Aging is a part of human life and entails not only physiological but also psychological, emotional, and social changes. First of all, negative or positive perception of this process depends on social connections and support, as well as a person’s attitude. Socioemotional development in late adulthood can vary depending on a person’s qualities, lifestyle, and community. However, successful aging primarily depends on a variety of activities, a positive attitude towards past events, as well as the selection and compensation of opportunities.
At a more mature age, many people may become increasingly dependent on other people due to physiological changes. This factor can have an impact on their emotional and social well-being. Older people increasingly rely on the help of family members, relatives, and long-term care professionals. As a result, they may experience feelings of shame or guilt, as well as symptoms of depression, especially when caring for elders is considered a burden in society. When moving to a nursing home, they can also face isolation due to the need to leave their familiar community. Older adults, as their dependence increases, also run the risk of being abused by the caregiver. This circumstance can also have an impact on the emotional state of a person.
Social connections and support play a key role in positive aging. From this perspective, socioemotional selectivity theory implies that as a person gets older, the number of friends decreases, but they become emotionally closer. Often, older people feel lonely, as their relatives can lead their own independent lives, and their friends can die. The emerging state of isolation can have detrimental effects on well-being at an older age. However, many people cope with this circumstance by leading an active lifestyle and participating in community life, for example, in a nursing home. In this case, the theory of activity proposes that the more diverse a person’s activity is, the more he or she is satisfied with his or her life. Moreover, if it is impossible to fulfill the roles habitual for middle-adulthood age, at a late-adulthood age, it is necessary to find a substitution for them. A more active and involved life is associated with increased satisfaction.
Many people, as they enter a more mature age, may experience a crisis between integrity and despair. Erickson suggested that in late adulthood, people tend to review all the events and achievements of their lives. Thus, depending on satisfaction with the result of his life, a person ends it either with a sense of integrity or despair. This process consists of identifying not only positive moments but also reflecting on failures and troubles. As a result, many people may experience regret, which causes feelings of despair and negatively affects their well-being. On the contrary, a positive outlook on past events leads to greater satisfaction with life in later adulthood.
Selective optimization with compensation theory can help older people cope with emotional, physiological, and social changes. According to it, people in late adulthood need to identify and optimize their strong sides and compensate for weak ones. For example, if one cannot drive a car anymore, one needs to find a new type of transport. This strategy will not only help focus on the positive aspects but find new ways of being active and involved, which is necessary according to the theory of activity.
Socioemotional development in late adulthood is based on social activity and a person’s personal attitude towards aging. Older people may experience feelings of depression and isolation, as well as guilt and shame due to increasing dependency. They often have fewer social connections, but the quality also increases. The determining factors are social support and a positive attitude. Increased activity and involvement can increase satisfaction, while feelings of regret decrease it. Thus, socioemotional development in late adulthood implies psychological and social transformations.