Age Identity and The Politics of Self

Age Identity And the Politics of the Self[1]

The subjective experience of being ignored, devalued and disadvantaged as served as a trigger for many individuals who possess ‘minority group’ status seek collectively to obtain due hearing in the political process.  This has not happened to any substantial degree with older people.  Despite the growing political power of the grey vote, there is little evidence that politics directed at specific circumstances of older people are higher up the agenda now than they were 50 years ago.

Embracing age as a politicized identity, and we can argue will remain, to transgressive a step for even the most radical groupings.  For now, at least, resisting age rather than ageism greases more palms, oils more deals, and turns more dollars.  Perhaps, resistance can only be expressed by inertia—not bothering to participate as an age-graded consumer.

Aging, not old age has been the focus of the book.  If old age an essentialist status, structured and determined by physical decline and social marginalization, aging can be seen as a process of negotiation between that and the statuses of adulthood.  Negotiating on how to remain an adult, how to develop as an adult and how to avoid the loss of adult statuses is a task confronting more and more people as they enter post-working life. 

 (This book is full of great information and those of you who are or will be determined to resist ageism should read more)

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[1]  Material for this post was found in Cultures of Aging.  Created by Christopher Gilleard & Paul Higgs.  ISBN  0-582-35641-5  in the year 2000

Memory Aids

Memory Aids[1]

·   Write it down.   The act of writing itself helps the process of memory as well as serving as a reminder if it is written on your calendar or posted in a prominent place ( like your laptop).

·  Create a visual image. This helps process the memory into another are of the memory banks.

·  Associate it with something you already know; connect the memory with another one, such as another similar name or word or image

·  Memorize small chunks at a time.  Think of a phone number as three chunks (area code, the exchange, and the individual number), not one long number

·  Be consistent about where you put things. Designate one or two places that you put down your glasses or key or wallet or hearing  aid.  Do not put your wallet away until you have put your credit card into it.

·  Look for visual cues.  To remember where you parked, look for specific landmarks, or write down the number of the space

·  Set a timer to remind you to take care of something, like turn of the burner or wake up from a nap.

I find these quite helpful

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[1] By Oversem, Thomas Nicolaj, Larsen Lars; Solem, Per Erik Nordic Psychology, Vol 61 (3) Nov 2009 4-22.

Conceptual Analysis of Ageism #1

                                            Conceptual Analysis of Ageism[1]

A broad definition of Ageism

Ageism is defined as negative and positive stereotypes, prejudice and/or discrimination against (or advantage of) elderly people on the basis of their chronological age or on the basis of a perception of them as being ‘old’ or ‘elderly’.  Ageism can be implicit or explicit and can be expressed on a micro- . meso- or macro-level.

The concept includes the classic social psychological components in the form of 1) cognitive (stereotypes). 2) affective (prejudice), 3) and behavioral components (discrimination), in other words, how we on the basis of chronological age or age categorization mistakenly;  1) think of, 2) feel for, 3) and act on the aging human being.

Furthermore, ageism can operate both consciously (explicitly) and unconsciously (implicitly) and it can manifest itself on three different levels, individual (micro-level), in social networks (meso-level) and on institutional and cultural level (macro) level).  As a consequence the definition contains the following key dimensions.

The three classic components (cognitive, affective, and behavioral)

1.    The positive / negative aspect (positive and negative ageism)

2.    The conscious /unconscious aspect (implicit and explicit ageism

3.    The typological division of levels (ageism on micro- meso- and macro-level

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[1]  By Iversen, Thomas Nicolaj; Larsen, Lars; Solem, Per Erik, Nordic Psychology,  Vol  61(3), Nov 2009,  4-22

Know Thyself

Know Thyself; Finding Self Acceptance[1]

         The ancient Greeks encouraged us to know ourselves; that is to work toward accurately looking at our own action, motivations and feelings.  Many of those focused on this idea also emphasized the need for positive self-regard, which is seen as a central feature of mental health as well as characteristic of self-actualization, optimal functioning, and maturity.  Life span theories also emphasized the importance of self-acceptance of self, including our past lives.  Both Erik Erickson’s formulation of ego integrity and the Jungian individuation emphasize the kind of self-acceptance that is notably richer that the standard views of self-esteem.  It is a kind of self-evaluation that is long-term and involves awareness, and acceptance of, both personal strengths and weaknesses.

