Coping With Losses and Past Trauma In Old Age: The Separation-Individuation Perspective

Abstract Old age is a stage in life in which numerous changes associated with loss can be expected to occur in major life domains. Deterioration of health; retirement; relocation; occupational and financial loss; loss of social roles, identity, status, and support; and the loss of spouse and significant others (siblings, friends) pose an ongoing threat to everyday functioning, forcing the individual to adapt. Thus, effective functioning in daily life represents a major developmental task for the aging (Bakes & Carstensen, 1996; Marsiske, Lang, Bakes, & Bakes, 1995). There is marked variability in adjustment among the elderly, and despite the numerous losses associated with aging, many elderly people are well adjusted and report experiencing high levels of well-being (George & Clipp, 1991;Wetle, 1990).