Intergenerational Hierarchy Boundary

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Personal identity can be understood as the set of behavioral or personal traits by which an individual is recognizable. Everyone has, at one time or another, struggled with questions of the self such as ‘‘Who am I?’’ or ‘‘What am I?’’ The concept of identity addresses these queries. Identity has a myriad of definitions. A dictionary might define it as the quality or condition of being the same as something else. From a psychological perspective, identity refers to a sense of one’s continuous being as an entity distinguishable from others, providing the ability to experience oneself as having sameness, continuity, and uniqueness. This definition inherently implies the need for memory to experience continuity. Issues of identity hold great importance to philosophers and psychologists alike. While philosophical discussions of identity go right back to the origin of the discipline, the last century has seen psychologists studying the concept of identity, how identity develops, and what gives a person his or her sense of identity. In this regard, Erik Erikson’s work is considered seminal. He conceptualized the psychosocial theory of personality development. According to this, personality develops in a series of stages, from infancy till old age/death. Each stage is marked by internal struggle or crisis, the successful resolution of which bestows a particular virtue to the developing personality. His theory describes the impact of social experience across the whole life span.

Ego Identity One of the main elements of Erikson’s intricate theory is the development of ego identity. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction. According to Erikson, our ego identity is constantly changing due to new experience and information we acquire in our daily interactions with others. He understood identity as an integration of all previous identifications and self‐images, in the light of the anticipated future. According to Erikson, the elderly are in the phase of Integrity vs. Despair. This phase is focused on the act of reflecting back on life. Those who are unsuccessful #

Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008

during this phase will feel that their life has been wasted and will experience many regrets. These individuals will be left with feelings of bitterness and despair. Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a sense of integrity. Successful completion of this phase means looking back with few regrets and a general feeling of satisfaction. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting death.

Identity in the Elderly Adults confront many challenges as they age. Changes such as retirement, less income, empty nest syndrome, loss of social support/spouse through illness or death, health complications due to illness, disability, and impending death can be difficult to face. All these changes bring about changes in roles and do affect one’s sense of identity. Retired people have to redefine their identity apart from work; a mother facing an empty nest has to fi