Psychology is a science that studies, among other areas, the emotional, cognitive, emotional and behavioral domains of individuals, in addition, has several branches to control knowledge, one of them is psychogerontology.
Psychogeronology is the science that studies aging from a psychological point of view, just as there are child psychologists, there are psychologists who specialize in the problems of the elderly, in this article we will explain the origin of psychogeronology and talk about its characteristics. In addition, we will show the benefits of having the help of a psychogerontologist.
- “We love ancient cathedrals.
- Antique furniture.
- Ancient coins.
- Paintings and ancient books.
- But we completely forget the enormous moral and spiritual value of the elders.
- “Lin Yutang.
Psychogeronology does not have a historical marker that defines its origin, so to contextualize it, we will analyze two points: scientific psychology, born with Wundt in 1879, and gerontology, with Metchinikoff in 1903.
Today we are witnessing a phenomenon that places increasing importance on psychogeronology: developed countries have an ageing population; In addition, in parallel with rising life expectancy, the birth rate has fallen significantly in many countries.
Thus, the circumstances themselves have fuelled the need to study the elderly, so interventions for this sector of the population have been improved.
On the other hand, many researchers have contributed to psychogeronology, being one of the most important figures Professor James Birren, who explained that, just as gerontology deals with old age, the psychology of aging should focus on the study of life cycle processes and processes. stability and change, in addition to the cognitive, motor and emotional variables of older adults.
Psychogeronology is characterized by different elements or points, here are some:
The professional dedicated to psychogerontology is the psychogerontologist, for this he first studied psychology and then specialized in this field.
On the other hand, psychogeronology is not only about what we mentioned above, but also intervenes in the organizational field. As Luis Santamara’s article says, in which he talks about the psychologist’s role in psychogerontology, the psychogerontologist is involved in the processes of selection, evaluation, guidance, training and development of professionals working with the elderly.
It also studies the market to study the needs of the elderly population, for example through gerontological programs and projects.
The fact that this branch of psychology exists has great advantages, including:
In addition, psychogeronology provides selection, training and stress prevention to caregivers, which is wonderful, because it is not only for the elderly, but also for the people around them.
The fact that there is a branch of psychology dedicated to the elderly is great news for an ever-widening section of the population. Through this branch, it is possible to approach the elderly in a more appropriate and precise way. In addition, it represents a valuable job opportunity for the psychologist, due to the great value that this specialty can bring to society.