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29 Soc. Change 1 (1999)

handle is hein.journals/sclcnge29 and id is 1 raw text is: 1-11 Social Change : March-June 1999: Vol. 29 Nos. 1 & 2 The other side of being old N.K. Chadha* Guest Co-Editor IN TODAY'S CONTEMPORARY WORLD, WHERE INTENSE FOCUS ON YOUTH is found in various walks of life. 'Old' is a strong work- conjuring myriad negative images. We make many decisions or have them made for us, based on assumptions about age. 'Old' in effect is something that most of us would prefer not to be. Thus, making it difficult to treat growing or being old objectively. Age is so contaminated with value implications that we may hesitate to own up to our years or to refer to a loved one as 'Old', for fear of insulting him. Our ability to think rationally about age and make reasonable decisions is coloured by this. How to aptly define old age has had many people in a fix, as it is not the easiest of task. There are several definitions and terms which one uses inter- changeably. But for all practical purposes, it is essential to make a distinction among the terms. The term aging refers to the process of growing older, it involves a multidirectional change involving the physical, psychological and social spheres of a person's existence, the key work is change or process. Aging is not a steady state, nor is it inevitably a process of deterioration or decrement. It is useful to distinguish the various aspects of the aging process in humans. The central features of biological aging refers to the physical changes in the body systems during the later years of the life span, it may begin long before the individual reaches the chronological age of 65 years. Psychological aging refer to the adaptive capacities of individuals as observed from their behaviour, but it may also refer to subjective reaction or self awareness. Social aging refers to the social habits and roles of an individual, with respect to his culture and society. As social age, progresses, the individual experiences a decrease in meaningful social interaction. Affective aging refers to the reduced adaptive capacities of the individual in relation to an altered environment. * Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007.

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