Developmental Theories of the Life Cycle - Essay Example

Sociologically, they have to cope with their changing roles. The aged are not only mothers and fathers. They have to take on new roles as grandmothers and grandfathers. Most have exited their jobs because of retirement and are now unemployed. Because of the latest parts they have to assume, they feel differently about themselves, so their attitudes towards life and others change (Tavris, 1991). This indicates just how crucial income-generating employment is to most individuals.

Santrock (1999) emphasizes that biological, psychological and sociological processes are interwoven as sociological processes shape psychological processes and psychological processes promote or restrict sociological methods, just as natural processes impact psychological techniques. Tavris (1991) has indicated in her papers that sometimes the sex drive does not slow down, but there is no one around to relate to sexually. Based on my experience, the males in the old-aged homes see the females as fulfilling the role of sexual partners, and so these institutions are not just where old people go to die but where life and intimacy are sometimes revived.

Although this type of event is not part of what these institutions are about, they sometimes happen without the caregivers' knowledge. Developmental life cycle theories, such as Erickson’s stages theory, have often been used to explain ageing. Erickson’s theory identifies three (3) stages of adulthood: early adulthood – the twenties and thirties; middle adulthood – forties and fifties; and late adulthood – sixties and over. However, some have suggested that age has become a less effective predictor of human behaviour.

Erickson sees early adulthood as a period of either intimacy or isolation. He describes intimacy as the ability to develop close and loving relationships. If familiarity does not create, then the individual will feel isolated. Whatever happens at one stage, starting from childhood, affects the next stage. So this Intimacy versus Isolation in Erickson’s sixth stage has been impacted by the adolescent years, which might have been very tumultuous for some adolescents, as we will see in the next section.

In his seventh stage, Erickson sees it as a period of generativity versus stagnation. Generativity refers to shaping the next generation by assisting them to lead useful lives. Middle-aged adults who are unable to make some level of contribution would be seen to have been impacted negatively through stagnation. The eighth and final stage, which he describes as “integrity versus despair,” is when older adults look back at what they have done with their lives. If the periods or stages that preceded this stage were positive, the individual would feel satisfied with some sense of integrity. If it were negative, the individual would have been dissatisfied and thus felt a sense of despair.

According to Greenburg (1999, p327), A person who is not successful with this crisis is likely to be overcome with despair because the time left is so short, death approaches too quickly, and there is no time left to try another route to gain some integrity. The person may become bitter, depressed and paranoid as they use disgust to hide this despair. However, this is not the only time that individuals look back. Some start to look back from as early as early adulthood, which Erikson defines as the 20s and 30s age group. They look back at the choices they made in their adolescent years. These choices range from their career to their selection of partners. It is usually easy to change careers, but sometimes they are prevented from doing so because there are children in the relationship that require love and affection, of which time is not only a relevant but an essential factor.