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The Universal, Theoretical, and Psychological Facets of the Aging Phenomenon

Shirley Belmes

Northern Lakes College

SOCI2750S

Lucinda Jenkins

May 26, 2022

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Introduction

           I’ve had my share of misconceptions about aging and old people and I am delighted that

this course opened my mind to see aging from different perspectives, that it is not how we

stereotypically see it and that there are multiple facets to aging that contribute to how one person

experiences it differently from another. This is my biggest takeaway from this course as I enjoy

seeing things from different angles and triangulating these perspectives to formulate a

comprehensive overview of one phenomenon – in this case, aging. My three important issues of

choice – theories of aging, the psychological perspective of seeing aging, and aging as a

universal experience – reflect this kind of learning experience.

Aging from a theoretical perspective

           Learning about aging from a theoretical perspective allowed me to get acquainted with the

basic definition and foundation of a theory, its two levels (the micro and the macro), and the

numerous ways of analyzing the aging phenomenon through the lens of different theories. First

off, learning about the macro and micro perspectives reinforced the idea that every phenomenon

can be seen through its innate existence or in relation to its surroundings/the bigger world. I also

found the discussion on the concept of the Life Course and its social contexts interesting and

informative, including its “three types of environmental effects: (1) non-normative events

(unexpected events such as illnesses, layoffs, and accidents); (2) normative history-graded events

(historical events that shape a person’s life, such as the Great Depression of the 1930s or World

War II); and (3) normative age-graded events (socially sanctioned events that occur most often at

a certain age, like marriage or retirement)” (Novak, Northcott, & Campbell, 2018, p.29). Under

this topic, I also learned about the three (3) areas of aging: 1) biomedicine, which primarily

focuses on the physiological aspect of aging; 2) the psychosocial studies, delving into the
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changes within and between individuals and groups of the aging population; and 3) the

socioeconomic-environmental studies, which extends the study of aging to external factors, such

as institutions and policies. These external influences on aging are likewise the core of one

theoretical perspective I encountered in this course: the age stratification theory, which situates

aging in the social context as “the process by which human lives are shaped by the social

institutions—family, education, work, and leisure—through which they passed on their

developmental journey” (Silverstein & Giarrusso, 2011, p. 38). I think this theory is

complementary to the discussion on the Life Course as the age stratification theory also

examines the influences on the aging timeline.

           From these topics, I learned that aging is not just a state of life or not only determined by

a certain age but a lifelong process that accumulates to influence the quality and characteristics

of the life of a person in his/her later years. I find these discussions very helpful and important as

a future nurse, especially in formulating comprehensive assessments of patients’ health status in

the future. These theoretical perspectives offer great methods of looking at factors, both at micro

and macro levels, which: 1) had influenced; 2) may have influenced; 3) continuously influence,

or 4) may still influence the aging experience of a patient. These are important elements of a

health assessment, particularly on the social components of health, which a nurse is tasked to

determine in order to efficiently understand and manage elderly patients.

Aging from a psychological perspective

           Relative to the micro perspective discussed in the theoretical domain of aging is seeing

the phenomenon from the lens of psychology, and among the elaborated points in this discussion

are the dynamics of memory and intelligence in aging. This important discussion tackles how

memory and intelligence function and how this function changes in the aging process. Park and
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Reuter-Lorenz (2009, p.135) “listed the many changes in mental function and brain structure that

come with age, including declines in processing speed, working memory, and long-term

memory.” This scope of discussion also touches on Alzheimer’s disease, a common condition

among the elderly population, and mental disorders, along with the stigma that comes with these

disorders affecting the individuals. While there are limitations to the current studies on memory

and intelligence among the aging population, revolutionary research findings were also noted,

including the exploration of neurogenesis, or the ability of the brain to produce its components to

counter or delay its functional changes. In addition, a correlation between exercise and brain

function was also noted, stating that exercise “leads to more connections between brain cells and

growth in brain size” (Novak, Northcott, & Campbell, 2018, p.142). This discussion becomes

relevant and useful in tackling issues of death, bereavement, and other socio-economic factors

that may affect the mental and intellectual functioning of the elderly population.

