Ego Integrity, Essay Example

According to the final stage of Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, the integrity versus despair stage occurs during late adulthood, from the age of 65 to the end of life (Erikson, 1959). It is important to determine whether elders fall into the category of integrity or despair, as it reflects their life experiences and general attitude towards life. Those who feel that they have lived well during their youth are likely to be more proud of their lives and more ready for death. These individuals are classified as having integrity. On the other hand, those who feel that they have not accomplished all they set out to do during life tend to enter a state of despair as they age. These individuals are less likely to accept death, which may lead to feelings of depression.

Ultimately, the mental health of seniors can be determined by interviewing them and determining whether which category of this psychosocial development stage they belong to (Hearn et al., 2011). Individuals who can be described as having integrity are more likely to describe their life experiences as positive and to continue this outlook until their death. Individuals that are described as being in despair are more likely to feel that their lives up to this point have been negative and they will continue to look upon their current experiences as such. When counseling seniors, it is important to take this knowledge into perspective and to use it as a tool to help them cope with the inevitability of death.

Although individuals who are in despair feel that their life has been meaningless, it is possible to make them realize instances in their lives in which they had meaning. By allowing them to remember these situations, it is possible to reverse their attitude towards death by making them feel that the life they lived was fulfilling. This is essential because seniors who are able to cope with death are more likely to live a good quality of life during their last days (Span, 2010).

References

Erikson EH. (1959). Identity and the Life Cycle. New York: International Universities Press.

Hearn S, Saulnier G, Strayer J, Glenham M, Koopman R, Marcia JE. (2011). Between Integrity and Despair: Toward Construct Validationof Erikson’s Eighth Stage. J Adult Dev, DOI 10.1007/s10804-011-9126-y

Span P. (2010). Words for Seniors Facing Loss. The New York Times. Retrieved from  http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/words-for-seniors-facing-loss/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0