[00:00.00] M: We all change over the course of our adulthood.[00:04.51]Some changes we go through are biological and are a natural part of aging.[00:09.51]Some are cultural experiences, such as the changes related to our family life.[00:14.51]A lot of the changes in adulthood involve social relationships and responsibilities.[00:20.51]And then, there are some changes that are more internal and personal. Question?
[00:25.51]W: Yes. Um, is what you’re talking about—1 mean these changes we experience—are they part of our biological clock?
[00:34.51]M: I’m glad you brought up the biological clock. [00:37.51]The term “biological clock” refers to the biological and chemical changes that occur with aging, as if a clock were ticking away in the background.[00:46.51]Some changes in adults are biological. [00:49.11]These changes are often easy to observe, like my hair turning gray.[00:53.51] Some biological changes aren’t directly visible, such as the ... uh ... the reduced efficiency of the neural connections in our brain.[01:01.51]But some of the changes we go through have more to do with sociology than biology. [01:07.51] There’s also a “social clock” that defines the sequence of normal life experiences, such as ... uh ... the timing of education, career, marriage, and so on.[01:19.51]Virtually all societies are organized into age strata, periods in life with norms for—that is, typical ... uh ... expectations, demands, social roles and responsibilities.[01:34.51]People have different expectations of—and different attitudes toward—20-year-olds, 40-year-olds, and 70-year-olds. [01:42.51]We generally expect a 20-year-old to act in a certain way, but we expect different behavior from someone who’s 40 or 70. [01:50.89]Our attitudes towards each age group form what we consider to be the age norms for that group.
[01:56.51]W: Excuse me, Dr. Butler. Wouldn’t these age norms be different in different cultures? [02:03.22]I mean, in some cultures someone who’s 40 is considered old, but in other cultures 40 is still kind of young.
[02:10.22]M: Various cultures might define “old” and “young” differently, but every culture has a set of attitudes— age norms—for old people and a different set of attitudes for young people. [02:22.49]For example, an older adult might be seen as having more—or less—status than a young adult—no matter how the culture defines what age is “old.”
[02:33.49]Early adulthood is the period from age 18 to 40. [02:38.49]Early adulthood is when more new social roles are acquired than at any other time of life. [02:45.49]The first new role is often independent adulthood, as the young person leaves home. [02:50.65]Another new role is worker, as the young adult begin a career. [02:55.49]Young adults also acquire the role of spouse, as most first marriages occur during early adulthood. [03:02.09] A major new role is that of parent. [03:05.49]Over 80 percent of adults in North America will eventually become parents, normally in their twenties or thirties.
[03:12.49]The second stage of adulthood, middle adulthood, is roughly from age 40 to 65. [03:18.49]In middle adulthood, the same social roles are still present—spouse, parent, worker—but they become less demanding and less confining than they were during early adulthood. [03:30.49]A few new roles are added, like grandparent, or maybe caregiver to our own aging parents. [03:37.49] This is the “sandwich generation,” because people in middle adulthood are sandwiched between the needs of their children and the needs of their aging parents.
[03:46.49]Late adulthood begins at age 65. [03:50.49]Late adulthood is normally marked by a decline in the number of social roles. [03:55.49]The role of worker is shed at retirement. [03:58.49]The older adult is still a parent, but that role now has fewer duties. [04:03.49]For many people, the role of spouse is given up to widowhood. Yes?
[04:08.49]W: So far, you’ve been talking about people who have children. What about people who don’t have children?
[04:12.49]M: Adults who don’t have children don’t experience the role changes that accompany a child’s development, yet their experiences do not otherwise differ in any substantial way. [04:26.49]They follow the basic pattern of adulthood.[04:28.49]By this I mean, they add new roles in early adulthood, change roles in middle adulthood, and shed roles in late adulthood.
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