AGING AND SELF-DEVELOPMENT: PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Old age is a rather ambiguous period of life, which has not received enough attention in modern developmental psychology. It was not until the beginning of the 21st century that society began to fight against ageism, that is, against prejudice against old age, rejection or neglect of the elderly. It is clear that this is due, first of all, to the apparent aging of humanity around the world, the steady increase in the number of older people in society. For centuries, age distribution has looked like a pyramid, on top of which there are people that have reached old age. Now a sharp increase in life expectancy and a decline in fertility, especially in developed countries, have turned this pyramid into a mushroom with a massive hat. It is estimated that in 2060, the number of Americans over the age of 65 will double comparing to the current number – 92 million (20 percent). And nowadays, the most common diseases in the world are geriatric, namely, cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, it is obvious that the boundary between adulthood and old age, and even between youth and old age is increasingly blurred and disappears, there is no specific moment of initiation from maturity to old age. In addition, today young people, and sometimes even the elderly, are actively involved in professional activities in many fields (economics, technology, culture, etc.). The retirement age is steadily rising, despite the protests of young people, sometimes quite active and rigid (France is a prime example). However, these protests are not related to the professional potential of the elderly, which almost no one questions, but to the struggles of young people for jobs. At the same time, employees often find it necessary to rely on the specialist’s experience, which is related to his or her age and skills and wisdom acquired throughout life. On the other hand, such a situation certainly requires from an elderly professional constant selfdevelopment, professional and personal growth, which will block his / her lag from social and technological progress. This section is devoted to psychological problems of self-design and self-development.