Strategies for living in old age

Budyakova Tatyana Petrovna ORCID: 0000-0003-1739-837X PhD in Psychology Associate Professor, Professor of the Department of Psychology and Psychophysiology, Bunin Yelets State University 399770, Russia, Lipetsk region, Yelets, Kommunarov str., 28, office 1 budyakovaelez@mail.ru Other publications by this author     Pronina Angelika Nikolaevna ORCID: 0000-0001-5454-9830 Doctor of Pedagogy Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Preschool and Special Education, Bunin Yelets State University 399778, Russia, Lipetsk region, village Khmelinets, Molodezhnaya str., 11 antipi-elena@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

Antipina Elena Andreevna ORCID: 0009-0003-4174-564X Junior Researcher at the Laboratory of Psychophysiology of Health and Health Formation Bunin Yelets State University 399770, Russia, Yelets, Kommunarov str., 28, office 1 antipi-elena@yandex.ru

Introduction

The problem of choosing positive life strategies in old age, despite attempts to solve it, is still relevant. The proposed solutions are mostly speculative in nature, not confirmed by empirical data. At the same time, the need for scientific development of life strategies in old age increases every year against the background of a general increase in life expectancy and an ambiguous pension policy. A scientific solution to the problem will make it possible to apply sound recommendations in the practice of social work on planning one's life in old age, choosing a strategy that takes into account the individual typological properties of the personality and the specific conditions of functioning of the personality of an elderly person.

The object of the study of this work is old age.

The subject of the study: strategies of life in old age, their content and victimological assessment.

The purpose of the study is to identify a possible range of strategic plans of the individual for old age in elderly people with the status of pre-retirees and pensioners.

Research objectives: 1. To give a scientific definition of the concept of "life strategies".

2. Identify options for life strategies in old age.

3. To give a victimological assessment of different options for strategic life plans in old age.

Theoretical overview

Before formulating the provisions of possible strategies for life in old age, it is necessary to determine the understanding of the concept of "strategy" itself, since in these studies of old age there are several terms: "strategy", "paradigm", "model", "life position", "options", etc., often used as synonyms.

The concept of strategy is implemented from military science, where it originally originated, and is used most closely to the original source in modern economic research. They fix several key features of the concept of "strategy": 1) this is a general (general) action plan, not always detailed; 2) this plan covers a long period; 3) the strategic plan implements a global (fundamentally important) goal that subordinates all other goals, contributing to the concentration of resources to achieve the main goal ^[1].

For our research on the study of strategies for the functioning and/or development of an anti-antimicrobial^[1] personality, the most important element of which is its security, it is important that the sciences dealing with the security of the population understand the strategy as the same set of characteristics as military and economic ^[2]. Because of this, under the strategies of an anti-victim personality in old age, we will understand general master plans subordinated to a common goal that is fundamentally important for the functioning and development of personality, which requires the mobilization of resources both in previous ages and in the current one to ensure a safe, comfortable life in old age.

At the same time, the understanding of strategies adopted, for example, in education, as a system of methods and techniques of teaching or information processing ^[3] or in management psychology as a system of communication methods, as well as technologies for career advancement ^[4], in our case will not be effective, because then there will be a confusion of the concepts of "strategy" and The "paradigm". We believe that the system of principles, approaches and methods in determining the prospects of life in old age should be the content of paradigms that depend on the specific conditions of human activity and its individual typological characteristics: gender, educational, family, property and other statuses. A strategy is, after all, a general plan, including the intermediate stages of its implementation, and an idea of the overall result. In this context, the understanding of the paradigms of aging by A. I. Melekhin, whose position we share, deserves attention ^[5].

The term "model" in elderly studies is used with a factor approach, when a scheme is built that combines several factors that determine, for example, successful aging ^{[6; 7]}, providing visibility by visualizing the connections and relationships of the selected factors. M. Menassa et al. A non-exhaustive list of models of successful aging has been compiled, relevant for foreign gerontological research: an ecological model of productive aging, a theory of sustainability, a promotion model, a model of the process of successful aging at work, a social model, a model of overcoming and adapting to active aging, etc. ^[8].

