Buchanan Jeffrey A, Lai Duc, Ebel Donald
Minnesota State University, Mankato, USA.
Minnesota State University, Mankato, USA.
J Aging Stud. 2015 Aug;34:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaging.2015.03.003. Epub 2015 Mar 27.
Within the field of gerontology, several different theories have attempted to explain common psychological and social changes associated with the aging process. The Theory of Gerotranscendence is one such theory which purports that a shift in meta-perspective from a more materialistic and pragmatic view of the world to a more cosmic and transcendent one occurs as we age. Corresponding with this shift in meta-perspective, the individual exhibits certain behaviors that could be mistaken as signs of psychopathology if viewed based on the assumptions of more culturally-assimilated theories of aging. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in perception of gerotranscendence behaviors between college students and older adults. Perceptions were quantified using an instrument that described many behaviors indicative of gerotranscendence within the context of a written narrative depicting an older adult living in an assisted living facility. Respondents were then asked to rate these behaviors in terms of how unusual they were and how concerning they were. As hypothesized, results indicated that several behaviors indicative of gerotranscendence were rated as more concerning and unusual by college students compared to older adults. Implications of these findings in terms of interactions between younger and older individuals occurring in the community and within healthcare settings are discussed.
在老年学领域,有几种不同的理论试图解释与衰老过程相关的常见心理和社会变化。超越衰老理论就是这样一种理论,它声称随着年龄的增长,我们的元视角会从对世界更物质主义和务实的看法转变为更具宇宙观和超越性的看法。与这种元视角的转变相对应,个体表现出某些行为,如果基于更具文化同化性的衰老理论假设来看待,这些行为可能会被误认为是精神病理学的迹象。本研究的目的是考察大学生和老年人对超越衰老行为的认知差异。认知通过一种工具进行量化,该工具在一篇描述居住在辅助生活设施中的老年人的书面叙述背景下,描述了许多表明超越衰老的行为。然后要求受访者根据这些行为的异常程度和令人担忧的程度对其进行评分。正如所假设的那样,结果表明,与老年人相比,大学生认为几种表明超越衰老的行为更令人担忧且更不寻常。本文讨论了这些发现在社区和医疗环境中年轻人与老年人互动方面的意义。