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The process of aging has recently become a subject of thorough psychological and sociological analysis. Although it is often associated only with physical change, aging also implies certain alterations in the behavior of the person. It is worth mentioning that every culture has its behavioral code for every age group, therefore, there are certain stereotypes or standards, which should be met.
Analyzing the impact of American culture on the process of aging, disease management and pain control, we should first identify the main features of American mentality. Having Western-European origins, American culture can be characterized by the fear of aging (probably, it would be better to say the fear of death). Therefore, elderly people try to decelerate the process of aging in every possible way, for instance, anti-aging grogs or plastic surgery. According to statistical data, 34 percent of people, who undergo plastic operations usually range from 50 to 65, in the majority of cases these patients are women (Department of Health and Human Services, 2008).
Another trait of American mentality is individualism, or the desire to be independent and self-sufficient. It finds reflection in the way, Americans cope with diseases or pain. As a rule, the preference is given to drugs, because such form of medication allows elderly people to struggle with disease on their own, though it often may lead to adverse results. Such behavior can also be ascribed to the fact that American culture views privacy as one of the most important values and it cannot be violated (ARC, 2008).
As regards disease management, it is worth mentioning that elderly people in America are often reluctant to admit that they have some health problems. As Aging Research Center states, medical workers are not always able to assist such people, just because they seek medical assistance when the disease has entered its critical phase. Overall, the patients prefer to use drugs, because they provide “fast solutions” as Margaret Cruickshank’s puts it. However, drugs can only diminish the effects of the disease (in other words pain), but they cannot eradicate its cause.
As it has already been mentioned, there are certain stereotypes of successful, productive, and even comfortable ageing, though it seems, that these notions can be treated as a single entity, because the word “successful” has a wide range, and it can include both comfortable and productive(Minkler, 2002). Successful aging can be defined as remaining healthy (both physically and mentally), being independent and financially secure, able to retain an optimistic outlook on life and broadening one’s horizons. Interpreting the concept of productive aging, we can speak about several models. Certainly, productivity is a very subjective notion, and every culture has its interpretation of this phenomenon. From economic point of view, productive aging can be defined as the ability to generate profit (or at least not being a burden to other people). In terms of psychology, productive aging means participating in activities, which can help other people, for instance, the decision-making process, or interpersonal relationships (Morrow-Howell, 2001). The concept of comfortable aging can be interpreted as successful coping with health problems, pain control or disease management.
If we attempt to analyze the impact of American culture on the concept of successful aging, we should mention, that it usually includes being financially independent and able to “re-invent oneself” or broaden one’s horizons. Reinventing presupposes new activities, hobbies, or traveling. Again, we can see that individualism influences the behavior of elderly people in the United States. Furthermore, the emphasis is placed upon the financial aspect. (Cruickshank, 2003).
The American concept of productive aging often comes down to not becoming a burden to other members of the family, in particular, it means “keeping busy” (very often it includes late employment). Elderly people in the United States interpret this notion from economical perspective. However, the psychological aspect of this issue is often disregarded, especially taking part in decision making or relationships with other people. It can also be ascribed to the attitude of the young generation towards elderly people; the main problem is that they are often reluctant to pay attention to their opinions.
The notion of comfortable aging implies successful coping with health problems. As it has been mentioned earlier, American mentality is characterized by individualism, thus elderly people usually try to cope with their health problems on their own, in other words by means of drugs, which can provide a “fast solution” or immediate result (Minkler, 2002). However, such a mode of treatment cannot be efficient especially in the long term.
Thus, having analyzed the impact of American culture on the process of aging, we can conclude that, such features of American mentality as individualism, and the desire to postpone one old age, have a strong influence on the behavior of elderly people. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that, American culture attaches primary significance to financial independence, therefore, the concepts of successful and productive aging are usually interpreted from economic standpoint.
Bibliography
Aging Research Center (2008). The Process of Aging.
Department of Health and Human Services (2008). Health Ageing.
Margaret Cruikshank (2003). Learning to be Old: Gender, Culture, and Aging. Rowman & Littlefield.
Mary Lee Hummert (2001). Aging, Communication, and Health: Linking Research and Practice for Successful Aging. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Meredith Minkler (2002). “Successful Aging: ” a Disability Perspective. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. 12, 4, pp 229-235.
Nancy Morrow-Howell, James Hinterlong, Michael Wayne Sherraden(2001). Productive Aging: Concepts and Challenges. JHU Press.
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