         Having a purpose in life means having to effectively cope with life travails and suffering.  Gordon Allport, one of psychology’s most important theorists, held that having a clear comprehension of life’s purpose is central to life satisfaction.

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[1]  C.D. Ryff & B.H. Singer (2008) Journal of Happiness Studies  DOI 10.1007/s10902-006-90190

Who Am I After I Retire ?

About Personal Identities After Retirement[1]

This study addresses the question of how retired people’s self-image differs from that of working people and what factors predict peoples self-definition as professionals or retirees.  Seven hundred ninety-two Swiss persons aged 58-70 (386 men, 406 women; 349 not retired, 443 retired) was asked to rate the importance of different self-description domains (such as profession, family roles, personal values, etc.).  Results indicated that the profession domain remains important for self-description even after retirement, to the extent that retirement status does not predict the importance of professional identity at all.  Rather, consistent with social identity theory, the importance of the profession for self-description is best predicted by the status of the (former or current) job.  The importance of retirement status for self-definition is predicted best by a positive attitude toward aging.  In general, retired respondents rated more domains of self- description as important than did the not-yet-retired respondents and no domain was less important after retirement.  In other words, identity diversity was higher for the retired than for the not-yet retired persons.  In addition, high identity diversity correlated with a high satisfaction across different life domains.

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[1] INT’ J.  AGING AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, Vol 70(1) 89-106,2010

The Healthy Aging Brain

The Healthy Aging Brain[1]

The Correlates of Volunteerism

All of my life I have had the need to help others (I am the oldest child in the family). I retired from being a university professor.  Over the last ten years and continuing (I am now 74 years old), I have been a volunteer for the Canadian Cancer Society for quite a long time.  The next material is from page 277 of the book referenced below.

·   Greater psychological  well-being

·   Better life adjustment

·   Greater sense of meaning, purpose, and morale

·   Less stress and anxiety

·   Better physical health and immunological functioning

·   Less depression and hopelessness

·   Les pain from arthritis and other illnesses

·   Better social connectivity

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[1]  The healthy aging brain:  organized and created by louis cozolino

   Sustaining attachment, attaining wisdom ISBN 10: 0-393-70513-7

A Way to Practice Meditation on your own

A way To Practice Meditation On Your Own

  Breath Deeply    Focus all your attention on your breathing. Concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils.  Breath deeply and slowly.  When your attention wanders, gently return your focus on your breathing.

.  Scan your body.  When using this technique, focus attention on different parts of your body.  Be aware of your body’s various sensations, whether its pain, tension, warmth or relaxation.  Combine body scanning with breathing exercises and imagine breathing heat or relaxation into and out of different parts of our body.

. Repeat a mantra.  You can create your own mantra, whether it’s religious or secular.  Examples of religious mantras in the Jesus prayer in Christian tradition. the holy name of God in Judaism , or the Om Mantra of Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.  Another one is Na Ta Sa Ma.

.  Walk and Meditate.  Combining a walk with mediation is an efficient and healthy way to relax.  You can use this technique anywhere you are walking—in a tranquils forest, on a city sidewalk or at the mall.  When you use this method, slow down the pace of walking so that you can focus on each movement of your legs or feet.  Don’t focus on a particular destination.  Concentration on your legs and feet, repeating action words in your mind such as lifting, moving and placing as you life each foot, move your leg forward and place your foot on the ground.  As you walk, stay in the here (right here where ever you are) and now (right now this very minute.)

Engage in prayer.  Prayer is the best known and most widely practiced example of meditation.  Spoken and written prayers are found in most faith traditions.  You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others.  Check the self-help or 12-step recovery section of your local bookstore for examples.  Talk to your spiritual leader about resources.

Read and reflect.  Many people report that they benefit from reading poems or sacred tests, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on their meaning.   Anything you find relaxing with works.  It does not have to be religious.