Question

Psychology 150

What does it mean to get old?

When I was in my 20's I did not think about getting old. I would lift heavy weights - skip nights of sleep and eat whatever and how much of whatever I wanted.

IT was AWESOME... at the time.

Adulting is Hard.

Now I have type 2 diabetes because of my epigenetic diet choice interactions - angry joints (bad disks in back) and hurt feet. I have to be very careful of what I do or I can seriously hurt myself. Many of my peers from my college days are also in sad physical shape as well from how we were in the late 80s.

As far as Money goes - In college the major concern was finding enough money to buy bicycle parts - or maybe find a new roommate, or trying to date (ha!).

Last sememster I had to spend 12000 on re-plumbing our old house - and am about to spend another 50K or more on sending a kid to college.... but I can get whatever bicycle parts I want whenever I want.. but I don't because of aforementioned bills. If I had saved money when I was young - I would be able to retire in 5 years...

What does getting old mean to you?

Does that mean the same as Growing up?

Why can't young people (myself included) listen to old people and prep for when you are older?

Answer 1

In developmental psychology, the nature progression of a human being from birth to death is studied keeping various facets of change in mind. A human grows both biologically as well as mentally and psychologically throughout the life span. Since, there is no perfect theory of development which can direct humans to take accurate decisions and make the best choices in every area of life; human beings tend to learn via trial and error.

There are infinite factors which shape an individual into the person they become in their old age or late years of life. Genes, physical, cognitive, psychological, emotional health and external factors such as surroundings, socioeconomic status, and quality of family life, parenting, and attachment style, so on. We can look at many factors to note why we become a certain way. Most important thing to note is the experiences a child goes through during childhood will build a foundation for their adult life choices and experiences. Many theories are there to support this statement such as attachment theories, psychodynamic theories, or humanistic perspective.

There are many reasons why young people are unable to truly understand and actually grasp the wisdom being passed on by elderly in their proximity. One being, underdeveloped cognition; an adolescent has limited life experiences and is mostly driven by different motives and needs which may or may not be necessary in the long-run. Curiosity towards life and hormones primarily guide an adolescent to try out new things and it can be difficult for them to really understand what is actually good or right for them. However, this difference between the wisdom of an elderly and naivety of an adolescent or young adult will always be there as individuals need experiences in life be it good or bad for their own individual growth and expansion.