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Insights on Late Adulthood Experiences

The document analyzes interviews conducted with three grandmothers to understand how their past experiences influenced their current situations and how they have aged differently based on physiological, psychological and cognitive characteristics. It discusses how their religiousness has helped them overcome loneliness and that they are currently reflecting on their lives with a sense of fulfillment rather than regret.

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Lorlyn Joy Monroe
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3 views1 page

Insights on Late Adulthood Experiences

The document analyzes interviews conducted with three grandmothers to understand how their past experiences influenced their current situations and how they have aged differently based on physiological, psychological and cognitive characteristics. It discusses how their religiousness has helped them overcome loneliness and that they are currently reflecting on their lives with a sense of fulfillment rather than regret.

Uploaded by

Lorlyn Joy Monroe
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Analysis

To further explain the results, we used concepts that we learned from our Human
Development class. For one, we have seen how our interviewees’ past experiences influenced the
current state they’re at. This goes to show one of Paul B. Balte’s seven key principles of life span
states that development is a lifelong process - each period of lifespan is affected by what
happened before and will affect what is to come.
All three grandmothers were in the developmental stage of late adulthood. Each one of
them faced retirement, loss of a spouse, loss of friends and acquaintances, faced numerous
illnesses and took on different major roles in life and yet here they are, healthy and happy. These
experiences are what frequently comprise their stories. Individuals in late adulthood tend to tell
repetitive stories because it’s one their way to reminisce and reexperience their youth.
Additionally, old people are using this opportunity to impart some lessons and teachings to the
next generation.
Regarding physiological, psychological, and cognitive characteristics, we have observed
differences in the way these grandmothers aged. Mc Coy’s grandmother experiences trouble
sleeping, which could be a result of insomnia or loneliness due to Empty Nest Syndrome. The
feeble memory of Monroe’s grandmother is attributed to the onset of dementia. Lola Letty,
Nicanor’s interviewee, is said to have maintained her youthfulness primarily because of frequent
physical activities such as Zumba, and the use of cosmetic products.
One defining trait of individuals in late adulthood is their strengthened religiousness. All
three grandmothers exhibit religious behaviour that help them overcome their loneliness.
Because of the company of the church and her spirituality, Mc Coy’s grandmother still feels
cared for and not alone because she considers them as her family as well. Both Nicanor and
Monroe’s interviewees were grateful to God for allowing them to live long full lives.
Currently, all three grandmothers are in the last stage of psychosocial development,
Integrity vs Despair, where elderlies reflect on the life they have lived and come away with
either a sense of fulfilment from a life well lived or a sense of regret and despair over a life
misspent. As they reflect back on their past during our interview, they told us how grateful they
were for having lived a full life. Although regrets are present, what prevails is their satisfaction
with life and their gratefulness for all the blessings they have come across in the course of their
lives.

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