Hope Springs Psychology

Context of Adult Development in Aging portrayed in Hope Springs
The film Hope Springs, depicts the interrelatedness of many concepts and theories were discussed in the Context of Adult Development and Aging class. For this composition to be most effective, an overview of the plot of Hope Springs must be provided. Hope Springs is about a married couple who is on the verge of divorce, until they go to a retreat for married couples in Maine as a last attempt to save their marriage. While at this retreat, the couple learns that lots of their marital issues center on miscommunications relating to intimate events from earlier in their marriage. The topics covered in the movie that were also covered in class include: lack of intimacy in empty nest
Studies on sexuality reveal older adults experience many facets of sexuality as young adults. Many marriages may face difficulties that could include unhappy marriages, extramarital affairs, uninterested spouses, and open marriages (Hiller, S., & Barrow, G.M. 2015). Kay and Arnold are no exception. Kay and Arnold experienced the idea of uninterested spouses. After Arnold’s surgery, their marriage lost interest, and this is how their marital issues began. Through the disinterest and lack of intimacy, it is important to remember none of them did anything to break each other’s trust or to completely disassemble their marriage such as having an affair or merging their marriage to an open marriage, which in this generation, it seems it is very rare for a couple to stay loyal. About 30%-60% of married people will engage in fidelity a some point in their marriage (). Although unsatisfied, they both stayed true to one another. They lacked their dedication to one another in certain areas by sleeping in different rooms, losing focus on companionship and confidants, and enduring the same mundane daily routine. Though these are unfortunate circumstances in a marriage, Kay and Arnold did not look outside the marriage to satisfy their needs. When exchanging vows, they promise to stay loyal. Even though it is expected, it does not make it impossible to not follow these vows. Arnold and Kay never broke their promises of staying loyal to one another, and they did not commit affairs. This shows deep down their marital foundation was strong even amidst difficult times. It shows they care about not hurting each other by staying true to the marriage and not seeking company outside of