SSLD and Senior Service: A Comprehensive Model for Practice

Psychosocial Theories

Erikson’s (1950) stage theory is among the earliest attempts to articulate a theory of aging that is primarily psychological. His theory, in contrast to the biomedical models, focuses on the subjective experience of the individual and deals with the intellectual, emotional, and motivational domains. Ideally, individuals will explore life and find meaning, eventually attaining wisdom and developing integrity. The less successful ones may find themselves unproductive, feeling guilty or depressed, and their lives may be characterized by hopelessness or despair. In subsequent development of the theory, Joan Erikson (1982/1997) elaborated on the “ninth stage” in which biological decline and function loss take the individual back through the earlier eight stages, struggling with negative responses to their environments, such as mistrust, shame and guilt, isolation, and despair. The use of a stage approach, assuming there is homogeneity among people of the same age bracket, does not pay attention to cultural diversity and individual difference. In this approach, while biological decline is recognized, little attention is given to how the biology interacts with psychosocial processes. The role of environmental factors, including social systems, services and resources, as well as cultural and lifestyle differences, is not adequately explored.