This page intentionally left blank ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVES Fourth Edition Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Amherst Stacey B. Whitbourne, Ph.D. VA Boston Healthcare System John Wiley & Sons, Inc. VP AND EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Jay O’Callaghan ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Robert Johnston ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eileen McKeever EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Mariah Maguire-Fong SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER Danielle Torio SENIOR MEDIA EDITOR Lynn Pearlman PHOTO MANAGER Hilary Newman PHOTO RESEARCHER Teri Stratford PRODUCTION MANAGER Janis Soo ASSISTANT PRODUCTION EDITOR Yee Lyn Song COVER DESIGNER Seng Ping Ngieng COVER PHOTO CREDIT Claude Monet, Water Lilies/Peter Willi/SuperStock This book was set in 10.5/12.5 Berkley-Book by Laserwords Private Limited, and printed and bound by R.R. Donnelley–Von Hoffman. The cover was printed by R.R. Donnelley–Von Hoffman. 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Upon completion of the review period, please return the evaluation copy to Wiley. Return instructions and a free of charge return shipping label are available at www.wiley.com/go/returnlabel. Outside of the United States, please contact your local representative. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Whitbourne, Susan Krauss. Adult development and aging: biopsychosocial perspectives / Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Stacey B. Whitbourne. — 4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-470-64697-7 (hardback) 1. Gerontology. 2. Older people—Psychology. 3. Older people—Health and hygiene. 4. Older people—Social conditions. I. Whitbourne, Stacey B. II. Whitbourne, Susan Krauss. Adult development & aging. III. Title. IV. Title: Adult development & aging. HQ1061.W48 2011 305.26—dc22 2010037952 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 PREFACE E veryone ages. This very fact should be enough to draw you into the subject matter of this course, whether you are the student or the instructor. Yet, for many people, it is difficult to imagine the future in 50, 40, or even 10 years from now. The goal of our book is to help you imagine your future and the future of your family, your friends, and your society. We have brought together the latest scientific findings about aging with a more personal approach to encourage you to take this imaginative journey into your future. The fourth edition of Adult Development and Aging: Biopsychosocial Perspectives is significantly different from the previous editions in that there are now two authors. Susan invited a co-author, Stacey, who happens to be her daughter and a professional in the field of aging. Much of the material remains based on the course that Susan teaches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on the Psychology of Aging. She continues to incorporate her day-to-day teaching of the course into the text. What you will read follows very closely with the way she approaches the course and engages her students in the learning process. Examples, figures, and tables, as well as the words in the text, reflect what she has found to be of most interest to her students. Stacey was inspired to pursue the field of aging after taking her mother’s course in 1999. She contin- ued her graduate work in social and developmental psychology focusing on cognitive functioning in later adulthood. Stacey’s contributions to the fourth edition are based on her current research projects on genetic epidemiology and aging. The addition of Stacey as a co-author brings a third generation begun by Susan’s father, who specialized in geriatric medicine. Susan became interested in the scholarly field of aging as an undergraduate when she decided to write a paper on personality and adaptation in a developmental psychology course. At the same time, her father’s professional activities had a profound influence and made the choice of gerontology (the scientific study of aging) a natural one. It is our hope and belief that you will find that the study of aging has many fascinating aspects. Not only is everyone around you aging, but also the issues that are raised within this field extend from the philosophical to the practical. Why do living things age? Is there a way to slow down the aging process? How will society deal with the aging of the Baby Boomers? How will job markets be affected by an aging society? Will you age differently than your parents and grandparents? All of these, and more, are questions that you will find yourself asking as you explore the many complexities of the process that causes people to change and grow throughout life. At the same time, you will gain many advantages from learning the material in this course. You will learn the keys to healthy development in the years of adulthood. As a result, you will learn not only how people grow older but also how to grow older in a way that is healthy and satisfying. THEMES OF THE BOOK The biopsychosocial model emphasized in our text is intended to encourage you to think about the multiple interactions among the domains of biology, psychology, and sociology. According to this model, changes in one area of life have effects on changes in other areas. The centerpiece of this model is identity, your self-definition. You interpret the experiences iii iv Preface you have through the framework provided by your identity. In turn, your experiences often stimulate you to change your self-definition. This is an exciting time to be studying adult development and aging. The topic is gaining increas- ing media attention and tremendous momentum as an academic discipline within life-span development. The biopsychosocial model fits within the frame- work of contemporary approaches that emphasize the impact of social context on individuals through- out all periods of life. Entirely new concepts, sets of data, and practical applications of these models are resulting in a realization of the dreams of many of the classic developmental psychologists whose work shaped the field in the early 20th century. ORGANIZATION There is a logical organization to the progression of chapters in this book, essentially from the ‘‘bio’’ to the ‘‘psycho’’ to the ‘‘social.’’ However, this is not a strict progression. Instructors may find that they would prefer to switch the order of certain chapters or sections within chapters, and that will be fairly easy to do. We have stuck to the integrative theme of the biopsychosocial model in that many of the topics, regardless of where they appear in the book, bring together this multifaceted approach. We feel strongly that the final chapter should not be not about death and dying, as is often the case in other books in the field, but about successful aging. This point is reflected in our choice of a cover, a painting of water lilies by Monet in his later years. The painting was also a very personal choice for us; after seeing it at an exhibit we were struck by its beauty and relevance to our book. You will read more about Monet in Chapter 14, where we discuss creativity and aging. The painting is a remarkably vivid expression of the vitality that characterizes successful aging. FEATURES Up-to-Date Research The topics and features in this text are intended to involve you in the field of aging from a scholarly and a personal perspective. You will find that the most current research is presented throughout the text, with careful and detailed explanations of the studies that highlight the most important scholarly advances. Aging in the News Each chapter includes one news story featuring the accomplishments of noted older adults ranging from Betty White (who famously hosted Saturday Night Live at the age of 88) to Jack LaLanne, who at age 95 (in 2010) remains the most famous fitness guru in the world. Engaging Figures and Tables We have given the text a new look by significantly updating figures and tables that contain review points and clearly show important research findings. Our selection of these materials connects to the PowerPoint slides that instructors can download from the Wiley Web site. Contemporary Approach Wording from the previous edition was revised to incorporate the perspective of the second author in order to appeal to the college-aged student. We use references to current trends (such as Facebook and iPods) to illustrate our points. The first author now writes a Psychology Today blog on aging, which picks up on many of the themes of our book. STUDENT LEARNING AIDS Numbered Summaries Each chapter contains a numbered summary that will assist students in reviewing the important material from the chapter. Glossary Terms Bold items in each chapter indicate glossary terms. Because students may encounter a term more than once after it is introduced in a particular chapter, all the glossary items appear at the end of the book, as do the references. Instructor Resources v Ample Illustrations Tables and figures pick up on major points in the text. There are also photographs intended to highlight particularly interesting or relevant issues. CHANGES IN THE FOURTH EDITION The first edition of Adult Development and Aging: Biopsychosocial Perspectives was intended to provide a fresh and engaging approach to the field of the psychology of adult development and aging by focusing on three themes: a multidisciplinary approach, positive images of aging, and the newest and most relevant research. The fourth edition maintains the experience for students of participating in a live classroom. We also have simplified a number of the research presentations. This makes it possible for students to gain a fuller appreciation of the main points they need to know in order to master the subject matter. We hope this approach makes the instructor’s job easier. Students will be more motivated to complete their readings if they like the text and feel that they can relate to it. We did not change the organization of chapters. Instructors who have developed their course based on earlier editions will not need to change the basic structure of their lectures and assignments. However, we condensed some sections, deleted others, and introduced new sections to reflect changes in the field. We also deleted the boxed features that, in our experience, students were not reading. Instead, we integrated such features as critical thinking, biopsychosocial perspectives, and self-focused exercises into the writing of the text itself. Throughout the fourth edition, references have been substantially updated. Approximately half of the references are from 2008 or later, and one third are from 2009 and 2010. To maintain the same length of the text, outdated references were deleted and sections were updated to reflect the newest research. New U.S. Census data were completely integrated into demographic material presented throughout the text, as have special reports on older adults published by the Administration on Aging, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to presenting updated information on the United States, substantial information was added from international statistics, particularly in the area of health. We revamped our approach to presenting biologi- cal, physiological, and cognitive approaches to aging. The incorporation of new figures and tables will appeal visually to students and guide them through their reading of the text. As in previous editions, we aimed to provide studies that were