
- 9. 13-9 • Evaluate the marriage and attend workshops on enrichment of marriage • Avoid boring or frustrating work situations • Consider lifestyle change rather than a partner change • Happy marriage is the key to a content spouse
- 10. 13-10 • Verbal, physical, or emotional abuse • Different values or lifestyles • Cheating or substance abuse • Falling in and out of love • Being a control freak • Money problems • One partner not carrying their weight in the marriage • Abandonment or always being away • Sexual problems • Stepchildren and in-laws
- 11. 13-11 • Describes the depressed feelings that parents sometimes experience when their children leave home • Most parents go through a period of adjustment when their children leave the nest
- 12. 13-12 • More room in the home for the parents More money More time in the marriage for couples • Positive aspect when children move out to explore new opportunities
- 13. 13-13 • Adult children who return home because of: • Economic reasons • Divorce • The need to find a safety net • Extended education • Drug or alcohol problems
- 14. 13-14 Occurs when adult children return to the parental nest to live after graduation while they: • Get established professionally and financially • Save enough money to move into their own homes
- 15. 13-15 • Caretaking of children and aging parents • Daughters are more likely to engage in caregiving roles • Exhaustion due to caregiving can lead to intergenerational conflicts • Important to maintain a strong marital relationship through the childrearing years
- 16. 13-16 Grandparents’ attitudes and expectations: Their role is ambiguous, and they have little control on how it plays out Grandparent behaviors: There are differences in the ways grandparents are expected to behave in different cultures Symbolic meaning of grandparenthood: Differences in the ways they view their role Grandparent satisfaction: Greatest satisfaction of grandparents when involvement is moderate
- 17. 13-17 Because of problems with the parents of the grandchildren • Substance abuse or neglect • H I V, AIDS, or mental illness • Incarceration or divorce Stress experienced by grandparents relate to: • Finances or parenting issues • Their own health
- 18. 13-18 • Difficult for those who did not plan their retirement • Aging can have some positive aspects when it comes to emotions • Population of older persons is increasing rapidly because of increased life expectancy
- 19. 13-19 Said to begin at the age of 65 • Exact chronological starting point for old age is bound to be arbitrary Distinct groups • Young-old: Between 65 and 74 • Retired, in good health, and have abundant time to follow their interests • Middle-old: Between 75 and 84 • Tend to be showing their age as health problems increase • Old-old: Over age 85 • Tend to be the frailest, loneliest, and poorest of the old
- 20. 13-20 Aging • Psychological phenomenon • Depends on the person’s mental attitude toward accomplishments of the past and possibilities for the future • Biological reality: Variations among older adults are a result of their different genetic heritages • Social phenomenon: One’s social class and standing directly affect one’s health and life expectancy • Family process: Occurs in the context of ongoing interpersonal relationships Ageism: Prejudging an older person negatively solely on the basis of age
- 21. 13-21 • People considered old at the age of 65 • Most older adults are poor • Most older adults are uninterested in sex • Older adults are frequently sick • Older adults become senile • Most older adults end up in nursing homes • Most older adults are lonely and isolated from younger family members
- 22. 13-22 • Affects people usually after the age of 60 • Results when plaques and tangles develop in the brain and interfere with brain functioning • Providing care can be physically, emotionally, and financially taxing
- 23. 13-23 Contrary to stereotypes, not a negative period of life • Factors predicting positive adjustment to retirement • Good health • Economic security • Supportive social network • Problems associated with transition • Aimlessness • Sleeplessness • Grief over not meeting colleagues or friends Financial resources after retirement can be affected by one’s marital history
- 24. 13-24 Longevous marriages • Last 50 years or more • Include couples who are: Very happy and blissfully in love Very unhappy but who continue the marriage out of habit or fear Neither very happy nor very unhappy and accept the situation
- 25. 13-25 • Some couples experience a decline in marital quality during the middle years and then the marriage improves in the later years • Some couples experience a gradual decline of marital quality as the years go by • Some couples experience stable marital quality in the middle years and into the later years
- 26. 13-26 Grieving process • Crisis-loss stage: Survivor is in a chaotic stage of shock • Transition stage: Survivor begins trying to create a new life • New-life stage: Survivor develops an identity without the partner
- 27. 13-27 Cognitive intimacy: Maintained by thinking of the departed partner Interdependent intimacy: Maintained by hearing the voice of the dead partner in thoughts Idealization of marriage has led to the preference of soul mates over helpmates • Loss more devastating
- 28. 13-28 • More opportunities to develop new couple relationships after a late-life divorce or widowhood because of increased life expectancy • Marriage is viewed as the desirable option for couples as it meets social and religious expectations • Reasons for marriage not being an option for some older individuals Their respective children’s inheritance may be affected Loss of pension benefits with remarriage Potential medical costs or medical care issues
- 29. 13-29 Cohabitation: Allows couples to have an intimate relationship without the legal ramifications of marriage Living apart together: Couples are in a committed relationship but choose to maintain separate homes
- 30. 13-30 Sibling relationships remain strong and positive throughout the years Sometimes events in life trigger the opportunity to reconnect in later years
- 31. Chapter 13 Midlife and Older Couples