Late Adult Personal Interview - Essay Example

Late Adult Personal Interview and Section Check s website for their page format…. Late Adult Personal Interview Sigmund Freud taught that a child goes through stages of development. A child’s personality is formed by the age of 5 when the child enters the (sexual) latency stage (Storr, 1989). Erikson, a student of Freud’s daughter Anna, also taught that there are stages of development; however, he differed from the elder Freud, and taught that a person’s sense of identity is not fully formed as a child. Erikson taught that individuals continue to develop and evolve throughout their life. Whereas Freud stressed the importance of reaching milestones within a certain period during childhood, Erikson stressed the importance of cultural demands upon a child during life transitions (Erikson, 1959). According to the teachings of Freud, the older person could not accept concepts divergent from their basic philosophies. Erikson’s followers, however, would slowly advance through stages of acceptance of new concepts. Erikson taught that learning and development occur throughout life. Erikson’s theories were evident in the interview with a woman who had experienced many tragedies, yet overcame them to life a full and productive life. Interview with Joyce Joyce Smith, age 67, resides in a condominium inside the city limits of Atlanta, Georgia. (Change this to your city.) After agreeing to the interview and signing the consent form (see Appendix A), Joyce indicated she preferred the interview take place in her living room, and it did. Joyce stated she had lived in her condominium since 1982, and was most relaxed there. The condo was quite comfortable with overstuffed chairs, large potted plants, thick carpets, antique tables, and three large Maine Coon cats. Joyce had pictures of her busy life tastefully arranged on the walls of each room. Joyce’s Biography Joyce explained that she was born in Ohio in 1944, the middle of five children born to a homemaker and a mechanic. She has two brothers and two sisters; all are in good health and active. She explained that her family was not well to do, but compared to the other families in the neighborhood they were not wanting. Joyce said that her childhood was unremarkable. She went to the small schools in the area, and then took a bus to the city college where she earned a degree in accounting in 1965. When pressed for details, she said her early years were indeed quite ordinary. She said she was raised by two normal people who rarely fought and were loving parents to all of their children She did say that her parents expected her to be an A student and excel in all things, and she did. According to Erikson’s Developmental Stages, Joyce had security and stability during the crucial years of her life: birth to 18 months –trust versus mistrust; and 18 months through 3 years—autonomy versus shame, and self-control (Erikson, 1959). Her early years gave her a firm footing when facing problems later in life. As a school-age child, she progressed and pleased her parents with straight As. During her teenage years, she sought to develop her own identify, and she did. Negatives and Positives of Life Joyce said that just like everyone, her life had difficulties. She married when she was 22 to a “gorgeous man” she met on her job as an accountant. The marriage was difficult. He was one of thousands drafted to serve in Vietnam. After two years, he came back from the war with many emotional scars; however, she married him. They had a son born with serious problems and did not live long. She said the combination of the war and the loss of the baby catapulted her husband into alcohol and drugs. Eventually, he crashed his car and suffered irreversible brain damage. After a year of a prolonged coma and rehabilitation, he came home a remarkably different person. Although she continued to work, her husband required full-time care, so she shared her home with him and his attendant. Her husband suffered from grand mal seizures that would usually last for longer than was medically safe. He would need an ambulance to get him immediate medical attention. In 1981, after years of living with a caretaker and severe seizures, her husband suffered a massive seizure, fell, and hit his head. The doctors could not do much to help him. He lapsed into a vegetative coma and lived in that state until two years ago. She explained that since her husband was alive, even though severely brain damaged, she was not able to remarry or even openly see another man. Her life’s circumstances caused her to live by herself most of her adult life. She said this did not bother her any longer, and she was quite happy living alone. She said she regretted never having or adopting another child. She confessed she missed having grandchildren. When questioned, she said her life was full of wondrous adventures. The ten years her husband required a caretaker and suffered from terrible seizures were trying years. She reminded, however, this was only a fraction of her life—not the entirety of her life. She has traveled to Hawaii three times, Europe twice, and Egypt and Greece once; she just returned from Thailand. She has a trip planned for Cameroon, Africa in spring. She owns three businesses, actively manages one of them, and golfs nine holes every morning before work. She explained this was the reason she bought this condominium: it is located on a golf course. She said she had yet to experience any loss of memory or cognitive ability; in fact, she said she felt mentally sharper now than when she was young. Her frustration was because of arthritis. She said she suffered dreadfully with this disease and often had to force herself to keep going. In 2002, she had one knee replaced and currently needed surgery on her