Discussion Question

PSY3540_Week 4 L1 Supplemental

Stress and Coping

The two scenarios below describe events in the lives of two men, Jorge and Bill. Both are 75 years old

and each has gone through a traumatic event.

Scenario 1

Jorge is now living alone. His wife of forty-nine

years, Luisa, left him for another man. To make

matters worse, the other man was Jorge’s best

friend, Ramón. Jorge has been alone for a week

and he still does not understand why his wife

left.

Scenario 2

Bill was reading the newspaper. He read about

an estate sale on Saturday. Bill yelled out to his

wife, Mary, to see if she wanted to go. It has

been a year since Mary passed away, but

sometimes Bill still forgets that she is no longer

with him.

Of Jorge and Bill, which one seems to be going through what is considered a normative life event?

Which one is going through a non-normative life event? Normative life events are those life experiences

that are considered common for a particular age group. For Bill, being a widower at 75 is a normative

life event. Although the loss of his wife may be tragic, it is an event that many older adults go through.

Furthermore, the loss of a spouse is much more common for people in their seventies than for people in

their thirties.

On the other hand, Jorge seems to be going through a non-normative life event. Older adults do get

divorced, but it is less common, especially for couples that have been married as long as Jorge and his

wife were married, when older adults divorce, infidelity is rarely the cause.

Coping Strategies

The question becomes, would a non-normative event such as divorce be more difficult to cope with than

the death of a spouse? For an older adult, the death of a spouse is a normative event; divorce is not.

Both are significant life stressors. However, even though a couple has divorced, that doesn’t necessarily

mean the former spouses wouldn’t be able to maintain contact with each other.

Individual coping strategies are derived from a person’s sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy. Self-

esteem is an individual’s evaluation of his or her own self-worth. Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in

his or her ability to accomplish personal tasks and goals.

As a person ages, that person develops or grows into certain roles, whether in a career or in family life.

As you have already learned, those social roles help to define a person. Someone who spent thirty years

as a teacher may have difficulty adapting to a new role after retirement. A person’s self-esteem is also

influenced by social roles within the context of family, and, to a lesser extent, with friends and social

acquaintances.

As children grow and leave home to raise their own families, older adults may become less central in the

family dynamics. Membership in social organizations and friendships also changes over time, especially

for older adults. Close friends pass away. Individual roles within organizations change as activity levels

change. All of these issues can have an effect on an older adult’s self-esteem and self-efficacy. How

might older adults cope with such change in their life?

Change is gradual. For the most part, the changes described in this week’s lectures are anticipated,

normative life events and experiences. An individual may have had many years to prepare for such

changes. Also, the transition is not without support, as roles change, new roles can develop and emerge.

Older adults may not be active in parenting their grown children, but that doesn’t mean that their

parenting skills are no longer needed. It is very common for grandparents to take an active role in the

lives of their grandchildren.

In recent years healthy aging and living has become a common idea for older adults. Many adults have

turned to a more active and productive lifestyle. The old stereotype of older adults retiring to the

rocking chair on the porch is a thing of the past. An active and healthy living lifestyle provides strong

coping mechanisms even when facing chronic illness (Schneller & Vandsbuger, 2008).

References

Schneller, D., & Vandsbuger, E. (2008). Self-efficacious behaviors for reducing stress in older adults.

Ageing International, 32(1), 78–91.

media/week4/SU_PSY3540_W4_L4_S1_G1.pdf

• Causes of Dementia
• There are two main types of Alzheimer’s disease: early onset and late onset. Individuals who are diagnosed with the disease before the age of 65 are classified as early onset. Those who are diagnosed after the age of 65 are classified as late onset. The cause of the disease is not known, but there are risk known risk factors including age, lifestyle, and heredity factors. In recent years, researchers have linked genetic factors as well. The stages of the disease are marked by changes in overall cognitive and physical functioning. In the early stages, memory loss and changes in executive functioning are apparent. In the late stages, cognitive functioning diminishes to the point where the individual loses the ability to engage in basic activities of daily living (bathing, grooming, dressing, and dining) and the capacity for verbal expression. Toward the end stage, the individual will also lose the ability to ambulate and move purposefully.
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) is a disease that manifests in ways that are similar to other types of diseases that cause dementia. Patients with LBD exhibit the cognitive changes related to Alzheimer’s disease and the physical changes related to Parkinson’s disease. The change in functioning is due to the presence of Lewy Bodies, protein structures that develop in different parts of the brain. The same types of structures have been found in individuals diagnosed with Parkinon’s. Individuals with Lewy Body disease also have plaques and tangles, which are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Some have speculated that Lewy Body is a variant of Alzheimer’s or is another type of Parkinson’s. The disease also produces hallucinations and delusional problems for some individuals.
• Lewy Body
• Vascular dementia results from brain tissue damage. Such damage is caused when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. The interruption may occur when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood in the brain or when a blood vessel breaks. The damage can range from minor to major physical and mental changes. The tissue damage can cause memory loss, personality change, loss of movement, as well as overall functional limitations, including the impairment of ADLs. Overall cognitive and intellectual loss can also occur, depending on the extent of the damage.
• Vascular Dementia
• Other diseases that cause dementia include:
• Other Causes
•  Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease
•  Huntington's chorea
•  Infectious diseases, such as encephalitis, HIV, or syphilis
•  Multiple sclerosis
•  Parkinson’s disease
•  Pick’s disease
• Some diseases that cause dementia can be treated and the dementia reversed. These diseases include:
• Reversible Dementias
•  Brain tumors
•  Chronic alcohol abuse
•  Drug use and abuse
•  Exposure to toxins or toxic substances
•  Hydrocephalus
•  Hypoxia
•  Metabolic conditions and disorders
•  Nutritional deficiencies
• Many organizations maintain Web sites that provide excellent information on the various diseases that cause dementia. Enter the following terms into any search engine to learn more about each disease:
• Dementia Resources
•  Alzheimer’s Association
•  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease
•  Huntington’s Disease Society of America
•  Lewy Body Dementia Association
•  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke—Encaphalitis & Meningitis
•  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke—Picks Disease
•  National Multiple Sclerosis Society
•  National Parkinson Foundation
•  National Prevention Information Network—HIV
•  National Stroke Association

Causes of Dementia