Gerascophobia obsession for not aging

Gerascophobia is the irrational fear or fear of aging, which leads the person to feel the desire to want to be young eternally.

In the case of gerontophobia, This is related to irrational fear of their peers, if you are elderly, or the elderly. However, in the case of people with Gerascophobia, who feel young even when their chronological age indicates otherwise, they aspire to carry out activities, amusements, love relationships, among others, which are not appropriate for their age.

Content

• Gerascophobia, or the fear of aging
• The cognitive or subjective age
• Previous care
  • Bibliography

Gerascophobia, or the fear of aging

The theme of Gerascophobia has already been addressed even in the cinema, as in the film entitled In the flower of life, A production of the year 2012 in which the director plasma.

According to Rodríguez Uribe, in his study on attitude and fear of death in older adults, aging is a gradual, dynamic, progressive and irreversible process.

Following Ericson's theory, All human beings, at each stage of their life cycle, are going through a series of crisis that allow it or not to overcome the changes that arise in each of them.

In the case of major adulthood, the greatest crisis is related to the evaluation that the person of his life does, where he can accept the way he has lived and be interested in finding motivation, or he can develop hopelessness, a situation in The one that does not accept inevitable changes and death, getting to feel that the time and opportunities of his life have exhausted themselves. This state of hopelessness would lead him to feel despair before the time that has been lost and bitter, which would make it more difficult to exceed changes at this stage.

In addition, it is noteworthy that in Western culture this issue is often evaded, because it is considered a taboo, associated with fear of the unknown, suffering and pain.

The cognitive or subjective age

In psychogerontology it is considered that, in addition to chronological age, there is also an age that is subjective or cognitive, which is more entrenched in the person's mind than on the date of birth. This subjective age can be measured when asking the adult with what age he sees himself and how much satisfied he feels with it.

It can also be quantified when asking about the decade in which it feels, that is, that of the twenties, thirty, fifty, or others; or asking what decade "seems" that the activities they do are associated. Thus, the cognitive or subjective age is obtained by making the average of the "felt age", "the age look", the age of doing "and the" interest age ".

For example, if an 80 -year -old feels in another decade, it is averaged as follows: 70 is + 50 Ep + 30 EH + 60 ei / 4 = 52.5 years. In the case presented, You can see the denial that the person makes of their real age, With a discrepancy of 27.5 years.

This is because old age is often perceived as something negative, in which diseases, dependence, mental and physical deterioration, among others, predominate, among others.

They are wrong concepts or beliefs that Western society attributes to advanced age, rewarding the beauty and vitality of youth. However, changes in physical appearance, with the passing of the years, are normal, although in many arouse anxiety and fear, becoming that irrational fear, or gerascophobia.

People with Gerascophobia try to evade the aging process and try to remain eternally young; They want to stop the passage of time, not only in their mind, but also in their body, since they have associated old age with fragility.

Therefore, it is important to note that the number of the chronological age does not define the state of mental health, nor does it mean that people will lose their physical abilities, or that they cannot lead their lives independently.

Previous care

Aging is a different process for all people, so generalizing it is not correct.

However, to age healthy it is important to attend health, with small actions, such as:

1. Carry healthy eating, rich in fruits and vegetables;
2. Exercise in a moderate way;
3. Assist periodically to medical controls;
4. Take forecast measures that guarantee economic security in old age;
5. Accept aging as a normal stage of life.

Fulfilling these simple guidelines, it is possible.

Life is about enjoying each stage. Well, the prejudices that exist about aging generate damage to people's psychic health.

Likewise, it is recommended to occupy time in the company of loved ones, friends, carry out pleasant or interest activities, perform physical activities and replace negative thoughts to naturally accept the changes of the stage.

People with Gerascophobia are also They recommend the group treatments in which other people of the same age participate and in which the moderator encourages reminiscence. That is, each member will talk about the events of his life, in his youth or childhood, since remembering and exercising remote memory is an activity that elderly people enjoy.

Although it is a simple technique, it helps people with gerascophobia feel that they belong to the same generation and can assume it in a pleasant and gradual way.

Age at which we start aging, according to study

Bibliography

• GUEVARA BARRENO, V. (1979). Life, old age and death.
• Olvera Serrano, M., & Known Ramos, or. (2007). A framework of sociological analysis of modern fears: old age, disease and death. Sociological (Mexico), 22(64), 119-149.
• Pochintesta, p. (2010). Emotions in aging and fear of death. Recovered from: www. AnthropologiadelAsubjectivity. com/images/works/paula_pochintesta. PDF.
• Rodríguez, a. F. OR., Orbegozo, l. V., & López, S. (2007). Attitude and fear of death in older adults. Psychological thought, 3(8), 109-120.