ADULTHOOD
-begins around age 20 and lasts until about age 40 to 45 with middle adulthood beginning then and continuing until around age 65.
Physical Development: The Peak of Health
*Early adulthood – marks the peak of physical health
*Middle adulthood – people gradually become aware of changes in their bodies
*late adulthood – in our 50’s and 60’s we may experience a gradual decline in height because of loss of bones and a further decrease in output of lungs and kidneys, an increase in skin wrinkles and a deterioration in joints.
Physical Changes in Late Adulthood
The Aging Body
*genetic preprogramming theories of aging:
-theories that suggest that human cells have a built-in time limit to their reproduction, and that …show more content…
*Activity theory
-a theory that suggests that the elderly who are most successful while aging are those who maintain the interests and activities they had during middle age.
*Life review
-the process by which people examine and evaluate their lives
Adjusting to Death
-Elizabeth Kubler Ross brought the subject of death into the open with her observation that those facing impending death tend to move through five brood stages:
• Denial: In this stage, people resist the idea that they are dying. Even if told that their chances for survival are small, they refuse to admit that they are facing death.
• After moving beyond the denial stage, dying people become angry – angry at people around them who are in good health, angry at medical professionals for being ineffective, and angry to