1. DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE AGE Human Development Information Technology College of Public and Community Service University of Massachusetts at Boston ©2009 William Holmes 1

2. PHYSICAL CHANGE IN MIDDLE AGE Basal Metabolism Rate (BMR) declines 8% Food consumption doesn’t adjust Exercise doesn’t adjust Life style doesn’t adjust 2

3. PHYSICAL CHANGE IN MIDDLE AGE Weight gain Fat gain Muscle loss Neural loss Perceptual decline Organ reserve declines 3

4. RISK FACTORS IN MIDDLE AGE Omega 6 fatty diets More than light consumption of alcohol Sporadic or limited exercise Stress Limited relaxation Social isolation 4

5. SEX IN MIDDLE AGE: 1 Declining libido Declining potency Declining hormones and pheromones Increased stress 5

6. SEX IN MIDDLE AGE: 2 Cumulative effects of alcohol Effects of life style Effects of attention Reactions to changes 6

7. COGNITIVE CHANGE IN MIDDLE AGE Fluid intelligence declines (Horn) Crystallized intelligence is stable or increases Varies by race and ethnicity Varies by achievement area Varies by study design Speed of processing tends to decline 7

8. LEARNING IN MIDDLE AGE Affected by goals Affected by motivation Colored by speed of response Affected by new learning Affected by new job demands 8

9. WORK ISSUES IN MIDDLE AGE Job advancement/blockage Shifts in labor pool Shifts in business production Shifts in job skills New business alternatives Job security/uncertainty 9

10. WORK CHALLENGES IN MIDDLE AGE: 1 Career reassessment Discriminatory harassment Discriminatory unemployment Dead end jobs 10

11. WORK CHALLENGES IN MIDDLE AGE: 2 Equal pay and promotion Work-family conflict Travel risks and demands Structural unemployment Cyclic unemployment 11

12. MIDLIFE CRISIS Awareness of aging Death of consociates Changes in relationships Reassessed career goals Sense of datedness Burnout 12

13. ADAPTATION IN MIDDLE AGE: 1 Selye, Stress Adaptation Syndrome – Bodies response to hormones released during stress Alarm reaction Resistance Exhaustion – Need to use released hormones 13

14. ADAPTATION IN MIDDLE AGE: 1 Cicchetti, Resilience Theory – Risk factors Low intelligence Family Abuse/Isolation Family unemployment Low education – Protective factors Personality optimism/adaptability Family support/cohesion External support 14

15. MARRIAGE CHALLENGES IN MIDLIFE Midlife crisis and second childhood Empty Nest Syndrome Recommitment Living as a couple Multigenerational families Economic and social stress 15

16. PREPARING FOR TRANSITION Death Separation Job loss Retirement New career Recreation Partnership 16