Psychology Essays – Aging Social Workers

Aging Social Workers

Ripening

Aging is the alteration over clip that is experienced by any living being. It can be described as a procedure of physical, psychological and societal alterations which leads to enlargement and diminution of some facet of life. Aging is an of import procedure of life which enables prolongation to travel on in the society and it is besides a contemplation of biological development of an being. Aging can be described as cosmopolitan and probabilistic. Universal aging is the alteration in ages that happen to all people in the society. Probabilistic aging on the other manus my happen to some peculiar section of the aging population but non to all people e. g. the development of Type II diabetes. However the most definable sort of aging is the chronological ripening which refers to the promotion in old ages that people undergoes. ( Marcia, 1980 )

As people age they undergone different alterations in all facets of their like. This paper will look into inside informations of aging, the alterations that people undergo as they age and the aid they can acquire from societal workers. Let us first expression at the alterations people undergo by looking at the factors that may take to loss of individuality.

Factors that may take to loss of individuality during aging

There are assorted factors that can take to loss of individuality as people age. These factors can take societal and biological dimensions. Many surveies have explored these factors and have described the function of biological and societal factors that leads some facets like dementedness which cause loss of individuality.

Biological factors like cellular memory loss and devolution of encephalon cells are have been pointed as prima factors in loss of individuality. Protein harm of cells which can be attributed to biological procedure can be held responsible for alteration in the memory which leads to loss of individuality. But biological factors needs the effects of the environment in order to show the familial brand up. So it is the societal factors that can largely be held responsible for this loss. It depends with the angle of your statement on loss of individuality.

We know ourselves because we identify ourselves. One of the greatest psychologists who looked closely at the theory of individuality in aging was Erick Erickson. Erickson formulated several phases of development. Erickson’s theory of personality insisted on the Freudian theory but can be described as Neo-Freudian. He was described by many other writers as ego psychologist from his work on phases of development. His survey works is marked by a struggle whose declaration consequences in a favourable result. Erickson termed the favourable results of each phase as virtuousnesss which come out of the struggle in each phase of growing. In his work on those struggles, Erickson identifies two struggles in the old age, Ego versus Despair. Harmonizing to Erickson, the Ego individuality enables each individual to hold a sense of individualism. Erickson described stressed that “Ego individuality, so, in its subjective facet, is the consciousness of the fact that there is a self-sameness and continuity to the ego’s synthesising method and a continuity of one’s significance for others.

In his work, Erickson came up with the term “identity Crisis” which showed the existent struggles that people undergone in life. He described individuality crisis as a clip which is marked by intensive analysis and geographic expedition of different ways of in which person looks at oneself. He traced the individuality crisis from the clip of childhood and hints it up to the old age. In all these phases, Erickson identified different types of individuality crisis that we undergo through in life. Erickson defined individuality as “a subjective sense every bit good as an discernible quality of personal sameness and continuity, paired with some belief in the sameness and continuity of some shared universe image. As a quality of unself-conscious life, this can be gloriously obvious in a immature individual who has found himself as he has found his communality. In him we see emerge a alone fusion of what is irreversibly given – that is, organic structure type and disposition, giftedness and exposure, childish theoretical accounts and acquired ideals – with the unfastened picks provided in available functions, occupational possibilities, values offered, wise mans met, friendly relationships made, and first sexual encounters.” ( Erickson 1970 )

Harmonizing to this definition, individuality can be seen in positions of one belief in sameness based on reorganisation of oneself. In this regard individuality can be described utilizing some positions. Identity accomplishment occurs when an person goes through an geographic expedition of different individualities and at the terminal makes a committedness to one of them. However harmonizing to Erickson, this phase largely occurs in the teenage old ages when there is an intense battle between feelings of individuality versus the function confusion. Get the better ofing this confusion and individuality is what can be termed as individuality accomplishment. On the other manus moratorium describes a individual who is researching different individualities options but who has non yet come up with one individuality. Foreclosure position describes as individual who has made a committedness without trying some individuality committedness while individuality diffusion takes topographic point when neither individuality crisis nor committedness occurs. It is obvious that those have made some signifier of individuality appears to be happier than others who have non made one.

But does this use to the old? In world the it is may ever hold a struggle of unity poetries desperation as Erickson postulates in his theory but once more this will depend on single individuals. The crisis of individuality can be seen as more profound in the stripling than in the old age. As per the above legislative acts of individuality, the old individual will hold achieved an individuality and will be populating for it. The facet may come as a consequence of the manner the individual has carried out the individuality. The aged spends clip reexamining life achievements. At clip one may hold to cover with loss in life and at the same clip prepares for decease. Hence one of the factors that lead to loss of individuality at this age is the fact that there is small clip to believe about oneself. The unity self-importance is the accrued confidence that describes the egos capacity for the older and significance. The fright of one decease can be seen as the chief factor taking to desperation. This is couple with the contemplation of the loss in autonomy and loved 1s. Erickson argues the kids won’t fear life if the seniors shows unity and don’t fear decease.