hands. She has three herniated disks in her upper back and numerous bone spurs in her lower spine. She does not take any medication for this problem not even for pain. Greatest Strengths and Weaknesses When asked about weaknesses, Joyce briefly stated her only weakness was arthritis. She felt older people spend too much time obsessing about their problems and do not like their lives. She expressed gratitude that she was still strong and cognitively intact. When asked why she felt she had dodged so many of the problems of people her age, she said she owed it to regular exercise, healthy eating, and her three cats. Her cats, all over 20 pounds, were quite beautiful, but, according to Joyce, unusually high maintenance. She said just their grooming took over an hour every day. She listed several strengths: financial independence, several close friends, a busy career, a high IQ, photographic memory, and great health. Interestingly, she said she felt her greatest strength was a lack of mental or emotional problems. Three of her siblings and several nieces and nephews are bipolar, once called manic-depressive disorder. She watched them suffer from this disease and believed this was her secret to a full, productive life—the lack of mental problems. She said she was never depressed and did not understand others who were. Legacy and Greatest or Worse Memory She spent the worse days of her life watching her husband’s long dying. She said it was extremely hard going on with her life while her husband remained alive, but only partially. Her greatest days were those spent traveling, golfing, visiting with family and friends, or attending college. Her philosophy is people should just stay so busy they do not have time to feel sorry for themself. Final Thoughts Joyce said that when she looks back at her life and compares it to her friends’ lives or the lives of her siblings, she felt blessed. She was quick to point out that her life was not without tragedies, but overall, she felt she had lived a full and often exciting life. She said she never thinks about “old age.” She does not want to live in a nursing home or be dependent on others. When told she can longer keep her cats, she said she will end her life. She said she had no problem with older people who end their own life and even felt this was admirable. When she can no longer take care of herself, she said it was time to go. She said she did not have a bucket wish. She had lived her life as though it could end at any time. Living this way, she did what she wanted to do whenever she felt a desire. She never put things off until later; she acted on her desires as soon as possible. She never concerned herself about money. She said money was easy to make, and she had no difficulty working two jobs to pay for a dream. If she died tomorrow, she said she had lived an extraordinary life with no regrets. Conclusions Erikson was the first to suggest that the "stages" of human development spanned our whole lives, not just childhood. His ideas profoundly influenced the study of personality development, especially in adolescence and adulthood.  Erikson’s followers think a person slowly advances through stages of acceptance of new concepts (Erikson, 1959; Erikson, Erikson, & Kivnick, 1986). Joyce exemplified Erikson’s stages. As a young adult, she did make a choice between intimacy and isolation; she chose intimacy and eventually married. In her middle years, she again made a conscious choice between generativity and stagnation. She made it quite clear; she abhorred stagnation. As an older adult, she again made a conscious choice regarding the end of her life. Joyce clearly prefers suicide to passivity and helplessness. Erikson, Erikson, and Kivnick (1989) stated, “Throughout the life cycle, anticipating and planning for the future represents a kind of psychological preparation for the years of life that are expected yet to come” (p. 63). Joyce has accomplished this. She lived a full life, dealt with loss in a magnanimous fashion, and prepared for her death. References Erikson, E. H. (1959). Identify and the life cycle. New York, NY: International University Press. Erikson, E. H., Erikson, J. M., & Kivnick, H. Q. (1986). Vital involvement in old age. New York, NY: Norton Company. Storr, A (1989). Freud: A very short introduction. New York, NY: Oxford Press. Appendix A: Informed Consent Academic Interview Consent Form You are being asked to participate in an interview for the University of xxx class computer namexxx: The full name of class, which is a component of the xxx xxx (give the degree program you are seeking). This assignment requires learners to interview a person over the age of 65 to get a better understanding of the life cycle. The final deliverable is a summary discussing life experiences and Erikson’s Stage of Development theory. This interview is for a class assignment only. The name of the interviewee and his or her respective institution will not be used. The interview information and summary are shared only with the faculty member and are not available to anyone outside the classroom. No risks are anticipated for participating in the interview. You may, however, withdraw at any time. The interview will take approximately 60 minutes. If you have questions about this assignment, contact please enter the name of your faculty member> at . Statement of Consent: I have read the preceding information and have received answers to any questions I asked. I consent to take part in the interview. Your signature ______When you send it back I will sign, scan, and attach. Date _What date do you want? Your name (printed) ______Joyce Smith______________ Signature of person obtaining consent Sign here Date _______________ Printed name of person obtaining consent _Your name Date _______________ Read More