Psychosocial Development at a Later Phase of Adult Life - Case Study Example

SOWK 505 Assignment #3: Final Assignment Psychosocial Development at a Later Phase of Adult Life As individuals go through the course of life, right from infancy all the way through the late adulthood, distinctive stages of development must take place. Successful close of every stage will generate a constructive significance of individual and elevated feelings of self-esteem. On the other hand, in case there is any kind of interruptions in one of these stages, unsettled crisis may come up. This unsettled crisis may negatively influence the individuals’ self-esteem and life happiness. This paper seeks to determine the psychological development at a later phase of adult life. This is by conducting a face to face interview with a 72 year old retired business lady, who in this paper will refer to her as Marie for anonymity reasons. This paper seeks to establish the biological, cognitive and psychosocial development of Marie who is going through desperation at her present age. Therefore, this paper introduces the narrative of Marie’s personal life with special attention to her life events and experiences that were crucial in her life and lifespan. The paper analyses Marie’s development theoretically by integrating theories and empirical work. Finally, a critical reflection of the personal and clinical insights gained as a result of conducting the interview and completing the analysis is summarized. Introduction Marie narrates with ease and happiness about her young life when she enjoyed playing netball and going for swimming back in high school. She says that she was strong enough to work all day long in her mother’s kitchen garden where she lifted and moved heavy flower pots as a young girl. Things have changed now where she only spends most of her time reading newspapers and engaging in aging seminar discussions. She no longer considers taking up heavy chores like lifting heavy objects. Despite the fact that she enjoys workouts, she only undertakes simple exercises where it lasts for a few minutes to avoid exhaustion. Marie, who was born in a family of three boys and two girls in New York City, had lovely parents who always ensured that all of their children followed rules to the letter. Marie’s father was a tutor in an elementary college whereas her mother was a nurse in a local clinic. Marie’s parents brought them up with an iron fist. This is more especially with Marie’s mother who worked so hard to ensure that she shaped her children’s future. For example, Marie says that her mother would not even allow her to pick her scarf or wear warm cloths during winter, only for the reason that her children needed to harden for the future. Over and above, Marie valued her mother so much and she believes that she has taken after her in all manner of ways. Marie speaks about her life like a child with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. This is additionally, short lived when she points out that she became heart broken when she lost her mum at a tender age. This event shattered her and made her lose touch with her friends and neighbors completely. She lost the ability and strength to walk the streets with her friend’s and this began to take a toll on her class and outdoor performances. On the other hand, as she grew older, she developed strong ways of overcoming her mother’s death even though her mother’s memories still linger in her mind. When her father passed on 15 years later, Marie claims that she had some energy to withstand the pain of loss of a loved one. Nonetheless, she claims that due to the fact that her father never stayed at home for the better part of their lives as children, she could not feel the loss like she did when her mother passed on. The loss of Marie’s husband when she was only 50 tormented her even more and this made her recall the loss of her loving mother. She compares her husband’s loss with her mother’s due to the fact that they both share similar characteristics. Marie indicates that her husband was stern and serious all the time just like her mother who would only laugh when she was successful. Additionally, her husband never took excuses for mistakes lightly, he always wanted sticklers for thoroughness and something that Marie’s mother was also serious about. Marie says that they lived in a hostile neighborhood in downtown South Carolina where youths engaged in all forms of crimes and gang related activities. This however, did not make her lose hope together with her siblings. She went to a good school, though expensive out of town, where she was taught good morals and conduct. This helped her deal with her immediate environment that seems relatively hostile. Her immediate neighbors took pleasure in living a secretive lifestyle where they did not desire to have their children play together with the neighboring ones. This made Marie develop a distinctive love for books and developed a reading culture in general. Marie has had to make a lot of lifetime decisions bearing in mind that her parents were stern and always wanted the best out of their children especially Marie’s mother. On the other hand, Marie made a decision to make a lot of friends in the future and foster togetherness and unity in families and neighbors, an element that missed in her childhood development. She knew she would achieve this by pursuing her studies in psychology to the higher levels in order for her to fully understand the psychology of people around her and thus bring them together expertly. Parenting is what Marie speaks about without much happiness. This is strange, however, it she is quick to respond that she has three daughters who live after her. She points out that she lives with Lisa, her second born daughter who has 2 daughters too. Marie seems not have a good relationship with Lisa, apparently she lives with her and is forced to take care of her granddaughters, a fact that she is not very comfortable doing due to her old age and illness. Marie as well gives the impression of memory loss, indications of depression and feelings of anxiousness. Marie has recent medical problems that entail knee replacement surgery and requirement for physical therapy. This makes her feel hopeless and depressed; over and above she explains it is due to the fact that she is becoming dependent to her daughters. This makes her believe