THE END!!!

Thanks for following me through my six week journey learning about Human Development!

Stages of Dying

Death affects people in different ways. Typically a person goes through five different stages before death. The five stages are Denial/isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Denial/isolation - Is where the person denies that death is going to happen to them. Sometimes they believe "It can't happen to me" or "I'm too young to die". Denial is a common reaction to the idea of death. Denial is usually just a temporary reaction.

Anger - Anger occurs when the person realizes that they can no longer deny that death is going to take place. Anger occurs when the person begins to think "Why Me?" The person becomes angry because they feel helpless and a loss of control. When anger takes place the person becomes difficult to care for and to be around. In some cases the dying person begins to take there anger out on those around them because they realize the what they are losing, and those who symbolize life become great targets.

Bargaining - Bargaining occurs when the person starts to believe that death can somehow be postponed or delayed. The person begins to try to bargain most usually with God trying to develop a compromise to delay death. They will promise to do or not to do certain things in exchange for a little bit longer. In some cases the dying persons feels that there are certain things that need to be taken care of before the die, so they bargain for more time to finish them.

Depression - Depression occurs when the person comes to accept the idea that they cannot do anything to stop death from occurring. The person may become silent, refuse visitors, and spend much of the time crying or grieving. This stage is normal and is the person attempt to disconnect themselves from those that mean the most to them.

Acceptance - Acceptance occurs after the person work through the conflicts and feelings of death. The person develops a sense of peace and acceptance that death inevitable. Most believe that this stage occurs in the final period before death when the person becomes tired and weak. The person normally becomes calm and all fear is gone.

Some people will struggle with death until the end. They are never able to experience a sense of acceptance. Some believe that people fight death the harder time they will have dying peacefully.

People finding meaning and purpose in their lives is linked to how they approach death. A study showed that those who reported finding purpose and meaning in life were experience the least amount of despair in the final weeks of their death. Also, those who had found no reason for living where the most distressed about dying.

My Opinion:

I think that these stages of death are more present in those dying at a younger age. In a lot of cases older adults know that their deaths are inevitable and are accepting to the idea of death. However those that are younger and diagnosed with terminal illnesses are those that struggle the most with the stages of death. It is important for their loved ones to be there for them and to help them through the stages. However, it is hard for loved ones to be completely there for the dying person because they themselves are struggling with the idea of loss.

What do you think?

Sources:

Gould, B. (n.d.). Five Stages of Dying. Old Fashioned Living : cooking from scratch, hand made crafts, old fashioned ideas, traditions, simple life, and more:. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from http://oldfashionedliving.com/dying.html

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Social Interaction with Older Adults

Social support of older adults plays a vital role in their well-being mentally and physically. Social support is helpful for people of all ages, but especially important to older adults. The over all health - psychological, behavioral, and social can be influenced by social support. When older adults receive social support it is linked to the reduction in symptoms of disease, mental illness, and mortality. In addition social support decrease the probability of the older adult being institutionalized or becoming depressed.

According an article on the Centers for Disease Control Website
"Social support includes real or perceived resources provided by others that enable a person to feel cared for, valued, and part of a network of communication and mutual obligation." It is critical to older adults who rely on family, friends, or organization to assist them with daily activities, provide companionship, and care for their well-being. Social support can be provided by different adults. Older adults that are married, are less likely to need social support. Families and friends play an important role of providing social support to older adults.

Research has shown that visits with friends or relatives, having close friends for emotional support, and the perception of help being available if sick or disabled were associated with better health related quality of life and better mental health. The implementation of effective prevention programs for older adults and the encouragement of interventions by agencies on aging can help improve health-related quality of life among older adults who have little social support. Social support can promote health by providing persons with positive experiences, socially rewarding roles, or improved ability to cope with stressful events. Support is critical for older adults who are have an increased risk for disability associate with chronic disease or social isolation after the loss of a partner.

