Psychological features of the elderly

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

The decreased ability to adapt and, as a result, the greater vulnerability of people of the "third" age, explain the intensification of their egoism down to egocentrism.

Psychological features of the elderly in the intellectual sphere are noted in the slowing down of mental reactions, the speed of switching, the weakening of the intensity of attention and short-term memory, the reduction of orientation in space and the possibility of learning. However, the ability to associative thinking, active use of rich life experience remains. In general, the intellectual coefficient is higher, the higher was the overall cultural and educational level achieved by a person in younger years.

In the emotional sphere - introversion (the return to the world of inner experiences), a decrease in the intensity of emotions right up to apathy, a tendency to affective reactions, lability (instability) of mood, anxiety and suspiciousness.

Psychological features of the elderly in the moral sphere are conservatism, slow adaptation to new norms of morality, manners of behavior, criticism of these norms and manners.

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The five main "life positions" of the elderly

"Constructive position" - people with such a position, as a rule, all their lives were calm, content and cheerful. They retain these traits in old age. They are positive about the life they rejoice, and, at the same time, are able to reconcile themselves with the approaching death, without fearing it. They are active, eager to help others. They do not do tragedy for their old age and discomforts, they seek entertainment and contacts with people. Such people, most likely, safely live their last period of life.

"Dependent" - is inherent in the elderly people who have not very much trusted themselves all their lives, were weak-willed, compliant, passive. Aging, they with even greater effort seek help, recognition, and not getting it, they feel unhappy and offended.

"Protective" - is formed in this type of people who, as it were, "covered with armor." They do not strive for rapprochement with people, do not want to receive help from anyone, keep themselves closed, 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", accusing others and society, guilty, in their opinion, in all the defeats and failures that they underwent in life. People of this type are suspicious, aggressive, do not believe in anyone, do not want to depend on anyone, are disgusted with old age, cling to work.

"Hostility to yourself and your life" is a passive life position, in which people are deprived of interests and initiative, are prone to depression and fatalism. Old people feel lonely and unnecessary. They consider their life to be a failure, to death they are treated without fear, as to getting rid of unhappy existence.

The dynamics of mental aging determines four groups of reactions:

1. Reactions to decreased physical (bodily) sensations and their subjective processing: the physical possibility of the organism decreases - slow movements, belated reaction to irritation, etc.
2. Reactions to the change in mental functions and their subjective experiences: the reduction of short-term memory, the rapid attenuation of attention, the difficulty of perceiving the problem in all its diversity, the violation of the speed of mental reactions and adaptive possibilities-all this often leads to a low self-esteem, narrowing of interests and a circle of communication.
3. Reactions to changes in the social sphere and social ties.

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

• maintaining links with the type of activity that was leading for the person (either directly in the form of episodic work, or indirectly, through reading special literature or writing articles on professional topics);
• narrowing of the circle 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 activity is not reflected);
• The main concern is personal health (the most important are talk about drugs and methods of treatment, the personality of the attending physician);
• the meaning of life - the preservation of life itself (the circle of communication - living together family members, social worker, doctor);
• the maintenance of life - the emotionality of communication is almost absent. 

4. Reactions associated with thoughts of impending death.

People are ambivalent about the fact of death. This uniqueness is influenced by: the type of temperament, the cultural environment, religious representations of man.

The psychological characteristics of the elderly can also be psychopathological, proceeding in six stages (according to Leiden and Lee):

• More and more important are the recurring memories of the past, and not real life.
• The memory loss is progressively increasing.
• Reality becomes unreal and more and more remote.
• There is confusion, helplessness, then - apathy To the environment, which is replaced by disorientation in what is happening.
• Confusion of consciousness, senile amenia (complete insensibility of consciousness), the control over the work of sphincters is disturbed.
• Complete helplessness.

Psychological features of older people are strictly individual and depend on heredity and the onset of old age in the genus, the presence of somatic diseases (in the genus and in a particular person), mental stress and prolonged dissatisfaction with significant needs.