that aggravates her feelings and depression further. She is also losing her memory and further her knee surgery is beginning to make her feel worthless. Marie has been discriminated, though recently by a group of young people who turned down her ideas for the reason that she is old and weary. She is quick to point out that today people no longer value the elderly and they view aging as a horrible thing. She has also been discriminated at one time due to her gender as she conducted her community work. Some communities looked down upon her initiative indicating that she is taking male roles in society and that she is there to oppress the men. She tells me that she is never amused by the extent which movies, advertisements and comedies produced today keep giving the aged bad roles like cruel grandmothers and much more. This factor demeans the elderly destroying the long ago view of the elderly as mature people filled with wisdom and knowledge/experience. She states also that she is not pleased by the extent which the people her age try avoiding the old reference and would go to the extent of procuring surgery, cheating their age or trying to fit into the shoes of teenagers unsuitably to come out young. Marie has a personal philosophy which is “Before you know it, you reach 50 and your dreams are gone”. This philosophy was told to her by her mother who never went to sleep without making sure her future was set right. This is a philosophy that has helped her work hard in life which entails becoming successful and avoiding the wrong peer groups, wrong activities and businesses. Maries says that she is aware of the old age which means that she has lost much of her strength and in case people worked hard when young, then this is the time to have a reflection of the same and further enjoy. In case one does not acquire anything tangible like wealth during the young age, then this is where one falls into despair. Marie knows that she cannot have a chance to live forever. However, she states that she is satisfied with what she is doing right now for her life and in case she gets a chance to live a life over she will continue with what she is doing. She enjoys engaging in a number of community services and activities that helps keep her mind active and further in helping other aged friends remain active. For instance, she participates in various aging forums and seminars where she interacts and learns more about aging, how to live a healthy life like eating healthy food, how to do healthy exercises and live happily. It is in this kind of forums that she has engaged her fellow elderly friends in community outreach programs that entail sensitizing the need to view the aged as mature people with wisdom, lifelong skills, experience and full knowledge of applicable matters of the society and the world in general. Critical Analysis Marie is seen to understand the way of life of her family members, for instance her father and particularly her stern mother. Marie struggles to endure what her loving mother takes her through as a child all in the name of preparing her for her future. For instance, she withstands cold during winter and further adapts easily in her neighborhood associated with gangs and criminal activities in South Carolina. On the other hand, she is seen experiencing the feelings of worthlessness which indicates the psychosocial problem of integrity versus despair. In reference to this theory, when people grow old or reach retirement age, their productivity levels and performance diminishes and individuals start analyzing their achievements and sentiments that surround their success stages. Integrity will advance when a feeling of achievement is reached. On the other hand, feeling of remorse based on fruitless past events can lead to discontentment with life or feelings of hopelessness and even depression (Psychology 101, 2002). The psychoanalytic theory is the work of Sigmund Freud. It is via his clinical works together with patients troubled by mental problems that Sigmund came up to a belief that childhood experiences and instinctive wishes made an impact to codes of conduct in individuals (Freud, 1900). Founded on Freud’s findings, he came up with a theory that explained growth on the subject of a number of psychosexual stages. Consistent with Freud conflicts that are known to come up in every stage can have an enduring impact on the personality and the actions of a person (Freud, 1915). Many scholars ended up inspired by Freud’s work and worked on other theories of their own that advance Freud’s work. For example Erikson’s eight stage theory of psychosocial development explains growth and transformation all the way through the natural life, that focuses on social contact which come up for the duration of diverse stages of growth. In the real world individuals are cognitively disassociated. On the other hand, the socialization progression puts in order and brings together their ideas. Socialization is the process of the helpless infants gradually turning out to be self-reliant informed individuals, skilled in the means of the culture into which they were born (Crittenden, 2008). Humans are born in a way of life, as it were and this general understanding gradually changes them into members of the society. Therefore, the phenomenon of societal members comprehending one another can turn out to be explicated by the fact that they are born into similar ways of life or practices. According to social systems theory, a society is an organization of interrelationship that links people as one. There is no culture that can be in existence devoid of a society and similarly there is no society that can be in existent devoid of culture (Schaffer, & Emerson, 1964). Sociologists characteristically give details of understanding people by highlighting an unformulated progression referred to as socialization. Evidently, society gets into the thoughts of its people, culturing the unrefined condition of their human awareness. Marie tries as much as possible to stay in touch with her daughters specifically Lisa but fear and worry of over-dependence overwhelm her every day. She struggles to make sure that she can take care of her grand children on behalf of her daughter Lisa although due to old age, it becomes hard. Marie is seen trying as much as possible in her philosophy aiming to become successful in bringing people together