My Opinion:

I believe that social interaction is extremely important for older adults. Growing up my grandmother worked at a nursing home, and I would occasionally go visit her. Even at a young age I was able to tell the difference in the patients that had regular visits with family and the patients that did not. Even though nursing homes provide a form of social interaction to patients, not all patients choose to participate. I also saw a difference in those patients that choose not to attend the social programs.

What do you think?

Sources:

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Social Support and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Older Adults --- Missouri, 2000. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5417a4.htm

Older Adults in the Labor Force

Retirement was once seen as an exit from full-time work to full-time leisure. However, in today's society the older generation is delaying retirement longer than their parents or grandparents. In 2009 adults age 55 and older made up 19% of the work force. There are a couple major reasons why they are delaying retirement. First, the older generation enjoys working and wants to stay active. Some do not want to retire and want to continue with their career jobs. Some retire from their career work to find a new and different job. Some retire from career jobs to do volunteer work. Approximately 7 million Americans that retire return to work. Second, the older generation is delaying retirement because of financial reasons. Some cases adults cannot afford retirement and must continue to work in order to meet financial needs. The growth in senior adults working added 3.2 million people to the work force in 2009. Some work to meet financial needs, some work to stay busy, and others work to give back to their community. Of the senior adults that have continued to work or returned to work two thirds indicated that they were happy with their decision.

My opinion:

I think that the older generation continues to work because they have worked their entire lives. The older adults are the ones that had to start working at an early age to help support their families. They have grown up working, and have worked their entire lives. Therefore, they do not know what it is like to not work. Therefore, they feel as if they must continue to work.

Sources:

Johnson, R., & Kaminski, J. (n.d.). Older Adults’ Labor Force Participation since 1993: A Decade and a Half of Growth. Urban Institute. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412011_older_adults_labor_force.pdf

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Empty Nest Syndrome

Empty nest syndrome can be felt by some when their children enter adult life and leave home. In most cases empty nest syndrome is felt more by mothers, that miss their children needing their day-to-day care. Empty Nest can effect the lives of parents in many different ways. First, It is natural to feel some sadness when children leave the home. However, feeling should not become severe and last more than a week. Parents should consult a doctor for severe depression if they start to feel as if they are no longer useful, start crying excessively, or are so sad that they do not want to see friends or family. Second, empty nest syndrome could cause marital problems. Children leaving the house gives a couple more time to focus on their relationship. In some cases instead of focusing on the positive, they start to recognize the flaws in their relationship. In order to find marital satisfaction both parties need to have an interest in making it work. After children leave home is the perfect time for couples to rediscover each other. Third, problems can occur with the refilling of the empty nest. In today's society more middle aged adults are refilling the empty nest by allowing their children to move back home. Adult children may return to leave at home after college until the find a job, or until the save up money. Some may move back home after an unsuccessful career venture or a divorce. The middle generation has always supported the younger generation. They provide financial support, as well as emotional support, and it makes the parents feel good that they can offer support to their child in a time of need. However, problems can occur when adult children move back home. The adult children complain about a loss of privacy and restricted independence. The parents complain about noise, staying up late worrying, and taking on too more responsibility for their children. Adult children moving back in with their parents requires adaptation and cooperation between both parties. In order to survive empty nest syndrome parents need to lean on friends for support and be kind to themselves. Parents should remember that their children leaving is not the end of the world. It is a new chapter for them to focus on themselves, start a new career, or find a new hobby.

My opinion:

I think that developing empty nest syndrome depends on the type of person you are, and how happy you are in your life. I believe that my mom experienced a time of sadness when I left for college. However, I don't think she went through empty nest syndrome because she became focused on her career and going back to school.

I have recently became a "boomerang kid" and moved back home to live with my mom, which I can say has not been the easiest. Mom and I have not really had any major fights. We have had a few disagreement, but we were speaking again with 10 mins. It has been a huge adjustment to move back home. It is weird after living on your own for so long. The hardest part has been coming home at late hours. I feel like I should come home early so I don't disturb mom, but at the same time I feel like I am adult and should be able to stay out as late as I want. She hasn't complained about me moving home, but I can tell it has been a huge adjustment for her as well.

