The Aging Process as Forward Movement and the Case for Detours and Backward Steps

This article focuses on Pruyser's (Pastor Psychol 24:102-118, 1975) view presented in his article titled "Aging: Downward, Upward, or Forword?" that the later stages of aging are not a downward movement from a higher peak but the continuation of a forward movement, and that manifestat...

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Veröffentlicht in:Journal of religion and health
1. VerfasserIn: Capps, Donald 1939- (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
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Veröffentlicht: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. [2012]
In: Journal of religion and health
Jahr: 2012, Band: 51, Heft: 2, Seiten: 479-497
weitere Schlagwörter:B Death instinct
B Detours
B Forward movement
B Gains
B Backward steps
B Iconic illusion
B Karl Menninger
B Vital balance
B Life span models
B Losses
B Sigmund Freud
B Aging
B Paul W. Pruyser
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Zusammenfassung:This article focuses on Pruyser's (Pastor Psychol 24:102-118, 1975) view presented in his article titled "Aging: Downward, Upward, or Forword?" that the later stages of aging are not a downward movement from a higher peak but the continuation of a forward movement, and that manifestations of gains as well as losses in older adulthood support this view. While expressing agreement with this view I draw on Sigmund Freud's discussion of the death instinct in Beyond the Pleasure Principle (Freud 1920/1959) to suggest that the later stages of the aging process may involve an increase in detours and backward movements. Suggesting that these detours and backward steps are potentially beneficial, I conclude that Freud provides guidelines for how we may view and evaluate the losses and gains that Pruyser identifies as characteristic of the later stages of the aging process.
ISSN:1573-6571
Enthält:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-011-9534-0