The individual is a 71-year-old man known as Martin Keene. He lives in his retirement home in Dallas Texas together with his three grandchildren. His wife is battling cancer and therefore lives in a nursing home located in Dallas City. Keene served in the United States defense department as a marine commander before his retirement. He was a high school teacher prior to his engagement with the armed forces of the US. He decided to quit teaching mainly because he had a strong passion for protecting his country from both external and internal threats. During his services in the marine unit, Keene was a disciplined and hardworking soldier, a factor that made him rise through the ranks to the position of the commander. Before his elevation to this prestigious yet challenging position, he was at the center of an operative mission that saw the marine forces arrest many pirates in the Pacific Ocean. Despite losing his arm due to amputation after a series of gun attacks on his arm, he was widely acknowledged for the victory against the pirates. Keene now lives with his grandchildren and is also concerned with his ailing wife who is terminally ill with the cancer of the throat.
Factors Influencing the Individual’s Experiences
In a sociological perspective, several aspects can influence the life experiences and development of an individual. Colarusso and Nemiroff (2013) asserted that they include the biological, physiological, and sociological factors which interact to give a person a unique experience in their lifetime. The biological factors include a group of physiological developments that ensure maturity of an individual. The biological elements include aspects such as nutrition, hormones, genes, and health among others. It is mainly concerned with how the body the body develops. The biological force has played a critical role in the development of Keene. Through the action of the combination of a set of genes, Keene was able to grow and develop a good health that enabled him to serve at the highest level in the marine forces. However, due to the gun wounds, he sustained in operation against the pirates, his arm was seriously damaged, and a medical intervention called amputation was the only remedy. Therefore, this shows how the biological factor of health shaped his development and current situation. Keene is living with his grandchildren who are part of his offspring and the biological environment.
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The psychological factors include emotions, thoughts, and other behavioral developments that lead to maturity ( Newman & Newman, 2017). It also involves the understanding of the complex nature of the world. It involves learning process, an individual's personality, and the choices that people make with regards to their life. The psychological forces play out predominantly in Keene's case when he decided to change professions from teaching to the defense of the country because of the passion he had for securing his nation from both internal and external threats. Sociological influences are mainly based on the lifestyle factors influencing human development and their life experiences. Keene is a person that firmly believes in the institution of marriage as depicted by his love for his ailing wife and also shows that he is a family person given that he lives with his grandchildren. All these factors have an immense influence on his personality till to date.
Theories and Concepts
Understanding adult experiences and development is a critical task in evaluating how the society functions. Several theories and concepts have been postulated to attempt to understand the role that the adults play in the society. David Levinson, in attempting to explain the adult life, postulates that getting into the adulthood is a multi-stepped process. Crain (2015) pointed out that he further asserts that unique events and actions characterize each stage of life. In his classification of the late adulthood stage, he states that it is a period of reflection where critical decisions are made. Martin Keene is a typical representation of the late adulthood stage with regards to the critical choices he has made in life such as retirement from his duties as a marine and also the decision to send his wife to a nursing home to get treatments. Valliant, on the other hand, presents a unique theory where he outlines some important tasks that highlight adulthood including having an identity, developing intimacy, and achieving integrity. Keene is living by these tenets as displayed by his modest life, his willingness to live with his family, and the level of compassion he is showing to his sick wife.
According to Kolb (2014), the disengagement concept among the aged is a theory that attempts to explain the withdrawal of these particular people from the society. At 71, Keene is not as strong as he used to be and therefore has decided to alienate himself to his retirement home because certain responsibilities and roles have become difficult for him to undertake. He is also disengaged from his children and only lives with the grandchildren. Keene is also separated from his wife who is receiving treatment at the nursing home. It is also important to appreciate that late aging comes with a number of changes that include cognitive, intellectual, and physical. From the interview, it is noticeable that Keene no longer has the strength which would have led to his qualification to join the marine nor is he coherent as anyone would expect for a 71-year-old.
Reflection
From my interview with Martin Keene, I was able to understand the transformation that age can give an individual. This is an individual that was once a senior officer in the marine forces, but age has gotten the better part of him rendering him weak and helpless. However, the most important thing I learned from this experience is that age is not an isolated aspect and is not just about the numbers. It is concerned with both the psychological and social issues which shape up the development and maturity of a person at this particular stage in life. On analysis of the narrative provided by Keene, it is critical to appreciate that he is a true embodiment of what life in the old age means to a typical adult. In this state, one has to deal with a myriad of problems ranging from biological to social. He has to deal with diseases, inability to perform duties and responsibilities at a certain level, and disintegration from the loved ones.
Lessons and Application
Aging is a multistep process and is influenced by various biological, social, psychological, and cultural issues. Theories and concepts of old age clearly explain the behavior and the social space that is occupied by the aged in the society. With such knowledge, I can apply this throughout my social work practice by assisting the needs of the elderly by basing my knowledge on this theories and concepts. In understanding some of the problems associated with these people, it is imperative to view the problems holistically as a function of biological, social, and psychological problems. It is also vital to note that aging is a development process that leads to maturity and this might be accompanied by deteriorating of certain important functions such as cognitive and physical abilities.
References
Colarusso, C. A., & Nemiroff, R. A. (2013). Adult development: A new dimension in psychodynamic theory and practice . Springer Science & Business Media.
Crain, W. (2015). Theories of development: Concepts and applications . Psychology Press.
Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development . FT press.
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2017). Development through life: A psychosocial approach . Cengage Learning.