The positive components (factors) of successful aging models are: life satisfaction, gender, education, self-assessment of health ^[9], financial capabilities, emotional state, positive social relations ^[10], absence of chronic diseases and disabilities, resilience, meaningfulness, quality of life, unexpressed loneliness, religiosity ^[11], etc.

Negative factors that impede the normal functioning and development of personality in old age are also highlighted, in particular, weak social ties ^[12], self-neglect ^[13], etc.

In our opinion, the identification of various factors that determine the positive functioning and development of personality in old age makes it possible to effectively build strategic plans, however, this is only the source material for determining strategies, but not the strategy itself. At the same time, it should be noted that it is the factor approach that dominates in modern studies of the elderly.

In the study of life strategies in old age, the concepts of "life position", "locus control", etc. are often used, which in principle relate to the paradigmatic components of the life path that influence the choice of strategy, but are not actually strategic plans. Thus, T. A. Popova identified life-meaning orientations and locus-control of personality as resources for successful aging, which, in fact, are also elements of life paradigms ^[14]. Five vital positions (attitudes) of aging, highlighted in the 80s of the last century by D.B. Bromley, have become widely known: protective, constructive, dependence, hostility to the world, hostility to oneself, which can also generally be considered as personal paradigms of life ^[15].

It is impossible not to agree with L. I. Antsiferova's opinion that the early development of strategies focused on old age and old age makes it possible to choose a more positive life option in late ontogenesis ^[16]. However, the scientific justification of such strategies should be based on some concept of age-related development.

We believe that the theoretical basis for determining the essence of strategic plans in old age should be the theory of periodization of age-related development by L. S. Vygotsky, A. N. Leontiev and D. B. Elkonin. This theory proceeds from the fact that in each period of age-related development there is a leading function ^[17] or a leading activity ^{[18, 19]}, which sets the main vector of development for the entire period, creates new meanings for the personality, subordinating all other lines of development, in fact, stabilizing the personality at each age stage.

However, the period of old age in the context of the Russian periodization of age development was not considered by its authors, and its later adherents did not offer indisputable meaningful options. In particular, the acceptable content of the structural elements of the elderly has not been established: the social situation of development, the leading activity, the main neoplasms that should be formed within the framework of the leading activity, although such attempts have been made ^[20]. It turned out to be a kind of "ragged" design. All the periods of childhood, adolescence and adolescence described in the activity approach were positioned as preparation for adulthood, their common meanings were the development of different aspects of adulthood. It is obvious that the leading activity of adults was labor activity, because, regardless of whether a person liked his profession or place of work, it was on them that his place in the system of public relations depended and it was on them that the solution of all other personal tasks depended: family, personal, etc.

Then the construction "breaks off". Old age and further – senile, almost completely "fell out" of the general logic of personal development in ontogenesis in the activity approach. In our opinion, this happened because the process of human socialization described in the theory of periodization by L. S. Vygotsky, A. N. Leontiev and D. B. Elkonin represents a global strategy of life in which there are only two main stages: 1) preparation under the guidance of an adult and state institutions for adulthood and further 2) independent adult life itself. In this logic, the meanings of an adult's life, regardless of age, are to serve society through profession and work. So, both A. N. Leontiev and D. B. Elkonin, being outstanding psychological scientists, remained in the profession until the end of their days, conducted classes for students, wrote articles and books. It is no coincidence that in Western literature academic status is considered as an important social capital ^[21]. At the same time, such a strategy of life in old age cannot be implemented by absolutely all people for a number of objective reasons: the characteristics of the profession, the state of health to which the requirements are imposed by the employer, etc.

Attempts have been made in Russian psychology to define the meanings of the elderly and senile ages. The following meanings were highlighted: maintaining one's own identity, accepting the finiteness of one's life (in fact, preparing for retirement) ^[22], self-acceptance ^{[23, 24]}; integration of experience ^[16], translation of life experience ^[25]. However, without identifying the types of activities in which these meanings are formed in old age, there is no prospect of their implementation.

Thus, summarizing the above, we can conclude that positive strategies of life in old age should 1) meet the criterion of meaning formation; 2) should continue the general logic of personality development in ontogenesis, so that preparation for this stage of life is consciously carried out; 3) should include types of activities, at least one of which should become the leading one subordinating all other types of activity, giving them meanings.

