There are several psychological and social factors that have been related to increased individual life expectancy and potential of life in older adults. While the majority of concentration in the life postponement and successful aging field has focused on physical factors such as exercise, diet, sleep, genetics and so on, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that psychological and sociological factors also have a primary affect on how well individuals age (Warnick, 1995).
Warnick (1995) believes that adjusting to the changes that accompany late adulthood and old age requires that an individual is able to be flexible and make new coping skills to adapt to the changes that are common to this time in their lives. Aging research has demonstrated a positive correlation between someone's religious beliefs, social relationships, perceived health, self-efficacy, socioeconomic status, and coping skills among others to their potential to age more successfully. The term successful aging has been defined by three main components: "low probability of disease and disease related disability, high cognitive and physical functional capacity, and active engagement with life" (Rowe & Kahn, 1997).
Psychosocial Factors That Promote thriving Aging
Baltes and Baltes (1990) recommend that the term successful aging appears paradoxical, as aging traditionally brings to mind images of loss, decline, and greatest death, whereas success is represented by achievement. However, the application of the term, successful aging, they argue troops a reexamination of the nature of old age as it presently exists. "An inclusive definition of successful aging requires a value based, systemic, and ecological perspective, inspecting both subjective and objective indicators within a cultural context" (Baltes & Baltes, 1990).
With curative advancements and improvements in living conditions population can now expect to live longer lives than ever before. But, the anticipation of merely living longer presents many problems. This fact has led researchers to research the psychological aspects of aging, with a goal of making the further years more worth living. There is a great deal of data that leads us to be hopeful about the prospective potential of life in late adulthood and old age.
Religious beliefs, spirituality, and church participation have been the focus of numerous studies spirited older adults. various studies have related religiousness with well-being, life satisfaction or happiness (VanNess & Larson, 2002). Although it will be primary for hereafter research to more clearly specify which dimensions of religious participation are useful to which outcomes (Levin & Chatters, 1998), it appears that positive aspects of religious participation enables elderly population to cope with and overcome emotional and physical problems more effectively, prominent to a heightened sense of well being in late adulthood.
It is generally known that suicide rates are higher among elderly people, and there is evidence that persons who engage in religious operation are more than four times less likely to commit suicide (Nisbet, Duberstein, Conwell, et al: 2000). The inverse relationship between religiousness and suicide rate in elderly individuals may be due to the fact that religious beliefs help elderly population cope with or forestall depression and hopelessness, which are established risk factors for suicide (Abramson, Alloy, Hogan, et al: 2000). The relationship between religiousness and successful aging is an highly involved one. This makes it difficult to pinpoint which factors of participation in a religious club lead to the increased sense of well-being, satisfaction, and happiness. It is inherent that religiousness exerts its useful effects by creating positive emotions that stimulate the immune system. Or, it may furnish way to social and psychological resources that buffer the impact of stress and aid ones potential to effectively cope (Ellison, 1995).
Membership in religious organizations also provides older individuals with a social network from which to draw emotional withhold and encouragement, while enhancing one`s potential to adapt to change and buffer stress (Levin, Markides, Ray, 1996). research has shown that social networks, such as those generally found in religious organizations are related with positive health outcomes in older adults, including lower risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and functional decline (Seeman, 1996). The relationships that are fostered within the church or religious group serve for many as a transfer for the social groups that they engaged in at work before retirement. In addition, the attitudes that are learned from religiously committed peers may benefit ones health straight through encouragement of wholesome behaviors and lifestyle lowering the risk of disease (Levin & Chatters, 1998).
One of the common threads that has been found to collate with successful aging is the individual's socioeconomic status, particularly study and income levels (Meeks & Murrell, 2001). The relationship between study level and subjective well-being has been demonstrated consistently. Meeks and Murrell (2001) found that study did have direct effects on negative affect, trait health and life satisfaction. Their research complete that higher educational attainment is related with lower levels of negative affect, which is related to best health and increased life satisfaction (Meeks & Murrell, 2001). This may be due to the fact that "individuals with higher study levels benefit from the opportunities and resources related to educational attainment that yield accumulated success experiences and contribute to classic functioning in later life" (Meeks & Murrell, 2001). It is also inherent that more educated population make classic methods for question solving and coping with change. Higher study levels have been shown to furnish individuals with best occupational opportunities and social status straight through adulthood and greater financial stability while the transition to retirement. This establishes study level as ones foundation for successful aging (Meeks & Murrell, 2001).
Material wealth and income have been shown to have a direct relationship to subjective well-being (Andrews, 1986). For many, the sense of well-being is especially effected by their feelings of income adequacy as they move into retirement. Many individuals face withdrawal with great anxiety due to the lack of enough savings to replace their income. The reality of living on a small fixed income limits the lifestyle and potential to adapt to the changes of late adult curative needs for many elderly people. population with greater resources at withdrawal have way to greater range of opportunities and activities (Jurgmeen, & Moen, 2002). In addition, the way to surplus income allows for more recreation and less stress from financial concerns. This thought that wealth and well-being are related is also supported by a microeconomics system that states that an increase in the income level of a community would lead, other things being constant, to greater well being (Easterlin & Christine, 1999).
However, it is prominent to keep in mind that increases in individual income levels are relative to the changes in one's reference group (Lian & Fairchild, 1979). Increases in income are considered to be relative. In other words, if an individual's gains in economic status outpace the gains of the reference group then the individual will likely caress a greater sense of satisfaction. On the other hand, if their gains are equal to the midpoint in their reference group, there will likely be no change. If the increases are less than the reference group than the supervene will be less satisfaction. Therefore, it may be prominent for many older adults transitioning to withdrawal to have enough savings or other income in order to say or exceed their old financial status.
The relationship between study and income to successful aging is a involved one that involves numerous external variables. But it seems that there is conclusive evidence that both study and income levels help to get ready an individual for the changes that they will face in old age and "influence on their potential to view aging as an opening for continued increase as opposed to an caress of social loss" (Steveink, Westerhof, Bode, et al, 2001).
One of the most prominent aspects of how well individuals age is related to their potential to make and say strong relationships and social withhold systems (Rowe & Kahn, 1998). It is also prominent to mention that solitude, or a lack of social interaction, is considered a major health risk factor (Unger, McAvay, Bruce, et al, 1999). modern studies suggest that the effects of social ties on the risk of physical decline in elderly are greater in men than women. These studies also record that there is a strong relationship between social withhold or social networks to the probability to cardiovascular and all cause mortality for men (Berkman, Seeman, Albert, et al,1993).
This gender contrast could be explained by the fact that women devote a greater part of their lives caretaking and developing friendships, so they are more accustomed to construction and utilizing social networks. While men, in contrast, have devoted a greater part of their lives to their careers, therefore, they have not advanced the social networks or skills to utilize these networks that most women have (Unger, McAvay, Bruce, et al, 1999). In addition, social ties appear to be most prominent among elderly individuals with less physical potential (Unger, McAvay, Bruce, et al, 1999). It seems that population with physical disabilities have a greater need to make friendships and withhold networks to aid them in coping with the limitations caused by their conditions. Friends and house furnish them with a means to continue participating in social activities and perfect the tasks of daily living that they may be unable to achieve on their own. This provides withhold for the reliance that establishing strong social networks may increase not only potential of life, but quantity as well.
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