Gerontology Ch. 4

Front 1

activity theory

Back 1

Theory Robert Havighurst proposed that encouraged older person to continue middle-age lifestyle; deny old age for as long as possible.

Front 2

affective psychosis

Back 2

psychological disorder that can include involutional melancholia and bipolar disorders.

Front 3

comprehensive community psychogeriatric care systems

Back 3

community based psychiatric care groups in which a multidisciplinary team assesses the individual & develops a holistic plan of care.

Front 4

continuity theory of aging

Back 4

theory that relates the factors of personality & the predisposition toward certain actions in old age to similar factors during other phases of life.

Front 5

creativity

Back 5

problem solving that is unique, innovative, original, and inventive.

Front 6

depression

Back 6

disorder that can range from mild, brief sadness to intense reaction to loss, severe psychotic depression, or a profound regression into pseudodementia.

Front 7

developmental theory

Back 7

another name for the continuity theory of aging.

Front 8

disengagement theory

Back 8

controversial theory that views aging as a process whereby society and the individual gradually withdraw, or disengage, from each other, to the mutual satisfaction and benefit of both.

Front 9

effector

Back 9

a muscle that acts as a part of a stimulus-response chain.

Front 10

exchange theory of aging

Back 10

theory that presumes people will try to maximize their rewards and minimize their losses

Front 11

external orientation

Back 11

refers to the outlook of people who believe that luck, chance, or fate determines what happens to them and that they are not in control of their own destiny.

Front 12

field dependent

Back 12

refers to people who are group oriented and want to go along as much as possible with what others in particular social situations are doing.

Front 13

field independent

Back 13

Refers to people who see no need to conform to societal expectations and may choose to go their own way instead

Front 14

Havighurst scale

Back 14

A scale used in gerontological research to categorize the life
satisfaction of elderly individuals.

Front 15

interiority

Back 15

Inner life or psychological existence.

Front 16

internal orientation

Back 16

Outlook of persons who tend to believe that they are in control of
themselves and their environment and that they determine their own life chances, successes, and failures.

Front 17

irreversible dementia

Back 17

Refers to dementia that has resulted from brain tissue loss or poor circulation and cannot be medically corrected.

Front 18

labeling theory

Back 18

Theory that proposes an individual derives a self-concept from
interaction with other people in one’s social surrounding.

Front 19

late-life schizophrenia

Back 19

refers to an onset of schizophrenia after age 50.

Front 20

meditative intelligence

Back 20

A detachment that allows people to view any problem-solving
process in a larger context.

Front 21

mental disorder

Back 21

A noticeable and dysfunctional behavior that occurs in an individual
and is associated with personal distress or impaired ability to
function in everyday social roles.

Front 22

mental functioning

Back 22

Term used to refer to a large group of complex processes that are
subdivided into learning, memory, creativity, intelligence, and
wisdom.

Front 23

neuroses

Back 23

Emotional disorders which may include anxiety neurosis, hysterical
neurosis, depressive neurosis, and hypochondriacal neurosis.

Front 24

paranoid states

Back 24

Psychotic disorders presenting a persecutory or grandiose delusion.

Front 25

perception

Back 25

The process of evaluating information gathered by the senses and
giving it meaning.

Front 26

personality

Back 26

Involves how a person appears to others, especially the style of
presenting attitudes, values, beliefs, habits, and preferences.

Front 27

personality development

Back 27

A lifelong process that involves components that are physiological,
genetic, psychological, or social in nature.

Front 28

personality disorders

Back 28

Lifelong defects in personality development.

Front 29

psychomotor performance

Back 29

A complex chain of activities that begins with a sensory mechanism
and ends with a reaction, usually one that is muscular in nature.

Front 30

psychotic depressive reaction

Back 30

A severe depression linked to a definable life experience.

Front 31

reaction time

Back 31

The period that elapses between the presentation of a stimulus and
the beginning of a response.

Front 32

relative appreciation

Back 32

The idea that an older person might define a condition or situation as
more positive than it might otherwise appear.

Front 33

relative deprivation

Back 33

An individual's sense that he or she is less fortunate than others.

Front 34

response time

Back 34

Timed reaction to visual stimuli, abstract shapes, and letters.

Front 35

reversible dementias

Back 35

Dementias resulting from physiological disturbances such as
medication interactions, alcoholism, heart disease, depression, or
diabetes.

Front 36

self-esteem

Back 36

Refers to the level of confidence and satisfaction one has with
oneself.

Front 37

sensory functions

Back 37

The level of function for the five sense.

Front 38

senile dementia

Back 38

Another name for Alzheimer's disease, a cerebral degenerative
disorder of unknown origin

Front 39

social breakdown syndrome

Back 39

A social deficiency syndrome that develops when the following four
components are present: 1) the individual is susceptible to
psychological breakdown because of identity problem; 2) others
label the individual as incompetent or deficient in some respect; 3)
the individual is induced into a role of sickness or dependence and
learns the behaviors associated with that role; 4) the individual
identifies himself or herself as sick or inadequate.

Front 40

social reconstructive syndrome

Back 40

A means of combating social breakdown syndrome in which three
inputs that can help older adults maintain their self-confidence and
independence over time are identified.

Front 41

symbolic interaction theory

Back 41

Theory developed by George Mead, Charles Cooley, and William
Thomas that proposes the ability of humans to acquire and use
language makes them distinctly different from other forms of life.

Front 42

wisdom

Back 42

Excellent judgment and advice about uncertain and important
matters of life.