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2.THEPSYCHOLOGYOFHUMAN
DEVELOPMENTINLATEADULTHOOD
Inordertounderstandthesituationofpeopleover50inthelabourmarketitis
necessarytotakeintoconsiderationthecharacteristicsofchangesoccurringinthe
physical,psychologicalandsocialspheres.
2.1.Changesinpsycho-physicaldevelopment
Amongphysicalchangesintheagegroup40–60,themostoftenmentionedinthe
subjectliteratureare(Bee,1998):
Changesinthereproductivesystem.Theyareonesofthemostimportant
changesinmidlifeandoldage,referredtoasmenopause,whenthepos-
sibilitiesofreproductiondisappearbothinwomenandmen.Although
inmentheprocessismoresubtleandmuchslower,thereductionofvital-
ityofsperm,thereductionofvolumeoftesticles,thediminishingoftesto-
steroneand,whatfollows,casesofimpotencehaveanimportantinfluence
ontheirdailyfunctioning,psychologicalself-imageandthereforeonthe
functioninginthelabourmarket.
Unfortunately,thereareanumberofmythsaboutmenopauseinmen
andwomen,inwhichitispresentedasagreatshockconnectedwithemo-
tionalinstability,nervousness,neurosis,depressionmorbidity,etc.
Itisworthmentioningthatafewlongitudinalresearchprojectscon-
ductedallovertheworlddidnotprovethatmenopauseinwomenhasany
connectionswithdepression,morbidityoranyotherseriouspsychological
symptoms(Bush,Zonderman,Costa,1994;Hallstrom,Samuelsson,1985;
Matthewsandothers,1990;McKinley,Brambilla,1987).Theten-year
-longanalysisoftheresultsofresearchconductedon3049womenbe-
tween40and60,before,duringorafternaturalorsurgicalmenopausedid
notconfirmanydifferencesinthelevelofdepression,disposition,sleeping
disorders,etc.Thendingsofanotherresearchconductedoverashorter
periodoftimeweresimilar;nochangesinpsychologicalfunctioningwere
notedduringtwo-and-a-halfyearsbeforeandduringmenopause(Mat-