As individuals approach later adulthood and elderhood, they begin to accept the
ID: 129388 • Letter: A
Question
As individuals approach later adulthood and elderhood, they begin to accept the terminations of old roles and embrace the emergence of new roles, including coming to terms with the concept of death and facing issues related to death. This involves the psychosocial crisis of integrity versus despair for (older adults) and immortality and extinction (elderhood).
1) Assess the challenges and rewards for counselors working with individuals in this stage of life.
2) Discuss some of the characteristic challenges present in the psychosocial crisis in these stages of development.
Explanation / Answer
1. As people inch towards the end of their life on this earth, fear, doubt, anxiety will haunt them. Had they lived a fruitful life on this earth by completing all their responsibilities without fail, they themselves might prepare to face death with a smile and that's when integrity helps them focus. If not, the counselor will face a big task of making them understand that it's part and parcel of human life. They need to explain the physiological deterioration during this stage because people keep thinking that they are physically strong until their old age. The counselor need to convince them about the illnesses that would come along as people age.
The best part of working with the aged in counseling them about accepting old age and death is that the counselor can learn more about himself or herself. The counselor can also learn the behaviours and acceptance level of people from different backgrounds.
2. One of the important psychosocial struggle will be to determine whether they have lived life in full. Integrity will be achieved only when someone has been fulfilling other stages of development successfully.
They will have struggle socializing with others. They won't be able to mingle with the present generation because of their old beliefs and practices.
Illness will be another challenge they will be facing in the last stages of their life where they will be for someone to assist them.
Loneliness will be another factor that would drive them crazy. They will be looking for someone to talk to.
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