Psychological peculiarities of the elderly

Morphological changes in the nervous system during aging and the special social status of an elderly person determine the psychological characteristics of elderly people.

The reduced ability to adapt and, as a result, the greater vulnerability of people of the “third” age explains the increase in their egoism, even to the point of egocentrism.

Psychological characteristics of elderly people in the intellectual sphere are slowing down of mental reactions, switching speed, weakening of attention intensity and short-term memory, decreased spatial orientation and learning ability. However, the ability for associative thinking, active use of rich life experience is preserved. In general, the higher the general cultural and educational level achieved by a person in his younger years, the higher the intellectual coefficient.

In the emotional sphere - introversion (focus on the world of internal experiences), decreased intensity of emotions up to apathy, tendency to affective reactions, lability (instability) of mood, anxiety and suspiciousness.

Psychological characteristics of older people in the moral sphere are conservatism, slow adaptation to new moral norms, behavior patterns, criticism of these norms and manners.

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Five Basic "Life Positions" of Older People

"Constructive position" - people with this position, as a rule, have been calm, contented and cheerful all their lives. They retain these traits in old age. They have a positive attitude towards life, which they enjoy, and, at the same time, are able to come to terms with approaching death, not being afraid of it. They are active, strive to help others. They do not make a tragedy out of their old age and ailments, they seek entertainment and contacts with people. Such people, most likely, successfully live out their last period of life.

"Dependent" - is typical for older people who have not trusted themselves very much all their lives, have been weak-willed, compliant, passive. As they age, they seek help and recognition with even greater effort, and when they do not receive it, they feel unhappy and offended.

"Protective" - is formed in this type of people who are, as it were, "covered with armor." They do not strive to get closer to people, do not want to receive help from anyone, they keep to themselves, fencing themselves off from people, hiding their feelings. They hate old age. They do not want to give up activity and work.

"Hostility to the world" - "angry old people" who blame others and society, who, in their opinion, are to blame for all the defeats and failures they have suffered in life. People of this type are suspicious, aggressive, do not trust anyone, do not want to depend on anyone, feel disgusted by old age, cling to work.

"Hostility towards oneself and one's life" is a passive life position, in which people lack interests and initiative, and are prone to depression and fatalism. Old people feel lonely and unnecessary. They consider their life a failure, and they treat death without fear, as a deliverance from an unhappy existence.

The dynamics of mental aging are determined by four groups of reactions:

1. Reactions to decreased physical (bodily) sensations and their subjective processing: the physical capabilities of the body are reduced - slow movements, delayed reaction to irritation, etc.
2. Reactions to changes in mental functions and their subjective experiences: decreased short-term memory, rapid depletion of attention, difficulty perceiving a problem in all its diversity, impaired speed of mental reactions and adaptive capabilities - all this often leads to low self-esteem, narrowing of interests and social circle.
3. Reactions to changes in the social sphere and social connections.

According to the proposal of V.V. Boltenko, in the process of age-related changes in social reactions, a number of stages can be distinguished:

• maintaining connections with the type of activity that was the leading one for the person (either directly in the form of occasional work, or indirectly, through reading specialized literature or writing articles on professional topics);
• narrowing of the range of interests due to the loss of professional attachments (communication is dominated by conversations on everyday topics, discussion of television news, family events - previous professional activities are not reflected);
• concern for personal health becomes paramount (the most important conversations are about medications and treatment methods, the personality of the attending physician);
• the meaning of life is the preservation of life itself (social circle - family members living together, social worker, doctor);
• life support - emotionality of communication is almost absent.

4. Reactions associated with thoughts of impending death.

People have an ambiguous attitude towards the fact of death. This peculiarity is influenced by: the type of temperament, the cultural environment, the religious beliefs of the person.

The psychological characteristics of older people can also be psychopathological, occurring in six stages (according to Leiden and Lee):

• Recurring memories of the past become more and more important than real life.
• Memory loss is progressively increasing.
• Reality becomes unreal and becomes more and more distant.
• Confusion and helplessness appear, then apathy towards the surroundings, which is replaced by disorientation in what is happening.
• Confusion of consciousness, senile amentia (complete loss of consciousness), impaired control over the functioning of the sphincters.
• Complete helplessness.

The psychological characteristics of elderly people are strictly individual and depend on heredity and the onset of old age in the family, the presence of somatic diseases (in the family and in a particular person), mental stress and long-term dissatisfaction of significant needs.