ELDERLY PEOPLE’S ATTITUDES TOWARDS AGEING: CROSS-CULTURAL ASPECT

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of cross-cultural dimensions of the phenomenology of aging in the modern socio-cultural space. The author emphasizes that in the conditions of demographic aging of mankind the old age should be perceived not as a period of survival, but as a productive stage of full-fledged life.

The purpose of this study was to study cross-cultural features of the attitude of older people to the aging process. The sample was presented by 127 respondents of a respectable age (from 60 to 90 years) living in countries with different levels of socio-cultural and economic protection of aging (in Ukraine, USA, Switzerland). The content-analysis of the received narratives allowed to allocate three basic markers of an image of old age in representation of respondents: physiological, sociocultural and psychological one, which quite completely reflects semantic essence of the concept of old age. Based on the analysis of empirical material, the author proves that the idea of ​​old age and aging culture of respondents in Ukraine is based primarily on the problems of proprietary security and polymorbidity, and is pessimistic about this age period, in contrast to the US and Switzerland.

It was statistically confirmed that the main predictors of old age in the perception of older peopleare fixed in the segment of sociocultural markers, which in general determines the variable aging strategies. Generalization of the results of theoretical and empirical analysis of psychological features of attitudes to old age of older people allowed to say that the constructiveness of aging strategies and attitudes to old age in a society depends not so much on gerontological changes and established stereotypes about aging, but on the level of socio-economic development of society and moral health of society, which is responsible for the comfort of life and socio-cultural, mental security of the subjects of involutionary development. It was proved that the subjective attitude of older people to old age, their acceptance of their own aging determines the polar planes of self-perception and self-expression in late childhood, determines the ability to continue personal development in the dimensions of successful aging. It is stated that the actualization of the idea of ​​positive aging in the worldview of the older people modifies the available patterns of old age, which a person takes over when making a choice of actions aimed at successful aging and increasing satisfaction with life.

The obtained results complement the materials presented by the scientific community on cross-cultural trends in the attitude of older people to the phenomenology of old age.