Problem: What is a good response to this discussion post?
Explore your own attitudes toward aging. Discuss how your experiences, attitudes, and beliefs about this population and your own aging may impact you as a group leader. Need Assignment Help?
I have my own biases towards aging that I can acknowledge if left unchecked may hinder my effectiveness as a group leader and mental health professional. I firmly believe that anyone with the right mindset and willingness can change, but from experiences I have seen that many of the older people in my life don't accustom to change as easily. I see this specifically in my parents. There was a point in time where I tried to help them adjust to newer ideologies that would have benefited them mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Every time I attempted to do so, I was met with a rigid and unmovable stance and they proved difficult to help. Not only did I see this attitude with my parents but also many people who were the same age as them which only further strengthened my bias. Although through my studies in psychology over the course of my young adult years, I've learned how detrimental this mindset can be. Acceptance of these myths leads to an "attitude bias" against working with older adults. This bias is known as ageism (Gladding, 2019). Through studies and self work I quickly changed my perception on older adults so I wouldn't perpetuate ageism towards others.
With that being said, seeing my own aging as I've grown up has opened me to a level of relatability. I wouldn't say that I necessarily agree with older adults who refuse to assimilate, but I can understand why they oppose different views. The ideologies we resonate with and culture we actively participate in shape our reality and our way of thinking. It is only reasonable to believe that living a certain way for many years would result in building a deep foundation around these concepts, so consequently any other worldview will have trouble coinciding with their beliefs. As an aspiring mental health professional, it's important to understand cultural boundaries not just amongst ethnicities and diverse groups, but of age as well. Having cultural competency and demonstrating empathy for aging clients if pivotal for effective mental health care. It can be easy to become restless or even give up on clients when we assume that they're unlikely to adapt and change for the better, but it takes a certain level of patience to work with aging groups and this is an ongoing skill that will always be essential for running effective groups in psychotherapy.