Starting Over: Physiological Needs, Safety Needs, and Self-Actualization
In the last stages of development due to health and aging a lot of elderly begin to lose their independence. When they lose the ability to walk, drive, feed themselves, and undergo many other difficulties it can affect their overall well being. Development of the person is a lifelong process from cradle to grave with each period of time equally important, yet inherently different (Erikson, 1997). This process traces the complex dynamics of change throughout the human life. The integrative perspective on adult development acknowledges the intersection of biological, psychological, and socio-cultural perspectives. This view especially recognizes the complex and integrated role of the various dimensions on the adult development. The psychological aspects of adult development can be better understood with a perspective on the physical dimension. Many of the changes and adaptations within the person are the result of physical changes in the body (Peck, 1956). It is natural for the older adult to experience physical changes, yet perhaps the word degenerative is too negative. Some of the stereotypes and misunderstandings of older people are the result of confusing normal aging with actual disease (Baltes & Baltes, 1990) (DiGiovanna, 1993) (Quadagno, 1999).
In older adulthood people are more likely to experience the greatest self-actualization because they have more wisdom and experience than at any other part of the development process. The cognitive changes in older adults can have an effect on their overall self-actualization. Awareness of the crucial impact of personal choices brings us to cognition over the years of adulthood. Professionals in the field of Developmental Psychology research and investigate the developmental issues related to those aged 65 and over. This area of developmental psychology is called, "late adulthood."
Emotions and stability vary widely in late adulthood. Older adults' feelings of self esteem and worth have a lot to do with the amount of love and respect they are given by their family and friends. Older adults who receive love, respect, and care from family can be very happy and healthy. When the elderly are put in a retirement home and receive little or no attention from their children and grandchildren they can easily fall in despair. Theorist Erik Erikson devised a framework for development based on psychosocial stages, and he defined the last stage of life as a tension between integrity and despair. Individuals either come to accept their lives as having meaning and integrity, or they contemplate their life as unproductive and unfulfilling - feeling despair. I
n actuality, developmental researchers believe that most individuals fall somewhere in between these two extremes. The report concludes that early intervention is imperative to prevent rapid declines in cognitive functioning. "Essentially, older adults, their health care providers, and others around them need to be better informed that dementia is not an expected aspect of aging, but rather a real disorder amenable to intervention." The type of memory most likely to decline with age is working memory, or short-term memory. Working memory temporarily stores incoming information and processes it using advanced reasoning skills. In general, those in later adulthood are less able to assimilate multiple forms of data at once and simultaneously perform advanced analysis. However, if the person slows down the rate of incoming data and the processing, they are able to focus better and perform as well on certain tasks as they did in earlier adult years.
In older adulthood people are more likely to experience the greatest self-actualization because they have more wisdom and experience than at any other part of the development process. The cognitive changes in older adults can have an effect on their overall self-actualization. Awareness of the crucial impact of personal choices brings us to cognition over the years of adulthood. Professionals in the field of Developmental Psychology research and investigate the developmental issues related to those aged 65 and over. This area of developmental psychology is called, "late adulthood."
Emotions and stability vary widely in late adulthood. Older adults' feelings of self esteem and worth have a lot to do with the amount of love and respect they are given by their family and friends. Older adults who receive love, respect, and care from family can be very happy and healthy. When the elderly are put in a retirement home and receive little or no attention from their children and grandchildren they can easily fall in despair. Theorist Erik Erikson devised a framework for development based on psychosocial stages, and he defined the last stage of life as a tension between integrity and despair. Individuals either come to accept their lives as having meaning and integrity, or they contemplate their life as unproductive and unfulfilling - feeling despair. I
n actuality, developmental researchers believe that most individuals fall somewhere in between these two extremes. The report concludes that early intervention is imperative to prevent rapid declines in cognitive functioning. "Essentially, older adults, their health care providers, and others around them need to be better informed that dementia is not an expected aspect of aging, but rather a real disorder amenable to intervention." The type of memory most likely to decline with age is working memory, or short-term memory. Working memory temporarily stores incoming information and processes it using advanced reasoning skills. In general, those in later adulthood are less able to assimilate multiple forms of data at once and simultaneously perform advanced analysis. However, if the person slows down the rate of incoming data and the processing, they are able to focus better and perform as well on certain tasks as they did in earlier adult years.