including her family members. Marie is seen living a life that dates back to her earlier upbringing which entails the way her mother brought her up during the attachment period (Barrett, 2006). It is not strange that Marie can recall the way her mother engaged her in a number of indoor and outdoor activities which includes tending flowers. All this time as her mother struggled to shape her future life including that of her siblings, Marie was developing confidence in her mother thus generating the much needed desire to explore the world (Bell, 2010). This helped her advance her learning in class and out of class where she managed to live among youths who engage themselves in crime and drugs and even managed to become successful in her business. This is among the many activities that have helped her live her present life successfully. Psychologically, attachment is an expressive union that is seen to another individual (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). Psychologist John Bowlby is the primary attachment theorist to describe attachment as a lifelong psychological connection flanked by human beings Bowlby, 1969). Bowlby holds that the first attachment formulated by children with their care givers has a remarkable influence that advances all through life. He suggests attachment as well serves to sustain the infant close to the caregiver, guardian or close mother who are accessible and quick to respond to an infant’s needs allowing the child to develop an element of security. The infant believes that the caregiver, guardian or mother/father is reliable who gives rise to the foundation for the child to discover the world confidently. In reference to Feminist theory, Marie is seen as a victim of gender subjugation in a number of ways which include the kind of lifestyle her mother and her husband brings her up. Marie is forced to endure hard experiences only for the purposes of preparing her for the future. For example she is forced to withstand cold during winter even without the proper warm cloths. Additionally, Marie states that she was introduced to lifting heavy things like flower pots and many other outdoor activities for the purposes of preparing her for her future life. It seems like her mother prepared her for the worst in the future. This is confirmed when she is married to a husband who happens to posses character traits similar to her mother. Marie’s husband introduces her to a controlling and stern relationship that in the real sense makes her feel oppressed. Even though Marie still mourns the death of her husband, she still holds awful memories of gender discrimination. Feminist theory is one of the significant modern sociological theories that take a look into the status of women and men in the society with the intention of applying knowledge to improve the lives of women (Grossmann, 2005). Feminist theorists have begun to question the diversities flanked by women which includes how race, class, ethnicity and age interconnect with gender issues. Feminist theory is significantly related to providing a voice to the women and outlining the many means women are part of the cause to development in society (Gilligan, 1977). This theory is broken down to 4 that endeavor to outline the societal variances flanked by men and women. This includes gender differences, gender inequality, structural oppression and gender oppression. Gender differences implies to the societal variances flanked by men and women. Gender inequality entails the social variances based on equal opportunities. This is where women activists propose that women are equally endowed with skills, knowledge and capabilities that can be equated to men without bias. Structural oppression entails that women’s oppression and inequality are brought about by capitalism, patriarchy and racism. Finally, gender oppression goes beyond theories of gender inequality and gender difference positing that not only is women dissimilar from or disparate to men but that they are aggressively oppressed, made inferior and still abused by men. Marie is oppressed on the basis of her gender and further discriminated during her missions of community outreach. This does not kill her morale and she pushes on empowering the aged on topical concerns of the elderly. Erik Erikson theory integrity versus despair looks at a variety of features that play a responsibility in the stages of resilience and wellness as they happen for the duration of late adulthood. When people move all the way through the course of their life from childhood to late adulthood, 8 unique stages of growth will take place. Thriving completion of every stage will generate an optimistic sense of self-esteem. On the other hand, any kind of interruptions during any level of the stages may lead to unsettled problems, which may negatively impact people’s sense of awareness and self gratification. Marie is seen to be hopeless and disparate from the life she has lived since childhood. Since every psychological crisis stage is reliant on successful determination of the prior stages, succeeding stages will be impacted in accordance with the determinations or the short of determination (Krauss-Whitbourne, Elliot, Zuschlag, & Waterman, 1992). Marie in addition, suffers memory loss, signs of depression and feelings of anxiety. Taking a keen look at her family history and getting more information about the family trend for instance the way she was brought up by stern parents gives a clear picture of the reason why she is acting this way. Tribulations of outside origins that draw from conflicts or interior tribulations for instance depression, rejection and frustrations can obstruct the capability to distinguish the need for help (Ries, 2012). Owing to Marie’s recent medical problems which entail knee replacement surgery and a requirement for physical therapy, Marie’s feelings of hopelessness and depression can be associated with feelings of turning out to be reliant on her children. This can in addition make worse her feelings of depression. The psychological problems that appear to significantly exist for Marie are integrity versus despair which entails life evaluation, introspection and self- assessment. Modern elements for instance health, family connections and responsibilities changes are incorporated with the evaluation of precedent objectives and achievements (Newman & Newman, 2012). Integrity