Adult Development and Ageing

Part 1 Adult development and ageing - an introduction: who are adults? who are the aged?; an ageing society; core ideas in adult development and ageing. Part 2 Research methods in development and ageing: research methods in adult development and ageing. Part 3 Biology and ageing and longevity: the psychology of ageing; sexual behaviour in adulthood; psychological effects of biological and physiological changes; explanations for the ageing process; longevity / life expectancy. Part 4 Sensory and perceptual process: information processing (IP) approach to age sensation; perception in adulthood. Part 5 Cognition - learning and memory: learning and memory deficits - a consequence of ageing?. Part 6 Cognition - intelligence: intelligence - its relevance to our daily lives; intelligence - the psychometric approach; the information processing approach to intelligence; psychometric intelligence in adulthood; Piagetian abilities and ageing; newer ideas about intelligence and ageing. Part 7 Interpersonal relationships and socialization: the process of socialization; interpersonal relationships in adulthood; marriage; divorce; roles in adulthood. Part 8 Personality and adaptation: defining personality in adulthood; stability and change in adult personality - major theoretical viewpoints; stage theories of adult personality; adult developmental states in personality - descriptive or prescriptive?; cognitive personality theory; trait approaches to personality and ageing; personality and its effects an ageing; elder's studies of the great depression; personality types and adjustment to ageing; how personality is assessed - stability versus change; more specific aspects of the adult personality. Part 9 Work, retirement and leisure: occupational roles and their selection; occupational developmental tasks; industrial gerontology; retirement; leisure. Part 10 Mental health and psychopathology: defining mental health and abnormality in adulthood; specific forms of psychopathology in aged persons; mental health in later life. Part 11 Interventions and therapy: mental health services - equality helpful for all adults?; approaches to therapy and counselling with older adults; prevention and intervention; concluding remarks about therapy and intervention. Part 12 Death and dying: definitions of death; personal meanings of death; responses to death; death and dying in young adulthood; death in middle adulthood; death and ageing; bereavement - surviving death; the work of Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross; psychotherapy with dying persons; individual differences in response to death; hospice care; euthanasia.