The Rationale and Purpose for the Group
As individuals age, the hair begins to gray (Diller, 2012). Skin begins to sag and wrinkles appear on once youthful features. It gradually becomes physically harder or even impossible to engage in the functioning of everyday life. But possibly more stressful than the physical burdens of aging is the mental and emotional toll that these changes take on one’s psychological well-being (Birren & Schaie, 2001). The reality that one will eventually loose their independence and will one-day die often creates deep anxiety which manifests itself in various ways.
But it isn’t just the elderly (60 and older) who feel the mental brunt of aging (Wethington, 2000). Individuals in their 40s and 50s must also cope with …show more content…
Closed groups do indeed provide more stability. They prohibited people from joining the group after the group process has started which protects the cohesiveness of the group. With that being said, the people within a group on aging are at various stages of life and are at various stages of change in their journey. Unlike an anger-management group where there is a clear and common end goal for many of its participants, this group will not have such an over-arching goal. Further, it’s very possible that many will show up, decide it’s not for them, and then never come again. In a closed group, this would mean that the group would permanently shrink as people left. Additionally, an open group would allow people to join and leave when the time is right for …show more content…
Much of the symptoms that arise from aging are rooted in death anxiety, even if people are unaware. For example, if someone seeks psychological help because their only child has recently gone off to college, sending them into a whirlwind of depression and anxiety, they are likely feeling as if their title of “parent” is being stripped away with and further, facing the realization that half of their life is behind them. Additionally, someone with late stage lung cancer might struggle with reaching out to their estranged family, as doing so would, in a sense, close the final chapter of their
As individuals age, the hair begins to gray (Diller, 2012). Skin begins to sag and wrinkles appear on once youthful features. It gradually becomes physically harder or even impossible to engage in the functioning of everyday life. But possibly more stressful than the physical burdens of aging is the mental and emotional toll that these changes take on one’s psychological well-being (Birren & Schaie, 2001). The reality that one will eventually loose their independence and will one-day die often creates deep anxiety which manifests itself in various ways.
But it isn’t just the elderly (60 and older) who feel the mental brunt of aging (Wethington, 2000). Individuals in their 40s and 50s must also cope with …show more content…
Closed groups do indeed provide more stability. They prohibited people from joining the group after the group process has started which protects the cohesiveness of the group. With that being said, the people within a group on aging are at various stages of life and are at various stages of change in their journey. Unlike an anger-management group where there is a clear and common end goal for many of its participants, this group will not have such an over-arching goal. Further, it’s very possible that many will show up, decide it’s not for them, and then never come again. In a closed group, this would mean that the group would permanently shrink as people left. Additionally, an open group would allow people to join and leave when the time is right for …show more content…
Much of the symptoms that arise from aging are rooted in death anxiety, even if people are unaware. For example, if someone seeks psychological help because their only child has recently gone off to college, sending them into a whirlwind of depression and anxiety, they are likely feeling as if their title of “parent” is being stripped away with and further, facing the realization that half of their life is behind them. Additionally, someone with late stage lung cancer might struggle with reaching out to their estranged family, as doing so would, in a sense, close the final chapter of their