Today we examined Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Stages, and we looked at the life span from birth to death. We considered some common issues for people of all ages, including older adults.
What does it mean to "age well"? How would you define this? Are there things you can be doing now that will help to ensure that you age well?
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To age well is to maintain your physical and mental health as you grow older. To maintain your physical health, stay in shape at a young age. Your body will be less likely to break down on you when you are older. Maintaining your mental health is the harder part. Aging increases your risk of diseases such as Alzheimers, but there are actually ways to prevent its onset. For example, studies have shown that people who speak multiple languages are less likely to develop Alzheimers. So in order to age well, stay active, eat right, and learn Latin.
-Philip George
To age well is to grow up appropriately. When someone acts according to their age, they have aged well. If they follow Erikson's Psychosocial Stages, they are most likely aging appropriately. Of course, there is always exceptions to this. Aging well deals with the atmosphere the person grows up in. If they hang out with others of the same age group they will most like act their age. In order to age well one must not try to grow up fast. Children must enjoy their childhood because it only lasts so long. Once one has grown up, they must act that way. Maturity levels are a great way to see if someone has aged well.
-Alexandra De La Torre
Interesting comments from both Philip and Alexandra.
Philip defined aging well as maintaining physical and mental health, which I think is an excellent definition. I noticed that this definition does not say anything about maintaining physical appearance into old age. However, in our culture there seems to be an obsession with maintaining physical appearance as we age. For example, many women and men spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars injecting their faces with Botox, to erase wrinkles. Many people have plastic surgery because they want to rid their appearance of the signs of aging.
What do you think of this behavior?
To age well is literally to age better. You can either age poorly or age well. For example, you can grow older year after year and lose mobility and/or your mental capabilities. We constantly see on television and magazine covers the “secrets” of aging well, but there really is no secret. Read a book instead of watching television, or do something active instead of playing a videogame. Just don’t do your body harm by “vegging” on the couch and eating chips all day!
I can attest to this behavior due to my familial fate of obesity and adult-onset diabetes. I was on my way to following the footsteps of many of my family members by eating my way to an ill healthy old age, but I stopped it in my last year of high school. Eating properly and exercising regularly really works!
In regards to people’s obsessions with maintaining their appearance as they age, it really is only in western societies that this phenomenon has taken place. In many places around the world, having wrinkles and looking old gives you a higher status in society and people attribute wisdom along with it.
August Samie
Why do you think that in western cultures there is an obsession with staying young?
I believe that aging well means to stay healthy and keep you body in shape. It means to eat healthy, go to the doctor when needed, stay hydrated, etc. I think western cultures have this obsession with staying young because they think that being young is being healthy and in shape People make themselves young through surgery or other methods to give them a sense of security or confidence, even though it is false.
Do you think that the media plays a role in feeding the obsession with maintaining a youthful appearance? If obtaining a young looking appearance through "surgery and other methods" results in a false "sense of security and confidence", then how does one obtain a true sense of security and confidence?
To age well is to stay healthy and keeping your body in shape. You have to maintain your healthy both physically and mentally. Acting ones age is another part of aging well. If you are 30 but yet act like as if you were still 18 then you havn't aged well because you are still trying to go back to that age instead of facing your real age. Physically you have to do what you have to do to maintain healthiness, get checked by the doctor once ina while, eat healthy and mostly exercising.
-Hannah Joo
There are many components to aging well. Aging well consists of maintaining a healthy diet, practicing a regular fitness routine, and behaving appropriately for the specific age level. It is important for an individual to act appropriately in accordance with his or her age group. It is not healthy for one to behave as if they were older or younger than their actual age. By eating healthily, exercising regularly, and behaving maturely and responsibly, one can ensure a healthy lifestlye for himself.
Well, I believe that "aging well" is a loosly defined term in today's society because one person's health differs from the next. A person who eats fatty foods and doesn't exercise regularly could possibly live a longer and healthier life than someone who follows a strict diet plan. With that being said, I do agree that one must eat well and stay active in order the help prevent aging problems and diseases later in life.
Thank you for all of your excellent comments. What exactly does "good health" mean? Why is there an obsession with staying young in our culture? Would you recommend plastic surgery as a method for fighting the aging process? Why or why not?
Good health is essentially the ability to function without relying on others. One might rely on others in terms of financial help or material possessions and be in good health, but if disease, obesity, or other health ailments are taken into consideration, one cannot be measured as being in good health.
There is an obsession within our culture to be young due to the fact that older generations are often phased out or pushed to the side. People of a certain age often find it more difficult to obtain opportunities that are more readily available to younger people. In a sense, looking young may be a way to fight the ageism that occurs within our society.
I wouldn’t suggest plastic surgery as a way to fight the aging process as looks have nothing to do with body processes. A 65 year old may have plastic surgery and end up looking like a 50 year old, but the fact remains that they are still 65 years old. Their body doesn’t work the same way in terms of strength, bone density, and many other factors that the aging process brings with it.
There are many aspects to aging well. Physically, being healthy would be aging well. I think that if you are fit, you will look younger. One exaple would be having a good back for a long time or getting gray hair at a later age. Some people that are 20 years old look like they are 30 and some 30 year olds look like they are 20.
As for mentally aging well, being mature is important. Having a good amount of wisdom will help you age better, because you will know what to do during rough times. If people are mentally healthy, they will generally have less stress, which would help them in the aging process.
To age well?... as you get older, you maintain yourself in good shape.You start your life by enjoying your childhood, you grow up and then you have your own family. You are mature at that age and you'll be making good decisions in your life. You see your grandchildren, and you are still healthy. You are not going to be rushing things in your life, you'll be retired at that time because of your exclusive career!
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