Deck 7: Intimacy and Sexuality

Question 1

A husband and wife's opportunity to share time and common interests that develop greater mutual respect and understanding

A) tends to increase over the time of the marriage.
B) resembles a bell curve over the time of the marriage, i.e., is highest in the middle years.
C) tends to decrease over the time of the marriage.
D) resembles an inverted bell curve over the time of the marriage, i.e., is lowest in the middle years.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The Widowed Persons Service (WPS) is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

A) it offers outreach services to widows and widowers.
B) it is a program of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
C) it is made up mostly of college student volunteers.
D) it conducts special outreach to minorities and other groups.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The concept of refers to the need to be close to, part of, and familiar with another person.

A) companionship
B) intimacy
C) sexuality
D) friendship

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Studies of caregiving for a spouse found

A) caregiving of a spouse with cognitive impairment can demonstrate a gift of love that is deeply satisfying for both parties.
B) feelings of emotional closeness inevitably declined with a functional impairment such as incontinence.
C) spouses were more effective caregivers of spouses with a cognitive impairment if they were not as emotionally close to the spouse.
D) stress was less in caring for chronically ill, than acutely ill, spouses.

Question 5

Widowers are more likely than married men to die from

A) suicide.
B) accidents.
C) heart disease.
D) All of these choices

Question 6

Marital satisfaction tends to

A) gradually decline after the early years of marriage.
B) increase through middle-age and then decrease as couples enter old age.
C) decline after the early years, level off in the middle years, and increase during the post-retirement years.
D) increase during the early years, level off in the middle years, and then increase even beyond the early years after retirement.

Question 7

Which of the following is an aspect of the process, in contrast to the structure, of friendship relationships?

A) the size of the friendship network
B) the proportion of friends that know one another
C) how similar the network members are
D) the activities conducted

Question 8

Compared to older men, older women

A) have a shorter life expectancy.
B) are almost half as likely to be married.
C) are more likely to marry someone younger than they are.
D) are more likely to be widowed.

Question 9

Studies of the effects of retirement on marriage shows

A) retirement generally enhances marital satisfaction for the wife and reduces it for the husband.
B) marital conflict is more likely to occur if the wife is still employed.
C) most women report their housework decreases because household division of labor becomes more equitable.
D) women are dissatisfied if their husband begins to assume their traditional roles, such as cooking.

Question 10

A widow who experiences identity foreclosure is likely to

A) refuse to date or consider remarriage.
B) date but not consider remarriage.
C) focus her identity around her former relationship to her deceased spouse.
D) transform her personal identity.

Question 11

Recent research on retirement suggests

A) retirement is a life crisis.
B) retirement is a process.
C) adjustment is harder for people who voluntarily rather than involuntarily retired.
D) Type B personalities are more likely to retire involuntarily.

Question 12

Research findings regarding marriage show

A) marriage is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease for men.
B) the longevity advantage of marriage is greater among women than men.
C) elderly couples are less financially stable than elderly singles.
D) widowed women are at less risk for a fatal cardiovascular event than married women.

Question 13

Grief work

A) refers to the healthy confrontation and acknowledgment of the emotions brought about by death.
B) involves the reorganization of the life of the remaining spouse.
C) keeps the widowed from coping with the finality of the loss of their spouse.
D) is best achieved by the widow quickly resuming her past social activities after the death of her spouse.

Question 14

Of the over 65 population in the U.S., are married and live with a spouse.

A) one-fourth
B) almost one-third
C) just under half
D) just above two-thirds

Question 15

Lopata identified 4 stages of widowhood. Which of the following is not one of them?

A) episodes of crying
B) recognition of the event
C) re-engagement
D) temporary withdrawal

Question 16

Which of the following widows are likely to suffer the most from the death of her spouse?

A) a woman in a traditional marriage
B) a woman with a college degree
C) a woman who was involved in community organizations
D) a woman who had an active social life

Question 17

Gender comparisons of marriage and widowhood statuses reveal

A) marriage is the predominant life-style of both men and women over the age of 75.
B) two-thirds of women over age 75 are widows.
C) a man has an even chance of being widowed only when he reaches the age of 95.
D) widowhood is the predominant life style of both men and women over the age of 75.

Question 18

Research indicates which of the following regarding widowhood?

A) Widowhood increases contact between siblings.
B) Friends can offer useful support by not trying to speed recovery and a new identity for the recent widow.
C) Most widows do not lean heavily on anyone for managing basic tasks of daily living until they are in advanced age or poor health.
D) Independence and self-sufficiency will not cause social isolation.

Question 19

A longitudinal study of widowhood found that

A) long-widowed men and women were as satisfied with their lives as married elders.
B) it was more stressful to be bereaved.
C) both married elders and long term widowed men and women suffered more loneliness than married individuals.
D) it took the young­old longer than the old­old to adjust to their spouse's death.

Question 20

Which of the following is part of the structure, in contrast to process, of a kin relationship?

A) family size
B) generational composition
C) marital and parenthood status
D) All of these choices

Question 21

Ascribed relationships are chosen networks and non-kin relations.

Question 22

In the Duke Longitudinal Study,

A) the number of elders who were sexually active decreased substantially over the ten year period.
B) about half of the people who survived into their 80s and 90s reported having sexual interest.
C) actual sexual activity was about equal to sexual interest for most elders.
D) in about 35 percent of the sample, sexual activity increased over the 10 year period.

Question 23

A study of body attitudes and self-esteem found
A) Body image was unrelated to self-esteem.

