Project Paper-Adult Development Issues - Essay Example

What emerges from this study is the importance of physical and intellectual competence, an adaptive personality, financial security and a supportive family. A sustained, dramatic change in the demographic profile of American society has been observed and documented in recent years, brought about by a new high in life expectancy, which has increased to approximately 77 years, showing a difference between 73.6 years for men and 79.4 years for women. Statistical studies predict that, by 2050, the elderly (above 65 years of age) will constitute a significant 22.

9% of the U.S. population (Schaie and Willis, 2002. Page 5). This trend can be attributed mainly to the migration of young adults, fertility rates over different periods and mortality. The marked rise in life expectancy is matched by a corresponding decline in mortality rates, chiefly due to vast strides in sanitation, nutrition and scientific advances in medical treatment. As we inevitably head towards a society with an increasingly aged population, with its’ attendant problems and implications, the study of gerontology takes on urgent significance.

Gerontology is defined as “the study of the phenomena of the aging process from maturity into old age, as well as the study of the elderly as a special population” (Schaie and Willis, 2002. Page12). The word is derived from the Greek ‘geras,’ for old age. An approach that would contribute to a more complete understanding of elderly people’s capabilities and positions is one which does not rank them on the basis of chronological age alone, but differentiates between biological age, which is dependent on the physical condition of the body; social age, which reflects the position occupied by the individual in society; psychological age, which is indicative of behavior, attitude and skills.

Another approach which