Old Age Psychology

According to Dhara and Jogsan, “Old age is the stage of life that is full of changes in in the physical, psychological, hormonal and the social conditions”. In addition, it is also characterized as a period of loss and decline (Wrosch, n.d.). It was a loss of a job because or retiring, loss of physical strength, loss of youth and some loss of a spouse. The decline for the new lifestyle, routine and responsibility that they have, and decline for the changes happening in this period of life. Old age is a period of “moving away” from previous times of “usefulness” (Hurluck, 1982). Furthermore, characteristics of elderly people are based on the likely to lead to poor adjustments than good and to unhappiness rather than to happiness. In other words,

The feeling that life has had an order and meaning results in happiness (cf. ego-integrity; Erikson, 1986). This is the stage where we contemplate all the things that they have done through their whole life. It is about acceptance and adjustment. It involves both potential gains and losses Furthermore because there are a lot of changes happening to them depression and loneliness appears. Depression is one of the most common psychological conditions during the normal course of life with so much of losses and disappointments (Dhara & Jogsan, 2013). One of the factors contributing it is the retirement from work. One of the developments and central task of the elderly is to adjust to retirement (Wrosch, n.d.). It is characterized as adapting and coping for the new life after retirement. The elderly’s responsibility to adjust properly to changes cause by retiring from their

Elderly can experience problems involving relationships with spouse, relationships with off springs, and relationships with grandchildren. Furthermore, loss of a spouse and with remarriage faced by the elderly. In the relationship with spouse, the first important adjustment centering family relationships. Retiring from work means staying more at home and spending more time with their partner. However, there negative affect about it like when the husband became stress because of retirement and the wife will experience the irritability or negative mood of the husband. In the relationship with offsprings, it can relate to obligation. Some sons and daughter experience feeling of obligation when their parents retire from work. The obligation to take good care of them, financially and physically. In addition, building again a new relationship with their children when the parents will be more spending time with them. Furthermore, in a relationship with the grandchildren, conflict happen between the regard of old-fashioned attitudes and the rapid changing values, attitudes, the pattern of dress and behavior, and moral standards that grandparents is too great to bridge. For the adjustment of loss of a spouse, the men and women deal it differently. For men, solve both