Developmental Theories of Aging
* Please use course reading as the main source.
Course reading: Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French (2017). Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective. Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International.
Instructions
"When I am Old, I will…"
This essay should be between 750-1000 words long (not including heading and references). This essay needs to be long enough to get the job done thoroughly. You may write an essay longer than 1000 words. You may not write an essay shorter than 750 words without being penalized in your grade. You must cover everything listed below in order to obtain a high mark.
Writing and citations should be in APA format. For example, (Lally & Valentine-French, 2017).
Note: For all written assignments, only the material assigned in the course should be cited. Show evidence of thoroughly reading and listening to the course resources. This is preferable to outside research. If you also provide additional resources, they will be graded on their scholarly credibility; that means sources of questionable truth may result in a lower grade on the essay and sources of good credibility may result in a higher grade.
1. First, discuss how your personal views of personality, cognition and physical state of old age has been influenced by the developmental theories of aging to which you have been exposed. (Lally & Valentine-French: Chapter 9)
2. Then, research each of the theories of aging of Robert Peck, Daniel Levinson and Bernice Neugarten. These theorists are not in the Lally & French-Valentine textbook. You will need to search and find information on these three theories. Be sure to cite and reference your source(s) in APA format.
3. Reflect on how your reading of each of the social theories (Erikson, Peck, Levinson, and Neugarten) changed (or did not change) your mind about older adulthood. Include information from all 4 theories.
4. Finally, finish your essay by quickly writing several responses to this phrase, “When I am old I will ..."
General Instructions for Written Assignments
Your written assignment is intended to test your understanding of important concepts and discover how to sharpen your intellectual skills of analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and application. The intent of the written assignment is to provide an opportunity to more fully describe, explain, and analyze the books and other sources. When you submit your written assignment, you may want to submit it as an .RTF file attachment, as these usually retain your formatting.
Old Age
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Old Age
#1
Lally & Valentine-French (2017) outlined several developmental theories of aging that have considerably influenced my views of old age. Perhaps I should begin by mentioning that late adulthood is the longest developmental stage in the human lifespan. It, therefore, follows that the stage requires more emphasis and prioritization. This is because individuals in this phase are vulnerable and fragile in several aspects. One of the theories that have impacted my views on old age is the evolutionary theory. This approach emphasizes the importance of natural selection. In essence, it suggests that genes responsible for survival and reproduction are most likely transmitted to the offspring (Lally & Valentine-French, 2017). Studying the theory has reinforced my view that most of the ailments and strains that most old adults manifest are hereditary. For example, if a given family has a history of cancer, then most probably, its members will contract the same when old age renders them frail and susceptible. Further, I have often wondered why individuals in late adulthood tend to get sick regularly. The Cellular clock theory has helped unravel this mystery by suggesting that senescent cells interact with other cells in the body, increasing the risk of diseases significantly. Last but not least, the immune and