HUMAN GROWTH AND THE LIFE COURSE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

HUMAN GROWTH AND THE LIFE COURSE - Essay Example Sociologically, they have to cope with their changing roles. The aged are not only mothers and fathers they have to take on new roles as grandmothers and grandfathers. Most of them have exited their jobs because of retirement and are now unemployed. Because of the new roles that they have to assume they feel differently about themselves and so their attitudes towards life and towards others change (Tavris, 1991). This in fact indicates just how important income generating employment is to most individuals. Santrock (1999) emphasizes that biological, psychological and sociological processes are all interwoven as sociological processes shape psychological processes and psychological processes promote or restrict sociological processes, just as biological processes are impacting on psychological processes. Tavris (1991) has indicated in her papers that sometimes the sex drive does not slow down but there is no one around to relate to in a sexual manner. Based on my experience the males in the old aged homes see the females as fulfilling the role of sexual partners and so these institutions are not just where old people go to die but where life and intimacy is sometimes revived. Although this type of event is not part of what these institutions are about they happen sometimes without the knowledge of the caregivers. Developmental theories of the life cycle such as Erickson’s stages theory have often been used to explain aging. Erickson’s theory identifies three (3) stages of adulthood: the early adulthood – twenties and thirties, middle adulthood – forties and fifties, and late adulthood – sixties and over. However, there are those who have suggested that in recent times age has become a less effective predictor of human behaviour. Erickson sees early adulthood as a period of either intimacy or isolation. Intimacy he describes as the ability to develop relationships that are close and loving. If intimacy does not develop then the individual will feel isolated. Whatever, happens at one stage starting from childhood affects the next stage and so this Intimacy versus Isolation in what is Erickson’s sixth stage has been impacted by the adolescent years which might have been a vey tumultuous one for some adolescents as we will see in the next section. In his seventh stage Erickson sees it as a period of generativity versus stagnation. Generativity refers to shaping the next generation by assisting them to lead useful lives. Middle aged adults who have not been able to make some level of contribution would be seen to have been impacted negatively through stagnation. In the eighth and final stage which he describes as â€Å"integrity versus despair,† it is a time in which the older adults look back at what they have done with their lives. If the periods or stages that preceded this stage were positive then the individual would feel satisfied with some sense of integrity and if it was negative then the individual would have been dissatisfied and thus felt a sense of despair. According to Greenburg (1999, p327) A person who is not successful with this crisis is likely to be overcome with despair because the time left is so short, death approaches too quickly and there is no time left to try another route to gain some integrity. The person may then become bitter, depressed and paranoid as they use disgust to hide this despair. However, this is not the only time that individuals look back. Some