Four Theories of Socioemotional Development and Aging

Question 1 

The four theories of socioemotional development and aging are Erikson’s theory, activity theory, socioemotional selectivity theory, and disengagement theory. Erikson’s theory states that older adults reflect on their past and either reach a positive review or a negative conclusion that one’s life has been spent well. They reach a positive conclusion when they have succeeded in life and a negative one when they have failed to attain their live objectives. The review entails looking back at life’s experiences, analyzing, and interpreting them. One advantage of this is that it allows people to reflect on their life experiences and make the necessary changes to attain their lives’ objectives. However, the theory is based on observation, which makes it unreliable. Another disadvantage of this theory is that it does not reflect changing culture such as greater longevity. The other socioemotional theory is activity theory. Activity theory postulates that more involved and active adults are more likely to be satisfied with their lives compared to lesser active adults. The benefits of the theory include emphasis on motivation and rationale for an individual, role in identifying the results of an activity, and the presence of a structure that can aid a group attain a goal. Disadvantages include inability to anticipate certain contradictions and strict structure that can impede creativity. 

The socioeconomic selectivity theory postulates that as people age, they become more selective in their social relationships and tend to spend more time with people that they have enjoyed meaningful relationships with. Strengths of the theory include focus on positive gratification and minimization of adverse experiences. The disengagement theory states that it is natural for adults to withdraw from personal relationships and society as they age. The theory analyzes the impacts of each stage of aging on society but lacks empirical support. The four socioemotional theories relate to the big five factors of personality because conscientiousness is associated with lower mortality risk in late adulthood, while low conscientiousness predicts earlier death. Furthermore, extraversion, openness, and high conscientiousness were associated with higher mortality risk. 

Question 2 

Advances in medical technology and an increased access to healthcare means that life expectancy across the world has increased significantly. More people are currently living longer, which has affected how people experience death. Longer life expectancy has come with health issues such as chronic illnesses and age-related complications. As people live longer, they have to make both emotional and spiritual decisions regarding death. These decisions include medical treatment, questions of grieving, organ donation, estate planning, and other legal issues that were absent 100 years ago. When it comes to death, spirituality is an important source of strength and comfort. Religious beliefs such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam may offer hope, but at time some people may discover that their beliefs are challenged by their situation. They may feel abandoned and lack comfort in the religious beliefs. Most religions have practices performed when people are dying, which may become part of care at the end of life. Emotionally, people are not used to talking about dying, but they may have to discuss their fears and concerns about death. For people dying from terminal illnesses such as cancer, the process of death can be lonely and isolating. Additionally, people have to deal with the effect on people closest to them. 

Question 3 

There is a close link between personality and mortality. Studies on the relationship between personality and longevity have produced mixed findings. Of the big five personality traits, neuroticism has been greatly examined. In some studies, neuroticism is linked to increased risk of mortality because people high in this personality trait experience adverse emotions such as anxiety, depression and anger. However, other studies have shown the opposite effect. Regarding extraversion, the relationship with mortality is weak, though optimism, which is an element of this trait is associated with mortality. Though evidence is scanty, conscientiousness and agreeableness, and not openness have been associated with lower mortality. Thus, neuroticism and conscientiousness are related to death in old age because health in old age rely on both physical and psychological traits. Neuroticism increases risk to mortality, while, conscientiousness lowers risk. 

Older adults experience changes in the self because aging is associated with social changes and various functional declines, and life events that may threaten the self-concept. Better physical, functional, and mental health are associated with positive self-perceptions and self-esteem. Therefore, perceptions about their functional status and general health influence self-concept during old age. Self-esteem, which is the most studied element of self-concept has been shown to be noticeably to adaptive age-related changes among older adults. 

Question 4 

Attitudes towards death vary at different points from a cognitive perspective across the life span. Children’s attitudes towards death determined by factors such as the level of cognitive development, socialization, experience with death, and instruction. Furthermore, children show an imaginative array of perspectives about the likely forms of the afterlife. Adolescent attitudes towards death are influenced by ecological, environmental, and psychological causes of death. At this age, they now understand that death is caused by various factors. They also worry about the impacts of personal death on family and friends since they now understand that death has both psychological and emotional effects. Their views of the afterlife mirror traditional socialization. For adults, their attitudes toward death are influenced by factors such as the environment, gender differences, and experience with death, generational differences, aging, and socialization. Older adults show less distress and death anxiety because they develop psychological coping mechanisms, survival skills, and extended social support networks after the death of a spouse. Aging is not associated with explicit death anxiety, but adults uphold a vague attitude towards death across the all life span. Though exposure to death increases in old age, death anxiety declines. Social support plays a role in decreasing the levels of death anxiety across the lifespan after controlling for variables such as self-rated health. Close relationships regulate emotional functions to minimize death anxiety and death-related thoughts throughout the lifespan.