In the Driver's Seat: Eating Behaviors and Disorders
With the abundance of tasty food available, it is easy to overeat, a fact complicated by our cultural fixation on thinness. The pressure to be thin, combined with other factors, leads to such eating disorders as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa....
Growing Older: Longevity Revolution, The
In the last hundred years, the average life expectancy in the United States has increased by nearly sixty percent. This has been called by some the "longevity revolution."
Growing Older: Planning for the End of Life
As the end of life draws near, family members may be called on to make difficult decisions. This can be especially traumatic if their loved one hasn't previously made his or her wishes known.
Growing Older: Physical Challenges of Living Longer
Americans are living longer than they did in the past and managing to largely remain productive in the process. But there are certain challenges that do inevitably occur during the aging process.
The Becoming Years: Mark of an Adult, The
The age at which adulthood begins varies depending on when an individual takes on adult roles such as a full-time job and marriage. Changes in the brain brought on by puberty are largely complete in young adulthood and people are more responsible an...
The Becoming Years: Developmental Tasks of the Elder Years
People who have something that captures their attention and their sense of purpose make richer contributions than people who are self focused. Psychologist Erik Erikson theorized that the developmental task of the elder years is to reflect on life a...
The Becoming Years: Impending Death
All animals experience fear in response to something that could end their lives, but only humans have the intellectual capacity to realize that death is inevitable. Most people deny the prospect of their own death until it is thrust upon them. Then,...
The Learning Machine: Use of Reinforcement and Punishment in Shaping a Child's Behavior, The
When a child throws a tantrum, a parent's sympathetic reaction may only serve to increase such outbursts. More appropriate behavior, though, can be strengthened through negative reinforcement, for example a reward for improvement in demeanor after a...