Espiritualidad en la Tercera Edad

Abstract

ResumenLa espiritualidad puede entenderse como un conjunto de sentimientos, creencias y acciones que suponen una búsqueda de lo trascendente, sagrado o divino. En tanto representaciones acerca de un poder final último, contribuyen a dar un sentido y propósito en la vida, y orientan la conducta de las personas, sus relaciones interpersonales y su forma de sentir y de pensar, tanto a la realidad como a sí mismos.Dado que tanto en el proceso de envejecer como en la evaluación de la vida que suele ocurrir al aproximarse a la muerte, pueden surgir conflictos, confusión y sufrimiento, la concepción que las personas tengan acerca de lo que hay más allá de la muerte, o las respuestas que se hayan dado a las preguntas de por qué y para qué de la vida, resultan determinantes en el bienestar psíquico de los adultos mayores.Si además se considera que la expectativa de vida ha aumentado considerablemente, y está cambiando la manera de envejecer, en qué consiste ser viejo, y las ventajas y desventajas o problemas de este proceso en sus distintos contextos, es necesario repensar la vejez, tanto como etapa de vida, como en las políticas que afectan la calidad y condiciones de vida de este sector de la población.Por lo tanto, se puede sostener que todo profesional que trabaja con adultos mayores, y en particular los profesionales de la salud mental, deben poder considerar los referentes espirituales del propio individuo para ayudarlo de buena forma con los problemas que puedan surgir en el proceso de envejecimiento.Palabras clave: espiritualidad, tercera edad, bienestar psíquico. AbstractSpirituality may be understood as a group of feelings, beliefs and actions that suppose a search for the transcendent, sacred or divine. As representations about an ultimate power, they contribute to the sense and purpose in life and orient peoples behavior, relationships, and ways to feel and think about reality and about themselves.Since either in the growing old process and in the evaluation of life that occurs when approaching to death it may emerge conflicts, confusion and suffering, people beliefs about what is beyond death, or the answers to the questions about what for and why of life, become determinants in elders well-being.

Does Christian Spirituality Enhance Psychological Interventions on Forgiveness, Gratitude, and the Meaning of Life? A Quasi-Experimental Intervention with the Elderly and Youth

“…This author suggests that “aging gracefully” is related to six tasks: (1) Caring for others, being open to new ideas, and staying socially useful; (2) Maintaining integrity posited by Erikson, that is, accepting the past and spending moments in the past to sustain achievements and being open to learn from the next generation; (3) Maintaining the other strengths of Erikson’s theory, such as hope in life, striving to be as autonomous as possible, and the value of all initiative; (4) Enjoying life, encouraging a sense of humor and a willingness to play; (5) Being tolerant with the unpleasant aspects of old age, taking care of yourself, accepting dependency needs, and appreciating the support received; and (6) Maintaining contact and intimacy with old friends and making new ones. However, the results of the present study agree with Tornstam [ 100 ] and San Martín-Petersen [ 14 ] that many of the concepts that the author associates with “aging gracefully”, for example, kindness, generosity, tolerance, gratitude, and hope, are aspects that other authors consider as factors or characteristic elements of spirituality. The important factor is that aging has its own meaning and nature, and that there is a continuous development in old age characterized by change and not by stability and continuity, so to discover these neglected or hidden aspects of old age, it is essential to listen to what older adults have to say.…”

“…The results of the present study corroborate what was evidenced by Moberg [ 47 ] that older adults obtain higher scores on measures of religion and spirituality, possibly because they delve deeper into spiritual interests and concerns and because more religious and spiritual people tend to live longer than others. In addition, older adults are more receptive and interested in the spiritual aspects that the themes evoke, when compared to young people [ 14 , 98 ]. Moberg [ 47 ] mentions that in a longitudinal study, a trend was found, regardless of gender and cohort, that as people age, they become more engaged in spiritual interests and practices, which would explain the emergence of the spiritual theme in the treatment group of older adults without a spiritual focus.…”

“…There are many reasons why spirituality/religiosity should be studied, since R/S beliefs and experiences are an integral part of personality [ 13 ], and because a growing line of empirical research shows important reaches of spirituality in various aspects [ 14 ]. Pargament and Mahoney [ 15 ] report that the American Psychological Association has defined religiosity as a variable of cultural diversity; therefore, the idea of the religious/spiritual dimension cannot be neglected when evaluating, diagnosing, and treating people, and future studies should include sociocultural variables (external) and evolutionary variables (internal) in their analyses, which could intervene in the process of assessment, experience, and expression of R/S, since each is a significant variable [ 16 ].…”

“…Professionals who work with older adults, mainly mental health professionals, must be able to contemplate the spiritual resources of the people they treat or study to adequately help them with the problems that may arise during the aging process [ 14 ]. Rivera-Ledesma and Montero [ 36 ] and Rivera-Ledesma and Montero-López [ 44 ] indicate that psychologists are beginning to recognize the importance of the spirituality factor in human nature; however, including spiritual aspects in psychological treatment is a recent effort that has not yet been completely achieved, since academic psychology seems to accept spiritual aspects even more slowly than clinical psychology.…”

El color de la muerte: significaciones imaginarias en la vejez

“…Acerca de las definiciones de religión, religiosidad y espiritualidad, las distintas posiciones teóricas comprueban la pluralidad de miradas como la falta de acuerdos en las diversas conceptualizaciones (San Martín Petersen, 2007;Martínez de Toda, 2003). Este trabajo no ahonda en esos debates; valiosos, pero que exceden ampliamente el abordaje y análisis propuesto.…”