Relationship between Generational Consciousness and Ageing Process - Essay Example

Relationship between Generational Consciousness and Ageing Process An important aspect of the human development is growth; and the ageing process is an indispensable phenomenon that determines the independence of social time and personal identity. The ageing process has a considerable effect on experience, conscientiousness and personality of the members, relating to different social and psychological perspectives. There had been a degrading social view and mental stereotyping about the ageing process which would possibly affect the generational consciousness among the elders. The ageing generation has to pass into the process with a conscious knowledge about their personal development and past experiences, in the way that it would contribute to the welfare and improvement of the successive generations. With the perceived ageing-specific changes, it is identifiable that there needs to be an intergenerational relationship, social awareness and generational consciousness among the ageing population, which would possibly promote solidarity among the individuals of varying generations. The critical relationship between generational consciousness and the process of ageing is discussed her. The concept of generation is primarily used to identify the ageing process and to comprehend the experience of growing older. “Generational consciousness is defined as the subjective awareness of having lived through a particular series of cataclysmic historical events, and the term ageing refers to processes of life review in the later part of life.” (Edmunds and Turner 2002, p.132). The role of generational consciousness in shaping the identity of ageing process and community interaction is inevitable. Similarly, the experience of growing older has a major impact on generating a reflexive interaction between the past memories, present experiences and the future expectations. This ageing process is deemed to create self-awareness and a collective social experience that acts as a valuable resource for gaining generational consciousness. It can be observed that as the age identity is derived from the experiences of life and social interactions, it is possible that the self-awareness obtained is individualistic, making the concept of generational consciousness to be not stable but a variable aspect. Ageing process is an inevitable development change of human life that leaves behind both biological and psychological impact on the individual as well as the society. The decrease in physical strength, flexibility and endurance is accompanied with changes in perception of and response to the external environment, which in turn affects the social interactions and attitudes. Grief and bereavement that are experienced during the ageing process might be a normal response to the loss, but in turn develops many behavioral, health and relationship problems. These concurrent changes during the ageing process affect the individual’s sense of control and involvement within the home community as well as the society. Subsequently, the social and emotional needs become more apparent and essential in the later life, as there is a necessity for support because of the lack of ability to be totally independent. This is the reason why the society is concerned about conscious ageing, which is viewed as an essential aspect for producing a better generational competence and acceptance. Ageing is not just a development process but has a prominent impact on the future generations, and needs to be dealt with conscious awareness with an insight to the positive life experiences. “Conscious ageing allows opportunities to consider personal developmental and spiritual aspects of ageing. An aspect of conscious ageing is to face the inevitability of death in association with reexamining life’s purpose nearer to its end.” (Wykle, Whitehouse and Morris 2004, p.190). Generational consciousness is a realization that the current ageing process is a state of humanity which is considered to be a product of the past and a seed to the future. When this conceptualization becomes acceptable for the ageing community, they realize their worth and contribution to the future generations as the elder citizens. Moreover, generational consciousness is a view and interpretation of the state of humanity, beyond the limitations of age and time. Human life and its existence cannot be defined from a single-generational view; it has to be viewed through the past experiences, present achievements and the future implications that one’s life brings about. So, it is essential to embrace the process of ageing with generational consciousness so that it will bring a deeper understanding of the relationship that exists between the past, the present and the future. The relationship between ageing process and generational consciousness is important in the sense that it has the responsibility to equip and empower the successive generation, with value and wisdom that will generate critical competences for the future. However, sometimes it might become a burden for the ageing and blooming generations, as competing with the generation gap is not easy. With the increasing life-expectancy and ageing population, today’s society has to cope with the rapid changes that arise from the ageing process. However, because of the society’s stereotyped notion of getting older, it had placed a burden on the future generations, owing to the existing generation gap and the conflicts arising from it. In the process of ageing, individuals try to make sense of their latter part of life through the perceived experiences and memories of the former, which is expected to construct a positive attitudinal influence for the future generations. It is observed that a child’s sense of dependence generates a sense of independent selfhood that is consciously sought in the later part of the life. This selfhood gradually forms the