Self-Esteem in Elderly Self-esteem is an essential part of the adaptive processes at all phases of life, yet particularly in older people. It is connected to the life satisfaction, ability to adapt, health and wellbeing. Self-esteem is not identified with chronological age, but to the individuals' ability of social integration and adaptive abilities handle to life events, including physical and cognitive decay. Consequently the process of aging does not so much results in self esteem deterioration, regardless of deterioration in multiple areas of mental activity. Loneliness Loneliness is a discomfort which is a consequence of discord between perceived and ideal social relationships. People feel unwanted, alone and unfulfilled which is a state of mind called loneliness. Loneliness can be defined as an unpleasant experience that occurs when a person’s network of social relationship is deficient in either quality or quantity. (Peplau & Perlam, 1982) Classification of loneliness Loneliness has been classified into three categories: 1. …show more content…
Moustakas 1961 distinguished between loneliness anxiety and existential loneliness. He described loneliness anxiety as aversive and said that it is a consequence of fundamental distance between man to man whereas existential loneliness is an unavoidable piece of the human experience, including times of standoff toward oneself and giving a road to improvement toward oneself. While existential loneliness is unpleasant it results in “triumphant creation”. Thus, Moustakes looks at loneliness from the perspective of a negative-positive dimension forming through experiences, where loneliness anxiety is negative form and existential loneliness is positive