What do you think about empty nest syndrome? What do you think about refilling the empty nest?

Sources:

Empty-nest syndrome. (n.d.). NetDoctor.co.uk - The UK's leading independent health website. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/womenshealth/features/ens.htm

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Midlife Crisis

What is a midlife crisis? The book reports that it is a time when the middle-aged adult is suspended between the past and the future, trying to cope with the gap that threatens life's continuity. Today the midlife transition is looked on, more and more, as a normal part of life, where people often reevaluate their priorities and goals. The age at which midlife crisis takes place can vary. Usually it can occur anywhere from about age 37 to the 50's. In most cases the crisis occurs around a significant life event like: youngest child finishing college, a "zero" birthday, or the death of a parent.

Men and Women respond differently to midlife crisis. Men tend to seem more intent on wanting to prove something. In addition men may become more in touch with their feminine side. Women are more likely to evaluate their performance as a wife, mother, or both. Also, they could decided that since they have finished raising their children, they can do whatever they like work-wise. Therefore they may choose to go back to school, or reenter the workforce in a new career.

While serious depression can accompany the period of time during midlife, it is also a period of growth. Whether, a midlife transition will develop into serious depression or into an opportunity for growth depends on a number of factors, including support from partners and other loved ones. Symptoms of serious depression in midlife are: change in eating habits; change in sleeping habits or fatigue; feelings of pessimism or hopelessness; restlessness, anxiety, or irritability; feeling of guilt, helplessness, or worthlessness; loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, including sex and hobbies, thoughts of suicide or attempts at suicide, physical aches or pains such as headaches or gastrointestinal upset that don't respond to treatment.

While it is know as a midlife crisis in most cases it is just a transitional period. In most cases the period of midlife is a time of tremendous growth. A person's vocabulary, verbal memory, and inductive reasoning peak at midlife. Also, a person reaches the height of the career success during midlife.

My opinion:

This is a hard subject for me to give my opinion on because I have not reached that point in my life yet. I would say that not in all case, but in a majority of cases people use the idea of midlife crisis as an excuse to go crazy. I think that some people legitimately have break downs during midlife, but I believe that could be caused from the realization that their live is not where they want it to be.

What do you think?

Sources:

Midlife Crisis: Depression or Normal Transition?. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/midlife-crisis-opportunity?page=3

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Cohabiting Adults

In today's society cohabitation is becoming more common amount young adults. What is Cohabitation? Cohabitation refers to living together in a sexual relationship without being married. Currently 60 to 70% of adults live together before they get married. In general most see cohabitation as a way to be together without the official aspect of marriage. Others use it as an alternative to marriage, but find it important to be married someday. Most adults see cohabitation as a successful step to marriage, but research shows the opposite. 1/3 of cohabiting arrangements last less than a year, and less than 1 out of 10 last for five years. Research has shown lower rates of marital satisfaction and higher rates of divorce in couples who lived together before getting married. Cohabiting before marriage can lead to what is called the "cohabitation effect". The "cohabitation effect" includes a more negative commitment in marriage, lower levels of marital satisfactio, erosion over time of the value and view of marriage and childrearing, and greater likelihood of divorce. In addition cohabitation can lead other problems. An emotional stress can be put on the couple because of disapproval by parents and family. Also, it may be hard for the couple to own property jointly, and in the case of a separation legal rights become confusing. In general cohabitation usually has a negative impact on marriage and relationships.

My opinion:
I lived with my college boyfriend my senior year and once I moved to Nashville, and living together caused us to argue constantly. However, I am glad that we lived together because it made me realize that I did not want to spend the rest of my life with him. I don't think that I want to live with someone else before I get married. On the other hand I worry about whether or not that person and I will be able to get along once we are married and living together everyday. The book discusses that move in together after engagement are more likely to have a successful marriage than those who live together before an engagement. I think I would be more likely to live with someone again if we were engaged.

Sources:

Characteristics of Cohabiting Adults Studied. (n.d.). North Carolina Family Policy Council. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://www.ncfamily.org/stories/090716s1.html

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.