as interesting as possible to illustrate major points. We continued to expand the treatment of brain imaging studies, an area that has grown tremendously in the past three to four years. New data on genetics and aging were included in relevant sections. We have also drawn heavily from studies such as Whitehall II that show the importance of social class as an influence on health and aging. These exciting changes in the field con- tinue to illustrate the importance of a biopsychosocial perspective. Supplements Wiley is pleased to offer an online resource containing a wealth of teaching and learning material at http:// www.wiley.com/college/whitbourne. Web Site Links References in this edition show the Web sites that students and instructors can consult to gather updated information on changes in the field. INSTRUCTOR RESOURCES Instructor’s Manual The content in the Instructor’s Manual reflects over 30 years of experience in teaching this course. You will find chapter outlines, key terms, learning objectives, and lecture suggestions. Video suggestions are also provided as well as resources for finding documentaries, movies, and even pop music. PowerPoint Slides Prepared for use in lectures, a complete set of PowerPoint slides tailored to the book are available for download. Contained on the slides are highlights of vi Preface chapters and extensive visual illustrations of chapter concepts and key terms. Test Bank A complete downloadable test bank includes 50 to 70 questions in each chapter that follow along with the order that the concepts are presented in the text. Each multiple-choice question is labeled according to which concept it tests, along with its difficulty level. Included are short answer and essay questions corresponding to each section of the chapter. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Our first set of acknowledgments go to our families. Husbands Richard O’Brien and Erik Gleason have graciously provided important support that allowed us to spend the many hours required over the period of a year in revising the book. Jennifer O’Brien, daughter and sister, is a wonderful sounding board for our ideas and as she continues her career in clinical psychology, we look forward to continued ‘‘collaboration’’ with her. Throughout the writing of this book, students in the Psychology of Aging class at the University of Massachusetts Amherst provided valuable insights and observations. As we were revising the book and preparing the lectures, they continued to provide us with fresh perspectives. Their good humor, patience, and willingness to experiment with some new ideas makes it possible to add the all-important student viewpoint to the finished product. We feel extremely fortunate to have had the guidance of the editor at John Wiley & Sons, Chris Johnson, who helped us prepare this and the previous edition. His insights, support, and friendly advice have been central to our ability to maintain the book’s strength while widening its appeal. We would also like to give special thanks to our associate editor, Eileen McKeever. She maintains the tradition of Wiley’s efficiency and helpful attention that we have had the good fortune to receive throughout the revision process. Hilary Newman, Photo Manager, and Teri Stratford, Photo Researcher, have helped About the Authors vii us tremendously in meeting our requests for great illustrative material. Yee Lyn Song, the production editor, provided helpful and friendly feedback. The marketing team, Danielle Torio and Melissa Kleckner, ensure that you and your colleagues know all about the book. Finally, the work of Seng Ping Ngieng, the designer, has ensured that the book is attractively presented. These individuals provide behind-the- scenes help that every author knows is invaluable to the creation of an excellent text. Our final thanks go to the reviewers who provided helpful comments and suggestions throughout the revision process. Their insightful observations and thoughtful proposals for changes helped us tighten and focus the manuscript and enhance the discussion of several key areas of interest in the field. Thank you to Gary Creasey (Illinois State University), Carrie Andreoletti, (Central Connecticut State University), Richard Tucker (University of Central Florida), Renee Babcock (Central Michigan University), Susan Bell (Georgetown College), Susan H. Mcfadden (University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh), Katie E. Cherry (Louisiana State University), Joseph E. Gaugler (University of Minnesota), and Victoria Hilkevitch Bedford (University of Indianapolis). We have also benefited from informal reviews provided by our colleagues who use the book in their teaching and we greatly appreciate their helpful suggestions. In conclusion, we hope that we have given you something to look forward to as you venture into the fascinating field of adult development and aging, and that the subsequent pages of this book will fulfill these expectations. We have tried to present a comprehensive but clear picture of the area and hope that you will be able to apply this knowledge to improving your own life and the lives of the older adults with whom you may be preparing to work. We hope you will come away from the course with a positive feeling about what you can do to ‘‘age better’’ and with a positive feeling about the potentialities of later life. And maybe, just maybe, as has happened on many past occasions with people who have read this book, you will decide to pursue this field and we can welcome you as colleagues in the coming years. Finally, we would like to comment on the process of working together as a mother–daughter team. The first author was pregnant with the second author when she embarked on her first textbook in the field, the precursor to the present volume. Little did she know that the child she was about to have would become a psychologist, much less a specialist in aging. We have had an enjoyable time working on the revision and are proud and happy to be able to share our perspectives with you, the reader. Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. Stacey B. Whitbourne, Ph.D. June 2010 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., Professor of Psy- chology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University in 1974 and completed a post- doctoral training program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, hav- ing joined the faculty there in 1984. Her previous positions were as Associate Professor of Educa- tion and Psychology at the University of Rochester (1975–84) and Assistant Professor of Psychology at SUNY College at Geneseo. Formerly the Psychology Departmental Honors Coordinator at the Univer- sity of Massachusetts Amherst, she is Director of the Office of National Scholarship Advisement. In addition, she is Faculty Advisor to the University of Massachusetts Chapter of Psi Chi, a position for which she was recognized as the Eastern Regional Outstanding Advisor for the year 2001 and as the Florence Denmark National Faculty Advisor in 2002. She served as Eastern Region Vice President of Psi Chi in 2006–07 and as Chair of the Program Committee for the National Leadership Conference in 2009. Her teaching has been recognized with the College Outstanding Teacher Award in 1995 and the University Distinguished Teaching Award in 2001. Her work as an advisor was recognized with the Outstanding Academic Advisor Award in 2006. In 2003, she received the American Psy- chological Association (APA) Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) Master Mentor Award and the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Behav- ioral and Social Sciences Distinguished Mentorship award. viii Preface Over the past 20 years, Dr. Whitbourne has held a variety of elected and appointed positions in APA Division 20 including President (1995–96), Treasurer (1986–89), Secretary (1981–84), Program Chair (1997–98), Education Committee Chair (1979–80), Student Awards Committee Chair (1993–94), Con- tinuing Education Committee Chair (1981–82), and Elections Committee Chair (1992–93). She has chaired the Fellowship Committee and serves as the Division 20 Representative to the APA Coun- cil (2000–2006 and 2009–present). She is a Fellow of Divisions 1 (General Psychology), 2 (Teaching of Psychology), 12 (Clinical Psychology), and 20. She has served on the APA Committee on Structure and Function of Council and chaired the Policy and Plan- ning Board in 2007. She currently serves on the APA Membership Board. Dr. Whitbourne is also a Fellow of the American Psychological Society and the Eastern Psychological Association, for which she serves on the Executive Board. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, and currently serves on the Behavioral and Social Sciences Executive Board. She is Chair-Elect of the Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs. A founding member of the Society for the Study of Human Development, she was its President from 2005 to 2007. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Fellowship Advisors. In her home of Amherst, Massachusetts, she has served on the Council on Aging (2004–07) and was the President of the Friends of the Amherst Senior Center (2007–09). Her publications include 15 published books, many in multiple editions, and more than 140 journal articles and chapters, including articles in Psychology and Aging, Psychotherapy, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Gerontology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Teaching of Psychology, and chapters in the Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, Clini- cal Geropsychology, Comprehensive Clinical Psychology (Geropsychology), the Encyclopedia of Psychology, and the International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behav- ioral Sciences. She has been a Consulting Editor for Psychology and Aging and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Gerontology and is a Consulting Edi- tor for Developmental Psychology. Her presentations at professional conferences number over 200, and include several invited addresses, among them the APA G. Stanley Hall Lecture in 1995, the EPA Psi Chi Distinguished Lecture in 2001, and the SEPA Invited Lecture in 2002. Stacey B. Whitbourne, Ph.D., received her Ph.D. in Social and Developmental Psychology from Bran- deis University in 2005 where she was funded by a National Institute on Aging Training Fellow- ship. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, funded by a National Institute on Aging Grant and a Department of Veter- ans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Grant. Currently, she is a Research Health Scientist at the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiol- ogy and Research Information Center (MAVERIC), an independent research center housed within the V.A. Boston Healthcare System. The author of sev- eral published articles, she is also a co-author on a chapter for the Sage Series on Aging in America. She is a member of the American Psychological Associ- ation Division 20 and the Gerontological Society of America. A member of the Membership Committee of Division 20, she has also given more than 30 presentations at national conferences. As an under- graduate, she received the Psi Chi National Student Research Award. In graduate school, she was awarded the Verna Regan Teaching Award and an APA Stu- dent Travel Award. She has taught courses on adult development and aging at Brandeis University and the University of Massachusetts Boston.