Learning to Be Old

A professor in the Welfare Department of a Korean university offers readers of the Catholic Peace Weekly reflections on aging. 

Growth, aging, and death are natural developmental processes for humans. However, just as a child needs education and training to grow into a mature adult, even after becoming an adult, it takes significant learning and preparation to age gracefully into a wise senior.

Margaret Cruikshank emphasized in "Learning to Be Old" that aging is not merely a biological change but a dynamic process reconstructed within social and cultural contexts. Aging affects everyone, but outcomes depend on how individuals prepare for and adapt to it, as well as on the social norms and environments in which they grow older. Therefore, to age well, one must learn about aging.

In a super-aged society in which the elderly stage of life accounts for half of one's lifespan, early preparation and continued learning are needed to spend those long years actively and meaningfully. In the first volume of the "Gerontology in the Era of 100 Years" series, published earlier this year, the author's first question was, "Why gerontology?"

This can be summarized with three reasons. First, everyone is experiencing 'aging' due to increased life expectancy. Second, as the elderly stage of life becomes longer, its significance within life grows. Third, the final evaluation of a life inevitably comes from the perspective of the elderly stage. Therefore, failure in old age is not just half a failure; it can be considered a failure of the entire life. To spend the later years—and, more broadly, one's whole life—more meaningfully and productively, one must learn about older adults, understand aging, and prepare for old age. In this sense, gerontology is an essential subject for everyone living in the era of longevity.

So, what does it specifically mean to 'learn about aging'? Psychologist Erik Erikson defined adolescence as a crisis of identity. 'Identity' refers to the unique characteristics that determine one's existence and distinguish oneself from others. Humans continue to develop and change, thereby altering relationships with others and with society itself. 

So, what does it specifically mean to 'learn aging'? Psychologist Erik Erikson defined adolescence as a crisis of identity. 'Identity' refers to the unique characteristics that determine one's existence and distinguish oneself from others. However, humans continue to develop and change, altering relationships with others, and society itself is constantly evolving. Therefore, identity is not fixed or immutable; it changes over time as one grows older. 

Contrary to Erikson's claim, in old age, a second identity crisis can occur. William Sadler defined old age as a 'second period of growth' in his book "The Third Age: Thirty Years After Forty." This second growth is a transition to a new identity, starting not from the 'defined self' in workplaces, family, and social relationships, but from reflection on the 'life I truly want.' To establish a new second identity, deep self-reflection is essential. In old age, one must create a new 'self' in one's own way, not based on the 'socially constructed self.' One should ask and earnestly seek answers through introspection and sincere prayer, questioning what one truly likes, desires, and pursues. 

Old age is a period in which one must contemplate a new 'identity' to navigate the remaining half of life amid internal changes associated with aging and external societal changes. Ultimately, as we age, we must continually deconstruct and reconstruct our identities. This is the first step in learning to age. Happy New Year!