But this can non use to all old people. A individual who have lived their life good, have achieved a batch and have expansive kids around them may hold less individuality crisis than a individual who have lived a careless life and are lonely in ulterior life. It is merely a affair of the sort of life that one has lived. This can be expressed as a consequence of ego rating. If one achieves a positive life rating, they will non hold desperation.

What are some challenges that challenge people’s sense of individuality as they age and support that can be offered by societal workers?

As people age, they are faced with some challenges that truly challenges their individuality. At times this is seen as re-occurrence of individuality crises in their life. As people age, there are different alterations that occurs in their life which may hold positive or negative impact on their individuality in life. As we described earlier, aging occurs in many domains of life and old people are faced with legion jobs that they have to get by with. There are different losingss and passages that older people have to come up with in their life and which have different effects on their individuality.

One of the challenges that these people faces in the society is retirement. Literally, they enter into a different universe wholly from the 1 they have lived for many old ages. Many retired persons find themselves in a hard state of affairs as they try to restore themselves in the society. They might hold spent a batch of their clip in the work topographic point and they find it hard to happen a niche in the society. Many people chose to retire in a peaceable country off from the busy town where they have been working or in the suburbs. They enter in a society different from the 1 they have been tie ining with in the work topographic point.

It is the accommodation to the new life that poses a challenge to the old people. There is a crisis of set uping their individuality in the society every bit good as their function. Some of the rich person to play a different sort of functions wholly from the 1 they had been playing for the clip they were employed. Think of a adult female who has been working as secretary. After retirement she has to settle down to the function of a house married woman. There is a batch of individuality crisis in the manner this adult female will restore herself in her new function as house married woman. Here societal workers can assist the old pole to get by with this life by affecting them in activities which helps them to pattern their former professionals. This will assist them to make an individuality of their former life. ( Ian, 2007 )

The other crisis is witnessed in the alteration of societal relationships that happens as one ages. There is break up of common activities that one has been prosecuting with at their juvenile age and all of a sudden one is entangled in a complete new relationship. One of the greatest effects that have been stalking the doddering members of our society every bit far as relationships are concerned has been the ability of the individual to confront the grounds of an empty nest. The kids are all gone and the house is every bit empty as it was in the early old ages. There are long minutes of solitariness which becomes worse particularly for those whose spouses have left. There is besides a tendency into the aging population of remarrying as in their doddering old ages. Again at this clip in age one has to get by with a new relationship which means on has to place them once more in the relationship. Again there will be need of designation in footings of functions and self designation. One will be required to play a new function of a married woman or a hubby. ( Davis and Clifton, 1995 )

In the unfastened provinces at that place have been lifting patterns of restricting the old to the attention places. How do the old people set up themselves in the new places? They enter into a wholly different signifier of life from the 1 they have been populating. They have to organize new relationship with the 1 they find in those places. There is a challenge of making 1s individuality in the place and in the circle of relationships that they form. The loss of a cople is one of the most annihilating factors in the relationship of the old people. Many aging people depend on one another and a loss of one in the circle of dependent is a large blow to the emotional position of the bereaved. In some cases it has been shown that the decease of one twosome is normally followed by the decease of the other. This is because there is crisis in making an individuality in life without the other.

But there is a difference that occurs in different class of older people every bit far as relationship is concerned. There are older people who adapts really rapidly to the new environment and signifiers relationship which are functional and fulfilling. There are other old people who after retirement identify is a new function in the society which they can play ad activity takes on it. But at the same clip there will be those who will happen it hard to accommodate to the new function and will take clip believing about their yesteryear and what they have lost.

As people age, they find that they have lost most of their independency and they are under surveillance either from their kids, their twosomes or societal workers at the attention places. This is another challenge that they face in their sense of individuality. This is one of the losingss that old people undergo and which has an overall consequence on their life. Suddenly they find that they can non make what they want. They find that they can non travel as they like. This is a instance in many of those who suffers from dementedness. They can non be allowed to the kitchen entirely. Many of them will go forth the gas unfastened or leave the visible radiations on for a whole twenty-four hours. In some cases some may bury to take their repasts or their medical specialty which call for intercession of their attention givers. Loss of independency has been one of the greatest struggles that old people faces as some respects it as mistreatment. This struggle witeh attention givers clearly exemplifies that even when person is enduring from mental dementedness, there is importance of individuality. The old still struggles to restore their individuality or to play a function in their life that portrays their former ego. But in some instances you will happen some people who suffer from meant dementedness but still retains their ego individuality and even that of their functions. The practical support that societal worker can offer here is by giving the old people a grades of independency or infinite in which they can pattern their former life but which should be under the ticker of the societal workers. ( Ann, 2005 )

