Research Catalog

Title

The psychology of human aging : theory, research, and practice / Marguerite D. Kermis.

Author

Kermis, Marguerite D., 1948-

Publication

Boston : Allyn and Bacon, ©1984.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xviii, 393 pages : illustrations; 25 cm

Subject

• Aging > Psychological aspects
• Older people > Psychology
• Older people > Mental health services
• Aging
• Aged > psychology
• Aging
• Aging > Psychological aspects
• Older people > Mental health services
• Older people > Psychology
• Alterspsychologie
• Psychologie
• Ouderen

Note

• Includes indexes.

Bibliography (note)

• Bibliography: p. [353]-372.

Contents

pt. 1. Introduction -- In search of psychology of aging -- The psychology of aging -- Psychological issues in aging -- Definitions and stereotypes -- Mental health and "senility" -- Physical health and disease -- Cognitive competence -- Sensory competence -- Psychiatric illness in the elderly -- Ageism -- General directions of the text -- pt. 2. Demographics of aging -- The aging population -- Average life expectancy -- Sex differences in life expectancy -- Minority elderly -- American blacks -- Mexican Americans -- American Indians -- Residence -- Income -- Education -- Health demographics -- Causes of death -- Disability -- Chronic conditions -- Mental health -- Self assessment of health -- pt. 3 Theories of aging -- Long-lived peoples -- The centenarians -- Aging in natural environments -- Why have theories and research? -- The scientific utility of aging research -- The biological theories -- Evolutionary considerations -- Intrinsic versus extrinsic determinants of longevity -- Biological themes -- Genetic theories -- Nongenetic cellular theories -- Physiological theories -- The psychosocial theories -- pt. 4. Research and methodology in aging -- Definitions of age -- Chronological age -- Social age -- Psychological age -- Biological age -- Factors affecting age -- Methodology -- Problems with traditional developmental designs -- Sequential developmental designs -- Other potential methodological problems -- Conclusions -- Research case example: terminal drop -- pt. 5. Pshysiology of aging -- The historical context -- Disease versus aging -- Use of the animal model -- Controlling for health status -- Generalized age changes in physiology -- Functional age changes in physiology -- Molecular and cellular changes with age -- Changes in physical systems and their consequences -- Respiratory system -- Gastrointestinal system -- Cardiovascular system -- Endocrine and immune systems -- Urinary system -- The brain and central nervous system -- Central nervous system aging: behavorial indices -- Brain aging: physical correlates -- Environmental intervention in brain aging -- Environmental intervention in physiological aging -- Dealing with minor age changes -- Nutritional intervention -- Drug intervention -- Exercise intervention -- Psychological intervention -- pt. 6. Aging and health -- Introduction to aging and disease -- The high-risk elderly -- Disease incidence in old age -- Age-dependent disease -- Age-related disorders -- Stress, disease, and behavior -- Causes of illness -- Chronic illness as crisis -- Coping with physical illness -- Adaptive tasks -- Major types of coping skills -- Psychosocial counseling -- pt. 7. Sensory process and psychomotor response -- General age changes in sensation -- The visual system -- Cornea -- Crystalline lens -- Iris -- Aqueous humor -- Vitreous humor -- Retina -- Changes in visual perception -- The auditory system -- Changes in auditory perception -- The other senses -- Taste and smell -- Psychomotor response and reaction time -- The cause of slowing -- Age changes in reaction time -- Intervention -- Visual intervention -- Auditory intervention -- Taste and smell intervention -- Somesthetic and sensorimotor intervention -- pt. 8. Cognitive processes -- Nature of intelligence -- The problem of definition -- Performance versus capacity -- Intelligence measures -- Classic cross-sectional studies -- Classic longitudinal studies -- Learning and memory -- Information processing -- Primary memory -- Secondary memory -- Experimental evidence on memory -- Learning -- Intervention -- Individual differences -- Depression -- Why intervene? -- pt. 9. Personality and adjustment -- What is personality -- How to study personality -- Personality assessment -- Personality dynamics -- The ego psychologists -- Social learning theory -- Cognitive psychologists --Successful aging -- Adjustment -- pt. 10. Psychiatric disorders -- The difficulty with diagnosis -- Prevalence of behaviors -- Cause of symptoms -- Maladaption -- Treatment -- The issue of mental health -- The epidemiology of mental disorders in the elderly -- Historical and future trends -- Causes of mental disorder -- The psychopathology of late life -- Diagnostic classifications -- Functional disorders -- Anxiety disorders -- Somatization disorders -- Substance abuse disorders -- Paranoid disorders -- Affective disorders -- Organic mental disorders -- Differential diagnosis of affective and organic disorders -- pt. 11. Mental health interventions -- The mental health professional -- The myth of tranquility and unproductivity -- The myth of therapeutic unresponsiveness -- The myth of brain damage -- The myth of institutionalization -- The new ageism -- Psychological intervention -- Patient and therapist roles -- Psychotherapy with the aging -- Group therapy -- Activity therapy -- Physical intervention -- Electroconvulsive therapy -- Hyperbaric oxygen -- Drug therapy -- Institutionalization -- The negative effects of institutionalization -- Institutionalism -- The social break-down syndrome -- Community-based social intervention -- In-home services -- Adult day care -- Programs of the Older Americans Act -- Additional programs for elderly adults -- pt. 12. Death and dying -- The changing face of death -- Death in the individual -- Attitudes toward death -- The process of dying -- Individual reactions to death -- Tasks of the dying person -- The setting of death -- Hospice care -- Euthanasia and suicide -- Euthanasia -- Suicide -- Interventions for bereavement and grief.

ISBN

• 0205080936
• 9780205080939

LCCN

83015593

OCLC

• ocm09893432
• 9893432
• SCSB-1153138

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library