From the point of view of the concept of an anti-victim personality that we are developing ^[26], strategies for old age should be based on factors of ensuring personal security, which allows maintaining dignity and self-respect at a young age, and resisting ageism. In this regard, ensuring the security of the individual is one of the main meanings of old age, which can be realized in any leading activity of this period, providing prospects for personal development and further, for the period of old age.

Therefore, in our opinion, the strategic plans of an individual for old age should take into account all the factors that pose a danger to an elderly person and provide mechanisms and resources to neutralize them. Speaking about the dangers in old age, the factors of physical and psychological violence are most often identified ^[27], economic insolvency and dependence, leading to the inability to maintain the necessary level of health ^[28]. Conscious activity to neutralize such and other threats is, in our opinion, a strategic line of life in old age.

In addition, since dangers are a multifaceted phenomenon, we believe that strategic plans should be multidimensional, reflecting the full range of dangers to the individual. Naturally, these plans should take into account the individual typological characteristics of a person, in particular, her gender and educational status.

In the empirical part of the study, we made an attempt to identify the features of the strategic plans of the individual for old age in elderly people with the status of pre-retirees and pensioners, to give them a victimological assessment.

Materials and methods

Research methods: a) biographical; b) content analysis.

Research material: 1) forums on the Internet where problems of the elderly are discussed; 2) biographies of famous people.

Results and their discussion

We proceeded from the fact that questionnaires completely unreasonably prevail in modern studies of the elderly and old age. However, using questionnaires, it is possible to identify only certain factors that affect subjective well-being at the age under consideration, for example, the factor of loneliness ^[29], the factor of psychological (subjective) time ^[30], but it is impossible to describe and, moreover, justify life strategies. Biographical, autobiographical methods or biographical interviews are more suitable for identifying life strategies, through which one can reveal the logic of understanding a person's life path with an assessment of its various vectors.

When choosing sites on the Internet with topics suitable for the purposes of our research, we drew attention to the fact that on the web you can find sites specially created by psychologists for communication between older people. These include, for example, a website https://www.b17.ru . However, sites of this kind are practically not in demand, communication, even as an exchange of information, does not arise there, and the psychologists who serve them do not know how to motivate rare visitors. This is an indicator that the problem of the specifics of the elderly, their needs and values has so far been so little studied that in practice it is difficult to implement even special psychological assistance for this category of citizens.

Some sites (for example, https://m.forum.ngs.ru/board/pensioners/flat/2028367501 /?fpart=1&per-page=50), created by non-professionals also for communication of older people, are mainly of a splint nature. Pensioners and pre-retirees, talking about themselves there, create an artificial, pseudo-ideal image of both themselves and their lives. However, in such sites, it is still possible to isolate fragmentary information about the specifics of both age itself and life strategies.

At the same time, we found sites where there is an active meaningful discussion of everyday situations describing the history of entry and functioning in old age. We are talking, in particular, about sites where the stories of specific elderly people are told and it is possible to write comments. Such sites are visited mainly by older people, because they are interested in the same problems that a specific representative of the silver age presents (for example, https://dzen.ru/a/YFBGQwERgUR7h3Ms ). In general, such sites record meaningful material, in fact biographical and autobiographical, which differs in a positive way from the materials of the questionnaires in that an anonymous user is often more frank and accurate in his judgments, since he is motivated to find and evaluate a suitable life option for himself during discussions with other site visitors.

Analyzing the texts of the forums, using the technique of content analysis, we selected only those aspects of the discussion that are related to life strategies in old age.

As a result, the following strategies for the life of Russian elderly people were identified. The table below shows the proportional ratio of the strategies chosen by the participants of the studied forums. A total of 200 comments were analyzed.

Table. Proportional percentage of selected life strategies by participants of the studied forums

Predictably, one of these strategies was the strategy of continuing to work for both pre-retirees and retirees. She has the most adherents – 33%. The strategic plan consisted in the mandatory search for a type of work that would take into account the physical limitations of old age. It was work that was psychologically positioned as a leading activity, because, firstly, it allowed to solve several important problems at once: financial, communication, positive social status, which in the case of a working person is always higher than in relation to even a non-working pensioner who deserves a rest. Secondly, it was work that set socially significant meanings of life, fixed an effective place in the system of public relations, preventing the attitude in late ontogenesis as to an infirm, unnecessary person, a burden, and in general – a specific victim. In the context of an anti-victim personality, work is a resource for ensuring the independence and, in general, the security of an elderly person's personality, strengthening his anti-victim positions.