Possibly one of the most critical challenges that old people face in their life that has an consequence on their individuality is that of their wellness position. Many old people suffer from bad wellness due to the aging biological system. Many of them suffer from assorted digestive upsets which weaken their immunes system. Their organic structure failing and with clip they turn to be dependant on others. At times they fail to individuality with the current status that is impacting them. They fail to understand the sudden alteration of the position of their organic structure from a wellness one to bed ridden 1. At the old age this portrays a battle that they will undergo to the decease in seeking to place their wellness past. Many will still fight to execute the functions they used to execute. At old age, they besides suffer the alteration of their position in the society. This can impact those who have functioning as decision maker who finds themselves in the opposite side to authorization. Many of them will still desire to retain their former position which they can non. Social workers can play an of import function here by back uping the old people to accept the alteration in their wellness and makes certain that they follow the medicine.

All the above represents different challenges that old people undergo in their life as they struggle to make an individuality of in the societies at their age. Understanding of the above is more of import in for the societal workers since they can come up with working support for the old people.

What can societal workers do?

The societal worker can play a function in assisting the old accept their present position and live with it. One of the most of import plants that has helped the old people has been the reminiscence work. Social worker can utilize their accomplishment in reminiscence work in order to assist the old people regain their individuality. There is demand to acknowledge the function reminiscence dramas in the ulterior life of a individual. It helps the old people get in touch with things and clip that were truly of import to them in their earlier life. This can assist them retain their sense of individuality and construct self-esteem once they recognize the function they have played in the society.

Hence one of the of import skills the societal worker should hold is that of assisting them recall their memories and narrate what they used to make in their life. This is an of import facet that will assist them understand their importance in the society. Hence a societal worker must posses communicating accomplishments that will assist them associate with the old people. We should understand that when old people feel isolated, retrieving and sharing with person a portion of their memories may better their emotional, societal and physical well being. In this regard the societal worker should utilize proper communicating accomplishments to convert the old the of import function he or she can play in prolongation of the society by narrating the yesteryear to us.

Social worker will hold to play two functions here. One, they must promote the old individual to portion the memories. This will assist them to derive their individuality one time once more and it will besides be portion of entering our history. Second the societal worker must be able to pay echt attending and demo involvement to the individual reminiscing as they unfold their memories. This would actuate them to give more.

A societal worker must hold proper accomplishments in order for pattern of reminiscence to work. Firs they must hold accomplishments of group construction and procedure. They must guarantee that old people feels at place by making a familiar wont and a common manner of meeting which creates acknowledgment and a sense of community. The composing of the group must be carefully considered. In organizing a group the societal worker must hold apprehension of group members in order to equilibrate characters. The societal worker must besides hold accomplishments for spacial agreement in that people must sit in a circle around a little tabular array. This means that a group should hold 6 to 8 people. The societal worker must be able to fix the group by making tense free ambiance and pass on the figure of topics to be discussed. Each session should non last more than one hr and participant should go forth at their ain leisure.

To acquire started there is demand to hold an informal session where everyone Tells of their yesteryear. The societal worker must hold accomplishments to assist the old people with memory damage. They must hold the accomplishments to utilize props and ocular cues like old exposure to excite their memory. Other props that can be used include school yearss stuffs like chalks or text editions, music from old vocals, images of vicinities, brainstorming members who grew up, random inquiries to different members, major historical events, nutrients, and others.

If societal workers apply the above accomplishments in reminiscence, they will assist the old people to retrieve and lend their past and place themselves with the society.

Mention:

Ann, B. ( 2005 ) . Aging Well: Quality of life. Open University Press

Davis, D. & A ; Clifton, A. ( 1995 ) . Psychosocial Theory: Eriksson. Retrieved from, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.haverford.edu/psych/ddavis/p109g/erikson.stages.html on 3^rdMarch 2008

Erickson, E. H. ( 1970 ) . Contemplation on the dissent of modern-day young person.InternationalJournal of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 52: 11-12

Ian, S. ( 2007 ) . The psychological science of Aging. London: Kingley Publishers

Marcia, J. E. ( 1980 ) . Identity in Adolescence. Handbook of Adolescent Psychology. New York: Wiley

Sherry, W. ( 1996 ) . Adult development and aging. New York: Happer Collins Publishers