conscious independent thought that is consequently attained from the social interactions and the individual experiences in life. Throughout the entire life course, the memories of the past hold a significant aspect to the emergent awareness of the selfhood and independence. The ageing process provides a personal and social meaning to the present experiences as well as the past memories. When an individual ages into old age, it is essential to strike a balance between the selfhood and collective social aspects. In the ageing process, the generational consciousness provides a significant contribution to the maintenance and construction of the age identity. The social cohesion and generational consciousness is influenced by the difference in experiences of the individuals, which is a social disadvantage. “It can be asserted that the salience of intra-generational cohesion and inter-generational difference is shaping consciousness and action in efforts to secure social advantage.” (Irwin 1998). The differences between younger generations and similarities shared within the ageing people creates a distinct generational group that holds shared views and attitudes, common to the ones experiencing the ageing process. It can be observed that that have a collective cultural domain comprising of similar emotions, attitude, disposition and preferences. This generational group is a “cohort of persons passing through time who come to share a common habitus and lifestyle and has a strategic temporal location to a set of resources as a consequence of historical accident and the exclusionary practices of social closure” (Parry and Urwin 2010). It is indeed hard for the ageing generation to easily adapt with the realistic changes of the current society as their behaviors and traditional attitudes towards life and community are entirely different. This common reaction of the old people has to be understood from the psychological terms, as a consequence of the resentment left behind from the past, rather than as the inability to accommodate the circumstances and changes. Similarly, ageing is likely to influence the consciousness and control, both explicitly and intentionally, in different ways shaping the future generations. “Older people seem to lose control over their lives, but in fact they often enlist the aid of others for activities that become difficult with age, while at the same time maintaining a sense of overall control.” (Corbett 2013).In this sense, the older people are reluctant in identifying with the alternative views of the society, mainly because of their hard times endured, making them resent over the past experiences and stick on to the traditional views. In addition to that, they tend to show bitterness and envy towards the younger generation, who are conformed to the views of the contemporary society. The losses incurred in the present because of the ageing have heightened their senses and the personal experiences influenced by the past events have a long-term impact on their bitterness. However, it is essential for the elder people to adapt to the limits and challenges of the ageing process, with a focus on the generational consciousness, through healthy relationship between individuals and the society. Successful ageing can be attributed to indulging in social relationships, involvement in community activities as well as passing on valued wisdom for the future generation. In addition to the continued engagement with life, ageing has to include “close social relationships, involvement in activities that are meaningful and productive, and use of valued skills and abilities. It is their combination that represents most completely the concept of successful aging.” (Kahn 2004). Their contributions to the future generations are inevitable in the sense that they act as the legacy of wisdom that provides understanding about the limitations and challenges of life through their experiences and past relationships. It is the responsibility of the ageing generation to bring out a conscious development and positive attitude with better clarity and vision of future for the younger generations. The relationship between ageing process and generation consciousness is essential but variable in nature, as it holds a prominent position for a successful and conscious ageing. As ageing is a complex and continuous process, today’s elderly community creates a dynamic ‘spin’ over the society’s concept of this development process and the traditional views of it from a trans-generational perspective. It is evident that ageing process has to include a sense of generational consciousness in the light of the life experiences, delivering the best positive outcome and attitude for the future generations. Similarly, it is also impossible to pass through a successful ageing process without social relationships, community activities as well as conforming to the contemporary societal values. Nevertheless, today’s elder community has accepted the process with a sense of generational consciousness, surpassing the society’s perpetuated myth of senility. References: Corbett, L., 2013. Successful Aging: Jungian Contributions to Development in Later Life. Psychological Perspectives: A Quarterly Journal of Jungian Thought, Vol. 56, No. 2. Edmunds, J and Turner, BS., 2002. Generational Consciousness, Narrative, and Politics. Rowman & Littlefield. Irwin, S., 1998. Age, Generation and Inequality: A Reply to the Reply. The British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 305-310. Kahn, R. L., 2004. Successful Aging: Myth or Reality. University of Michigan School of Social Work. Parry, E and Urwin, P., 2011. Generational Differences in Work Values: A Review of Theory and Evidence. International Journal of Management Reviews, Vol. 13, pp. 79–96. Wykle, ML, Wykle, Whitehouse, PJ & Morris, DL., 2004. Successful Aging Through the Life Span: Intergenerational Issues in Health. 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