Further along the text, we provide examples of comments that reflect a particular strategy of life in old age.

Examples of comments reflecting the labor strategy:

a) pensioner: "I am a working pensioner, I am 60 years old. I think that I will work for a long time, I have both the strength and the desire. Work allows you to move, observe life, people, I need it";

b) a pre-pensioner: "I am 55 years old, I will work as long as I have strength and health, I do not want to join the community of doing nothing."

The analysis of the comments made it possible to identify victimological meanings of work that are specific to the elderly. Thus, employment turned out to be important in terms of the fact of illness or sudden death. The health of a person who is in the structure of the labor collective is monitored by the employer. Such a person cannot remain without the help of the collective and the state if he suddenly falls ill. If he did not come to work and there is no news from him, they will immediately look for him. The organization where he works even has a duty to organize funerals. He will not become a forgotten, abandoned victim of circumstances.

An example of a comment: "You have to work while your legs are wearing. In the truest sense of the word. For example, I'm going to die right at the blackboard (electronic)."

An interesting variation of the labor strategy was recorded among people engaged in entrepreneurial activities. Having the status of an individual entrepreneur, these pensioners took a break from their work on their own in order to regulate their health status and enjoy other aspects of life. At the same time, they did not refuse to continue working, but they themselves chose the moment when they would like to re-actualize entrepreneurial activity. Such people were satisfied by the very fact of freedom of choice, and the permanent opportunity to declare themselves as a sought-after member of society. Approximately the same option – with a free work schedule. The antimictimal component here was the ability to regulate their own age-related needs.

An example of a comment: "I am an accountant, now self–employed, I work from home, I like to communicate with young entrepreneurs, I am learning new things. At the same time, I have a free schedule, and I also love making video clips for friends and relatives. I sing karaoke on the site and record songs. Life is in full swing, there is not enough day."

In addition to the content analysis of forum materials, we used biographies of famous people as sources for studying the problem. These materials further verified our assumptions about the leading strategies of life in later life. So, Vsevolod Ovchinnikov, a well-known international journalist who was for many years a correspondent and political columnist for the newspaper Pravda, and then a columnist for Rossiyskaya Gazeta, said in an interview on his 90th birthday on November 17, 2016: "It helps me to be healthy and happy that I still time in the profession." Meanwhile, it is obvious that the variant of the labor strategy is most accessible to people in demand in the profession.

Currently, a new version of the work of older people has appeared in the form of volunteerism ^[31]. In our study, this variant of the labor strategy is presented insignificantly, but its victimological component is significant. Here, in principle, a person does not allow himself to be perceived as a victim. He can independently realize himself as a useful member of society in accordance with his personal capabilities.

The second strategy is family–based (19% of adherents). This strategy is most pronounced among family pensioners, manifested in the care of spouses for each other, children and grandchildren. Even for working pensioners with such a life strategy, work is not considered as work for the benefit of society, it is completely devoted to the priorities of the family and therefore is not a leading activity. This is proved by the facts when, as part of a family strategy, pensioners even refuse to work if the interests of the family require it. The victimological meaning of a family strategy is to share responsibility between family members for each other's safety.

The third strategy – home-country (15%) is represented by non-working pensioners, it is indicative for both family and single elderly people. Such a strategy allows people to maintain dignity in old age, since the organization of cottage activities acts and is even recognized as a specific replacement for work. A house (cottage, vegetable garden) is perceived as strategic objects of life that require a responsible attitude. The gender aspect of this strategy was highlighted. The country option is more present in men, the "house" option is more present in women.

An example of a comment in the forum: I have been living alone with my house for two years, I am 65 years old, I have a yard. I haven't used an alarm clock for a long time, I'm used to getting up early in the morning, at 6 or 7 o'clock. Go straight outside: there are chickens there, feed them, clean them up. Then the greenhouses, you need to water them in the morning. This is my morning exercise. Then breakfast at home. After breakfast– go to the garden to have time to weed, hoe, and pick berries before the heat. In the evening, there is also the care of livestock and the garden. During the break, cleaning the house."