           I find these discussions important as a nurse in order to further understand the mental and

psychological functioning of my future patients leading to their behavior. By knowing this, I

would be able to understand their mental and psychological status, the manner they behave and

respond to stimuli, and generate deep sympathy for them with this knowledge. I may also use

this knowledge to provide future elderly patients with the necessary interventions to address their

mental functioning.

Aging as a universal experience

           My basic knowledge of the micro perspective of aging can be applied to seeing this

phenomenon on a global scale – as a universal experience. The United Nations (2010a;

UNDESA, 2013), as cited in Novak, Northcott, & Campbell (2018, p.46), reported that the

statistics of the aging population show continuous growth, and “by 2050, the world will have
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more than 2 billion people age 60 and over—the largest number of older people in history…

[that] nearly all countries in the world will experience population aging. The UN called this trend

“virtually universal” and “irreversible”… [and] population aging will affect the economy,

healthcare, labour markets, and nearly every other social system in countries around the world.”

Thus, the phenomenon of aging goes beyond the micro or internal lens but also affects its socio-

economic setting.

Exploring aging as a universal experience also allowed me to get acquainted with the

reality that aging is more challenging in developing or third-world countries given the socio-

economic struggles and inequalities in these areas, as further highlighted in the discussion of

healthcare costs in contemporary times. While parts of the world generate and provide support to

their aging population, in terms of pension, healthcare, institutional care, and basic necessities,

the aging population in developing countries receive minimal to zero support from their

government and are mostly dependent on their families or themselves. In this context, the aging

experience of a person is also determined by ethnocultural factors, such as the customs and

traditions surrounding the living arrangements for the elderly of one’s race. In extremely

struggling areas, the notion of a new image of the aging population – one that is active and

enjoys a rather comfortable life – cannot be applied universally, but only among developed

countries where the economy is stable or thriving and there are government programs available

to support their elderly. In addition to this, the aging population of economically-struggling

countries often imply that retirement becomes an obsolete option for the elders, and instead, they

engage in income-generating ventures to support themselves or their family. In such cases, the

discussion on the leisure and recreational activities for the elderly also becomes a privilege that

is not available to every individual in their latter years.

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Conclusion

           More than anything else, this course opened my mind to the realities, both positive and

negative, of the aging population all over the world. The discussions in this course, particularly

the ones I discussed in this paper, heightened my awareness of the socio-economic inequalities

of the different aging populations in the world. This directly addresses my initial notion of aging

as a personal and internal phenomenon among individuals. After learning aging in this course, I

now get a good overview of how each individual is a part of a collective group of elderly with

diverse experiences of a universal phenomenon that affects their surroundings and the socio-

economic and cultural components of their society.

           In addition, the statistics showing the growing number of aging individuals in the world

imply that there will be an anticipated demand for elderly care in the future. As a nurse, this

emphasizes my role in being a part of the healthcare sector that should provide care to these

individuals who deserve, and should get, only the best quality of care and support as they age.

After all, as I’ve learned in this course, aging is a complex process that involves internal and

external factors and these individuals will inevitably need help and support should their health

start to go downhill, and as I’ve learned to be more sympathetic towards the elderly because of

this course, I deemed it one of my future responsibilities as a future nurse to give that care and

support to them so as not to create within them the feeling and experience of being alone in their

last years living.

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References

Novak, M., Northcott, H.C., & Campbell, L. (2018). Aging and Society Canadian

Perspectives (8th ed). Nelson.

Park, D. C., & Reuter-Lorenz, P. (2009). The adaptive brain: Aging and neurocognitive

scaffolding. Annual Review of Psychology, 60; 173–196. http://

www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev. psych.59.103006.093656.

Silverstein, M., & Giarrusso, R. (2011). Aging individuals, families, and societies: Micro-meso-

macro linkages in the life course. In R. A. Settersten, Jr., & J. L. Angel (Eds.), Handbook

of sociology of aging (pp. 35–49). New York: Springer.

UNDESA (2013). Population Division, World Population Prospects: the 2012 Revision, 2013.

United Nations (2010a). Population age 60 years or over. Population Aging and Development

2009.