can be explained as the capacity to recognize the facts of individual’s life and cope with loss of a loved one without worry or anxiety whereas reuniting life events. The achievement of integrity is accordingly the balance of psychosocial problems that arise primarily in life supplemented all through the stages of an individual’s life. When a sense of integrity is ascertained, the capacity to integrate precedent history with the modern events leads to contentment with the results. It comes into view that Marie misses feeling of integrity and has a number of regrets in her life. One theory formulated by Neil Krause, illustrates a 4 evaluation of the meaning of life which entail the following. Possessing a structure of principles Possessing a structure of goals Possessing a structure objectives and Echoing on what went before to settle the past events with objectives (Newman & Newman, 2012). Despite the fact that Marie appears to have set her objectives and reached accomplishments via the stages of her life she can be missing an element of goals. This is precisely associated with her retirement and over-dependent feeling on her daughters. Marie’s element of purpose is as well affected by the death of her loving husband that creates feelings of anxiety and depression united by the sentimental support, which indicates her degree of sorrow can be managed in easily. When old people obtain elevated degree of sentimental backing from allies and relatives, elevated levels of life meaning is attained. Predictable backing can as well play the function of transformation that happen in an individual’s element of meaning. When old people are confident they can depend on other people, their element of meaning is strengthened further increasing the feeling of hope and confidence (Newman & Newman, 2012). Even though Marie is comfortable living close to her daughters, it appears that only one of her daughters offer sentimental support to her. Marie’s anxiety can as well be increased for the reason that the conflict and delight that Marie goes through from her daughter Lisa, who depends on Marie to take care of her 2 young daughters appears to be a burden to Marie. Marie, as well lost a chain of backing by leaving the town she was used to, South Carolina, since she was married to be close to her daughters. In particular, the loss of her husband, coming to a new town and losing a chain of backing and the increased pressure and conflicts, Marie goes through with her daughter Lisa are all elements that are more than likely adding up to Marie’s feelings of worthlessness and despair. Zimmerman, Stewart, Morrel-Samuels, Franzen & Reischl (May, 2011) indicate that Empowerment theory is a social concept is advanced to give power to groups of individuals like Marie. In this theory, Marie who goes through tormenting/bad childhood experiences that affect her present life, needs empowerment. Empowerment puts emphasis on the value of communication in the groups to aid the members of a group come up with collective decisions. In respect to this theory, Marie is seen taking the center stage in empowering her fellow age groups in the community outreach programs. This indicates that she has not only identified her problems but further plays a significant role of reaching out to the rest of the aged members of the society who most likely require empowerment from diverse sources of psychological problems. In order for Marie to attain heightened stages of resilience and wellness, factors or events that can have taken place as childhood or early childhood for instance trust versus mistrust ought as well to be analyzed in order to aid Marie manage problems present in her later adulthood. All-purpose traditions and cultural values in regard to parenting techniques, means of exchange of ideas and teamwork, discipline that took place during early childhood and sentiments of backing can entirely require to be articulated in order to add up Marie’s degree of wellness and the capacity to manage life transformations. Reaching increased integrity needs the ability to project the steady development of life occurrences and be pleased about the importance in the creation of an adult character. This can be attained via personal means that entails memories of long lasting memories and occasions that can entail finding closure. Cultural values which object to old adults for instance conditions that surround ageism can as well be balanced with extra optimistic cultural values or thoughts for instance elevated priorities relating to wisdom and experience. This kind of knowledge that echoes good judgment and keen comprehension on coping with life as well connects wisdom with elevated degree of skills (Newman & Newman, 2012). By analyzing the theories of psychological development and every stage of psychosocial developmental elements that play the role of shaping Maries element of self determination can additionally be made in regards to the means of the best remedy favorable for Marie for the duration of her late adulthood. The psychosocial problem of integrity versus despair that happens for the duration of the middle adulthood can come from a past psychosocial problem that was unsettled. As Marie finds out how to reevaluate her achievements, manage her life transformation and settle unsettled matters, she may then find out how to create her place in society, advance her social networks and advance her sentiments of contributing to the family and society at large. As Marie gathers an extra optimistic manifestation of personality, her sentiments of integrity and elements of belonging will advance, presenting her with a greater element of self-value, resiliency and life gratification. In conclusion, first before conducting the interview, I held an assumption of Marie’s age of 72 and above as an unattractive stage in life. Movies, advertisements and comedies produced today keep giving the aged bad roles like cruel grandfathers and much more. I realized that this factor demeans the elderly destroying the long ago view of the elderly as mature people filled with wisdom and experience. I am now not pleased by the extent which 70 year old people try avoiding the old reference and would go to the extent of procuring surgery, cheating their age or trying to fit into the shoes of teenagers unsuitably to come out young. 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