Over the past year, in wrestling over the idea whether I would do a major research paper or a thesis for my graduate level degree, I have been delving into the idea of what the lived experience of growing old looks like from a mental health perspective. I was drawn to the topic through the observation of my 90-year old grandma's sense of despair that she articulated to me in reflection of her past and future. Was this a common experience, I wondered. How prevalent is depression in old age?
I explored my questions a little further by interviewing my 85-year old nana for a school assignment that invited her to tell me stories of how she found meaning in life. The themes she gave me resembled that of my other grandmother and yet the tone was radically different. My nana found hope in her daily living, even with the loss of a husband and physical and cognitive decline threatening her independence. This stood in stark contrast to the lament I had heard from my first grandmother about the pain and inconvenience her physical loss had caused her, the fear she had that she would lose her ability think clearly, and the sadness she felt over the loss of her husband(s) and son. There were, it seemed, two very different stories that accompanied the experience of aging in the two oldest women close to me.
In the field of psychology, Erikson (1982) described the primary lived experience of the last stage of life being that of navigating between integrity and despair. The person who lives in integrity in a person who has hope and a sense of purpose driving them forward, even as they face death. The person who despairs is a person who gives up reasons to hope, since death is inevitable and there is no solution to the trials that time has brought.
As I continue to write in this blog I will be exploring the ideas of both integrity and despair and how these concepts interact with the oldest old in our population. I will be examining the lived experience growing old and how that might contribute to the prevalence of mental health pathologies in old age. Throughout my organization of these themes I will aim to provide an academic lens in order to both organize and articulate ideas that will be appearing in my major research paper. To this end, I also welcome anyone who wishes to have a conversation regarding this topic and would be happy to answer any questions that get posted.
References:
I explored my questions a little further by interviewing my 85-year old nana for a school assignment that invited her to tell me stories of how she found meaning in life. The themes she gave me resembled that of my other grandmother and yet the tone was radically different. My nana found hope in her daily living, even with the loss of a husband and physical and cognitive decline threatening her independence. This stood in stark contrast to the lament I had heard from my first grandmother about the pain and inconvenience her physical loss had caused her, the fear she had that she would lose her ability think clearly, and the sadness she felt over the loss of her husband(s) and son. There were, it seemed, two very different stories that accompanied the experience of aging in the two oldest women close to me.
In the field of psychology, Erikson (1982) described the primary lived experience of the last stage of life being that of navigating between integrity and despair. The person who lives in integrity in a person who has hope and a sense of purpose driving them forward, even as they face death. The person who despairs is a person who gives up reasons to hope, since death is inevitable and there is no solution to the trials that time has brought.
As I continue to write in this blog I will be exploring the ideas of both integrity and despair and how these concepts interact with the oldest old in our population. I will be examining the lived experience growing old and how that might contribute to the prevalence of mental health pathologies in old age. Throughout my organization of these themes I will aim to provide an academic lens in order to both organize and articulate ideas that will be appearing in my major research paper. To this end, I also welcome anyone who wishes to have a conversation regarding this topic and would be happy to answer any questions that get posted.
References:
Erikson, E.H. (1982). A life cycle completed: Review.
New York: Norton
Comments
Post a Comment