The fourth strategy (sports) is the least represented, with only 4% of adherents. The essence of the strategy is that sport (physical culture or fitness) has become a leading activity, within which other meanings are realized (communication, assistance from members of the sports community and mutual assistance, recognition of social significance, etc.) Apparently, the development of sports and physical education infrastructure for the elderly will make this strategy more promising. The victimological meaning of this strategy is to strengthen health and develop contacts through participation in collective physical education and sports events, and the social meaning is to set an example for young people and other age groups.

An example of a comment in the forum: "I do morning treatments and go to aquaerobics, 4-5 times a week. There's a sauna, a Jacuzzi, all the delights. And yes, I live alone in retirement. I take a fitness club card for a year. Pensioners get a discount, and I pay in three payments."

The fifth strategy – the strategy of hobbies (11%) acts as a substitute type of socially significant activity. Passion is the product through which an elderly person wants to present himself to society. The difficulties of this strategy often lie in the lack of interest of other people in the hobbies of pensioners. However, having at least a strategy is better than having none at all.

An example of a comment: "And now I have a new creative hobby. Drawing (or rather creating) abstract pictures in the Fluid Art technique. I am fascinated and drawn out by the process itself."

The sixth strategy is religious. As an exclusive biographical example, one can cite the life in old age of the hermit Agafya Lykova, who has never worked for the state, lives alone, focusing the private meanings of her life around her house, garden, pets, but reading church books and prayers, including about other people, provide her with a common sense of life. Among the forum participants, adherents of such a strategy made up 8%, the leading activity of these people was spiritual, realized through going to church, communicating with the spiritual father, other parishioners, in general through participation in church life. The victimological meaning of this strategy is to use the resources of religion to get rid of victim complexes.

And finally, in our opinion, an ineffective strategy is the strategy of "sacrifice". We called it the "victim" strategy because the conditions of its implementation most often victimize an elderly person. There are quite a few adherents among the comment authors – 10%. Representatives of this strategy chose as plans for old age to resign responsibility for their future lives, shifting this care to younger relatives or social services, including delegating to them solutions to all emerging problems: household, communication, financial, health care, etc. The active "victims" left themselves only the functions of demanding fulfillment of obligations from others and monitoring the quality of their fulfillment. Since this situation most often did not suit relatives and even social workers, the elderly person had a self-perception of himself as a victim of inattention, deception, manipulation, etc. Passive "victims" simply humbly waited for attention to be given to them, but this did not reduce the degree of their suffering from loneliness, a sense of abandonment and uselessness.

An example of a comment: "As for the money, I always take it when my son gives it, go and spend it on myself. Let your daughter and her husband help you."

Thus, our research allowed us not only to identify the main strategies of life in old age, but also to give them a victimological assessment.

Conclusions and recommendations

1. Any strategy of life in old age should have ensuring the safety of one's personality as the main meaning of leading activities, since it is by this age that victimization trends are increasing. Victimization, in principle, begins to be age-related.

2. Each of the described strategies has its limitations depending on the level of health, success in the profession, family status and other factors. Therefore, for successful functioning in old age, it must be borne in mind that the most preferred strategy may not be implemented due to objective circumstances. Hence, it is necessary to have backup options for life strategies in old age and provide preparation for them in other age periods.

3. A consciously chosen "victim" strategy is the most ineffective, since the conditions of its implementation victimize an elderly person.

4. Educational status provides more opportunities both for choosing strategies for life in old age and for realizing oneself in a preferred strategy.

5. Pronounced gender differences were found in house-cottage strategies and hobbies. The remaining strategies turned out to be acceptable for representatives of different genders. This correlates in particular with the data of A.M. Konovalova, who showed that the role of hostess is more preferable for women ^[32].

6. The data obtained can be used by social workers and practical psychologists involved in counseling the elderly. This will allow you to choose one of the life strategies correctly and strengthen the anti-antimicrobial positions of older clients.

Financing

The research was carried out at the expense of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation No. 23-28-00306, https://rscf.ru/project/23-28-00306 / "Conceptual foundations of the functioning and development of an anti-antimicrobial personality in old age".

^[1] Victima (Latin) – victim.