Psychosocial Aspects of Ageing

Psychosocial Aspects of Ageing

Name

Institution

Introduction

Growing up is every child’s dream where they hope to achieve autonomy, independence and the ability to make decisions without having an authority imposing their rules. People become too busy to realize that with growing up comes ageing, and with ageing comes certain disruptions in the way of thinking and performing daily activities (Phillipson, 2013). It is both a psychological as it is a physical change because one changes their perception of life; having a shorter period in which they can influence their situation. Some people become afraid of ageing and deny the fact that they are no longer young, but it is only by accepting the truth can they lead a more fulfilling later life.

It is for this reason that this term paper attempts to understand the various perceptions, ideologies and general beliefs held by the ageing population. Characterized by men and women aged 65 years and above, the aged population consists of people who have experienced life and would want to be productive. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs describes how an individual attains self-actualization after achieving all other needs in their respective levels. The general assumption is that an older person should have achieved self-actualization by the time they retire. However, not everybody achieves their full potential and despair sets in slowly with the realization that ageing has rendered them unproductive (Asquith, 2009).

Social theories of ageing will be used to learn about the social relationships that exist in this stage of life. They describe specifically, what generalizations are made by society and the ways in which older people adapt to the changing social and physical environments (Coleman, 2004). This discussion aims to achieve a better understanding of how older individuals struggle with the changes they go through and how they can achieve self-actualization without the worry of being over-dependent on others (Mendes, 2013).

Background

The interviewee is a man aged 70 years, a retired teacher who lives with his wife of 45 years. When first approached to get their consent regarding providing information about this report, he was quite excited to participate. He stated that he had a lot to share and had always been a mentor to his students other than being their teacher. For purposes of protecting his privacy, I named him Ted. Growing up in a strict catholic upbringing, Ted learnt all the basic values taught in the church and helped shape his perspective of life. He married his childhood friend, and they had five children together, one of whom passed away a few years ago after being involved in a car accident. His wife, a retired nurse, owns a retail store in the nearby town which is run by one employee. During his free time, Ted likes to read novels by best-selling authors and goes camping and fishing once in a while with his grandchildren.