A) Self-esteem of the young and old was based predominantly on their body image.
B) Almost all elderly were ashamed of their body image, regardless of self-esteem.
B) Men and women with good self-esteem also had good body attitudes regardless of age.

Question 24

Studies show no elderly live together without being married.

Question 25

From his classic and landmark studies of sexuality, Kinsey concluded that

A) until about age 80, sexual desires increase.
B) rate of sexual activity gradually declines with age.
C) sexual activity for married couples peaks about age 40 then progressively declines.
D) sexual desire was unrelated to age.

Question 26

A study of homosexual households found that

A) the division of labor is unequal
B) same-sex couples have more effective conflict resolution skills
C) same-sex couples tend to have underdeveloped friend networks
D) most gay couples have lived together for less than 2 years

Question 27

A friend is an achieved relationship.

Question 28

Medications for what ailment in men commonly causes sexual dysfunction?

A) heart disease
B) arthritis
C) hypertension
D) diabetes

Question 29

Which of the following illustrates gender differences upon the loss of a spouse?

A) Males become more aware and appreciative of friends and relationships.
B) Males are more likely than females to be "in search of themselves."
C) Females are more likely than males to be "in search of others."
D) Females become less confident and more dependent.

Question 30

In examining the living arrangements of lesbian and gay elders

A) older lesbian women were twice as likely to live alone than older gay men
B) twice as many gay men live alone
C) older lesbian women do not create a strong kin network
D) none of the above

Question 31

According to Sheehy, the , characterized by fierce competition, individualism, and hard work, challenged gender roles and shifted the rules for marriage and sexuality.

A) WWII generation (those between the ages of 16 to 19 from 1937 to 1944)
B) "Vietnam generation"
C) "me generation" (born 1956 to 1965)
D) "endangered generation" (born 1966 to 1980)

Question 32

Studies show that nursing homes can address sexuality by doing what?
A) constructing a policy regarding it

A) improving privacy and educating staff
B) enforcing rules about public displays of affection
B) restricting male and female contact

Question 33

In their studies of sexuality, Masters and Johnson found that as men age

A) it takes longer for them to get an erection.
B) the erection is more firm.
C) ejaculation is more forceful.
D) the erection lasts longer after ejaculation.

Question 34

Elder never-married singles

A) tend to be unhappy and lonely.
B) report parallel levels of life satisfaction with married persons.
C) have more close friends than married elders.
D) almost always wish they were married and feel they have missed out on something.

Question 35

At the end of the 19th century, the averaged length of marriage prior to widowhood was 28 years; now it is over______ years.

A) 34
B) 45
C) 53
D) 60

Question 36

Sexuality of older people is largely invisible for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) for many older people, sex and sexuality are intensely private matters.
B) our cultural focus on youth and that which is not young or new is no longer functional.
C) the majority of older people have lost the desire and physiological capacity to have sex.
D) suggestions of sex among elders is received with derision, condescension, humor, or shock.

Question 37

Research on sexuality shows

A) sexual identity is static over the life course.
B) sexuality is more about satisfying biological drives than loving and bonding.
C) sexual relationships in later life are similar regardless of culture or age cohort.
D) sexuality is central to our lives even in chronic illness or death of a spouse.

Question 38

Studies of remarriages among older people show

A) remarriage among elders are unlikely to be successful.
B) there is an increased use of prenuptial agreements in elder remarriages.
C) remarried elders have problems coping with the strain of being stepparents.
D) remarriage fails to provide the steady and caring companionship of first marriages.

Question 39

Masters and Johnson found in their study of sexuality that older women

A) have a larger clitoris.
B) have larger vaginal canals.
C) have thick vaginal walls.
D) take longer to lubricate.

Question 40

In of all married-couple households, at least one spouse had a previous marriage that ended in divorce or widowhood.

A) 1/8
B) 1/4
C) 1/3
D) 1/2

Question 41

The Kinsey study of sexuality has been criticized for its cross-sectional methodology that compares old people raised in conservative times with young people raised in more permissive times.

Question 42

There has been a positive shift in attitude toward gay marriage since the 1950's.

Question 43

Explain how the effects of widowhood differ by gender.

Question 44

Family sociologists agree that wives experience greater difficulty in coping with the death of a spouse.

Question 45

Reorganization of the life of the widow begins immediately after the funeral of the deceased spouse.

Question 46

Greater knowledge about sexuality and later life is associated with more permissive sexual attitudes.

Question 47

What can nursing homes do to foster healthy sexual expression among their residents?

Question 48

The number of gay and lesbian elders is expected to triple over the next two decades.

Question 49

Why is divorce a particularly difficult event for older people today?

Question 50

There is more support today for divorced than widowed elders.

Question 51

How does retirement affect marriage, according to the research studies mentioned in your text?

Question 52

Remarriage is a strong way of building kin networks.

Question 53

Studies cited in your text showed that post-divorce and despair was greater the longer the marriage.

Question 54

Masters and Johnson found that although advanced aging causes slower body processes, older couples feel as
though sexual intimacy shouldn't cease.

Question 55

Explain how loss of a spouse may affect older women and factors that influence their adjustment to widowhood.

Question 56

Why is the sexuality of older people largely invisible?

Question 57

Kurdeck's review of homosexual households found that they generally tend to have a fairly equally shared division of labor.

Question 58

How does sexuality of men and women change with aging according to the research reported in your text?

Question 59

What factors make aging a particularly difficult time for gay men and lesbians?

Question 60

According to Taylor and Brown, positive illusions about their support networks assisted widows in adapting.