Aging and Society
This lecture evolved out of my interest in human development psychology. I prepared it for a friend who teaches anthropology of design at Shanghai University and invited me to talk to his class 2 hours on Aging and Society – Implications for Space. The class had an assignment to design an innovative space for old people and needed theoretical background.
The main idea of this talk circulates around the concepts of psychosocial crisis and community vs. society.
According to psychologist Erik Erikson, the ego develops as it successfully resolves crises that are distinctly social in nature. These involve establishing a sense of trust in others, developing a sense of identity in society, and helping the next generation prepare for the future. Erikson extends on Freudian thoughts by focusing on the adaptive and creative characteristic of the ego, and expanding the notion of the stages of personality development to include the entire lifespan.
Sound personality develoment can only happen in communities, which can't be larger than 150 people and shrink towards the end of our lives. The spaces such communities thrive need to adapt to the psychosocial requirments of the age of their inhabitants.
Table of Contents
01 Intro
02 Blue Zones
03 Purpose and Aging
04 Human Development and Aging
05 Community and Aging
06 Compensation Behaviors for Lack of Community
07 Summary and Conclusions
The main idea of this talk circulates around the concepts of psychosocial crisis and community vs. society.
According to psychologist Erik Erikson, the ego develops as it successfully resolves crises that are distinctly social in nature. These involve establishing a sense of trust in others, developing a sense of identity in society, and helping the next generation prepare for the future. Erikson extends on Freudian thoughts by focusing on the adaptive and creative characteristic of the ego, and expanding the notion of the stages of personality development to include the entire lifespan.
Sound personality develoment can only happen in communities, which can't be larger than 150 people and shrink towards the end of our lives. The spaces such communities thrive need to adapt to the psychosocial requirments of the age of their inhabitants.
Table of Contents
01 Intro
02 Blue Zones
03 Purpose and Aging
04 Human Development and Aging
05 Community and Aging
06 Compensation Behaviors for Lack of Community
07 Summary and Conclusions