According to the Collins dictionary, the term ‘elderly’ is associated with persons who are quite old or past middle age. In the Caribbean, the age of definition is mostly linked to 60 years old and over. However, the age variation takes into consideration the social class differences, gender, functional ability related to the workforce, the country’s political and economical situation, likewise the retirement age. This report is cemented on the elderly population in a corporate home in the Kingston and St. Andrew region and the National Council of Senior Citizens in Jamaica. The Erickson’s stages of psychosocial development have two particular stages that refer to the elderly population. In the seventh stage of the psychosocial development, the task to be completed in adulthood by age 25 to 65 years old is generativity versus stagnation. If the older person positively accomplishes the task of generativity, the results are creativity, productivity and concern for others. However, if the task was not successful, then stagnation will result to the individual becoming self-indulgent, self-concerned and displaying lack of interests and commitments. At the eighth and final stage at age 65 years old to death, the task includes integrity versus despair. If the task is successfully completed, the individual will be more accepting of worth and uniqueness in their own lives (integrity). If not, then there is a sense of loss and contempt for others (despair). As a social worker working with older people, a care plan is usually followed in an effort to assist the client population due to the health related issues that are largely associated with this group of clients, and also the inability to care for oneself coupled with the unavailability o... ... middle of paper ... ...ww.globalaging.org/elderrights/world/2010/active-ageing.pdf Collins Dictionaries. (2013). Elderly Definitions. Retrieved from: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/elderly Do Good Jamaica. (2011). National Council for Senior Citizens. Retrieved from: http://www.dogoodjamaica.org/organizations/national_council_for_senior_citizens Ministry of Labour and Social Security. (2006). Senior Citizens. Retrieved from: http://www.mlss.gov.jm/pub/index.php?artid=29 The Corporate Home on St. Joseph’s Avenue. (n.d.) Overview of the Corporate Home. Thuganamix. (2009, March 10). Human Growth and Development Theories. Retrieved from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13135339/Human-Growth-and-Development-Theories World Health Organization. (2013). Definition of an older or elderly person. Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/healthinfo/survey/ageingdefnolder/en/
Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development consist of eight stages. Stages six, seven, and eight are characterized as young adulthood, adulthood, and old age, in that order. According to John Cavanaugh and Fredda Blachard-Fields (2011), authors of Adult Development and Aging, “During young adulthood, the major developmental task, achieving intimacy versus isolation, involves establishing a fully intimate relationship with another. With the advent of middle age, the focus shifts from intimacy to concern for the next generation, expressed as generativity versus stagnation. Finally, in old age, individuals must resolve the struggle between ego integrity and despair. This last stage begins with a growing awareness of the nearness of the
An interview was arranged with an older adult to discuss issues related to aging. The interview was designed to gain appreciation and understanding of an older adult. One theory of aging came into mind when I thought about this topic. Erik Erikson Life-Course and Personality Development theory, “Erikson described the task of old age as balancing the search for integrity and wholeness with a sense of despair.” NS is the older adult that I conducted the interview with. I’ve decided to pick NS to interview because she is very positive about life and her age. Everything that I have come across about aging is negative such as depression, isolation, and illness.
It is difficult at best to think positively when older people are viewed as “incompetent, boring, inactive, dependent, unproductive, weak, unhealthy, passive, ugly, dull, and sad” (Gething, 1999, p. 2). Essentially, a stereotype as such asphyxiates the wind from your sail early in one’s journey into old age. Then again, if the finish line is one of oppression, marginalization, and disempowerment, it’s a race best lost (Ranzijn, 2002). The most poignant negative affiliated with aging unquestionably centers on the end of life concerns. Although, our hope is for a peaceful demise there exists a chance of tremendous pain and suffering. The latter remains my biggest fear, which in and of itself sheds a negative light on aging. Subsequently, I turned to the article, Positive Psychology and Productive Aging in hopes it would provide
are forced to live off of. What happens if there is not enough to go
Ego integrity versus despair is the eight stage of Erikson’s development theory, occurs in the old age. (book, pg no 37). During this phase, people start to feel satisfaction or disappointment. According to Erikson, people in the late adulthood suffer from physical and social crisis as they get retired from many works and may also suffer loss of health and wellness. People become unable to expand integrity if they find real meaning of their life by reflecting on their whole spent life, but if they are not satisfied with their past experiences or feel self-condemnation, then despair get develop and physical, mental and emotional illness may occur. Moreover, integrity during this stage leads a person towards the virtue of wisdom. (Mcleod,
The last stage of Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, which I have no personal experience with, is the crisis between integrity and despair. Swartwood (2014, p. 86) states that at this stage individuals “struggle [with] the acceptance of impending death and the fact that our lives are primarily historical, rather than in the future.” When the elderly look back on their lives and realize that they lived their life with purpose, they are filled with a sense of integrity. On the other hand, individuals who fail to view their life in this positive light tend to fall into despair.
