{"id":345,"date":"2012-10-24T01:57:16","date_gmt":"2012-10-24T01:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/farrarhome.org\/home\/?p=345"},"modified":"2013-01-26T01:42:40","modified_gmt":"2013-01-26T01:42:40","slug":"october-integrity-vs-despair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farrarhome.org\/home\/?p=345","title":{"rendered":"Integrity vs Despair"},"content":{"rendered":"

AGING GRACEFULLY<\/span><\/h1>\n

\u00a0Integrity vs. Despair<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"English:<\/a><\/p>\n

Some may say, \u201cWhat\u2019s that all about?\u201d\u00a0 And some may find this very familiar.\u00a0 According to theorist, Erik Erikson<\/a>, \u201cIntegrity vs. Despair\u201d<\/b>, is the final psychological stage of development and life.\u00a0 Erikson believes that as we age and mature, our goal should be to move successfully from one stage to the next.\u00a0 In each stage, a person confronts and, hopefully, masters new psycho social challenges.\u00a0 Each stage builds on the positive completion of the previous stages.\u00a0 It is indicated, that by reaching \u201cIntegrity vs. Despair\u201d<\/b>, we have mastered the previous 7 psychological stages.<\/p>\n

\u00a0My thought is that this final stage of life is the most important one.\u00a0 This is the last chance we have to make our lives meaningful and to correct any mistakes we may have made in the past. This stage occurs during late adulthood (age 60 years and older).\u00a0 As we enter this stage we have a heightened sense of mortality. This may be due to our changing social roles.\u00a0 There may be less parenting responsibilities, or the retirement and \/ or death of a spouse or close friends.\u00a0 We may also feel the physical problems that come with aging such as illnesses, which limit the way we function physically and mentally.<\/p>\n

People who struggle with this stage of life are said to be in despair<\/b>.\u00a0 They become preoccupied with the past and their failures.\u00a0 They regret all the bad decisions and realize they have little time or energy to reverse them.\u00a0 People in despair <\/b>often become depressed, spiteful, paranoid, hypochondriacal, and can develop patterns of senility with or without physical basis.<\/p>\n

People with integrity<\/b> have come to terms with their life and with the thought of the end of life.\u00a0 They can look back on their lives and feel comfortable with the course of events and the choices they have made along the way. They have learned from their failures and still maintain a sense of hope and trust in the future.\u00a0 We have all made mistakes, some more serious than others; yet if you hadn\u2019t made these mistakes you\u00a0wouldn’t\u00a0be who you are.\u00a0 If you play it too safe and made few mistakes, your life may not be as rich as it is.<\/p>\n

The good news is that I have seen many older adults in this last stage of life actually turn despair<\/b> into integrity<\/b>.\u00a0 They have the opportunity to review their life, the good and the bad, and to find a way to resolve burdens or problems that have left them in despair<\/b>.\u00a0 Having worked with the elderly for over 30 years, I marvel at the ability and strength we have in our last years.\u00a0 If we are unable to solve issues on our own, there are many resources available to help you work through this difficult time.\u00a0 If possible, reaching out to family is a great start. Clergy, counselors and doctors are also very helpful in assisting someone to find satisfaction in their life.\u00a0 To find peace within yourself is definitely worth the effort.<\/p>\n

Erikson states that someone who approaches death without fear has the strength called wisdom.\u00a0 He also adds that this is a gift to our children because \u201chealthy children will not fear life if their elders have integrity enough not to fear death.\u201d \u00a0We should all try to make our life the best it can be and work to find the integrity we have within.<\/p>\n

Submitted by Carol McKee, RN, Farrar Home Administrator<\/p>\n

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