Being aware of what life course one’s on and the impact of transitions within a person’s life course is important for social work practice. It is important that social workers reflect on both their own and other’s experiences throughout the life course and support this understanding within the various theoretical frameworks. It helps us to understand the common themes which have affected people through the age and helps us understand why people behave the way they do in certain situations.“Understanding of life course aims to encourage us in the flexibility of imagination which is required in order to enter into the lives of people at different ages and to see the world from their point of view” (Sudbery, 2010, p.231).
As human beings age, according to Erik Erikson, they go through developmental stages that help to create and transform their personalities. If needs are met and the ego is gratified, then the individual is able to move on to the next challenge. Onward they march in life and in stage until they find the end level: integrity versus despair. This has been categorized as adults 65 years and older by Erikson. Here, people are to reminisce and judge their lives in terms of merit or disappointment. Erikson himself had a lot to comb through in his later years.
Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence most people over the age of 65 are not Senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994). This change in perspective led the investigation of the other side of the coin. Ageing is seen as health, maturity and personal Royal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generatively, coping and acceptance of age-related constraints (Birren & Fisher, 1995). Psychological und...
Clearly, by the writer discussing her own personal life and the different stages associated with a person’s lifespan is indicative otherwise. With age, a human being can grow more accomplished with a sense of peace or with despair and regret. The latter can be brought upon by bad choices, circumstances beyond a person’s control, and perhaps a lack of support and guidance in the early stages. However, this writer is an example, that early intervention in the early stages is suggestive of being life changing. In conclusion, psychosocial development is largely influenced by experiences in life, support from crucial family members, to teachers, friends, and intimate
During the Great Depression the marriage rate fell as uncertainty over economic conditions caused people to postpone decisions that would significantly affect their lives. Birthrates also dropped: pessimism shrouded Americans' expectations of a promising future for themselves and their children. After World War II ended, however, prospects seemed considerably brighter. Young Americans returned home from war in 1945 ready to reap the benefits of victory and a prospering economy. Accordingly, there were almost 2.3 million marriages in 1946, an increase of more than six hundred thousand over the previous year. Many of these newlyweds had children within a year: a record 3.8 million babies were born in 1947. This was the first year of the baby boom, which lasted for most of the 1950s. Between 1948 and 1953 more babies were born than had been over the previous thirty years. In 1954 a record birthrate, a low death rate, and an influx of 144,000 immigrants created the largest one-year population gain in U.S. history. (Thomson Gale)
When elderly people move into the last of life’s eight stages of psychosocial development, they enter the ego-integrity-versus-despair stage. This process is defined by looking back over someone’s life, evaluating it, then accepting it. People who become successful in this stage feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Erikson refers to this acceptance as integrity. This differs from generativity because one is accepting the end of their life, instead of accepting where their life will start in a sense of career and self. However, if one is to look back on their life with dissatisfaction, they may feel they have been cheated or missed opportunities. Such individuals will mostly be depressed or angry about the way life turned out and
Ageing is a continuing life cycle, it is an ongoing developmental event that brings certain changes in one’s own psychological and physical state. It is a time in one's own life where an elderly individual reminisce and reflect, to bask and live on previous accomplishments and begin to finish his life cycle. There is a significant amount of adjusting that requires an elderly individual to be flexible and develop new coping skills to adapt in the changes that are common in their new life. (Dhara & Jogsan, 2013).
The main tenant of the psychosocial development theory throughout the life cycle is that an individual’s personality is held to unfold over the course of their life, with healthy development based on the ability of the individual to master tasks and skills at each level or stage of life (Coady & Lehman, 2008; Hutchison, 2008). Erikson’s original model sectioned the life span into eight levels with each containing its own unique psychosocial challenge or conflict which, depending on the outcome, would help the individual experience positive growth (Coady & Lehman, 2008; (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2005/2011; Hutchison, 2008). The eighth stage encompasses late adulthood, where the conflict experienced is that of integrity versus despair. If an individual has experienced successful o...
America is a country where everyone is free to live however they like, but it is possible for some people to live a happy life, if no one is around to take care of them. Nearly three hundred million people reside in the America, and out of those three hundred million populations, senior citizens make a 12 percent of the entire population. A senior citizen is commonly known as a person who is over the age of 65 and living on retirement, or known as social security benefits (Census Bureau). Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt implied the act of Social Security in 1935, seniors are regularly provided a financial help, but seniors, along with financial help, seeks also accompany of someone who can look after them. Because of constantly growing needs of senior citizens, government as well as many non-profit organizations is working on helping seniors. Therefore I decided to research on this particular issue in my community, and I found that 64.5% of seniors are living alone in metropolitan area of Atlanta.