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Old‐Age Emotions
Author(s) -
DÉANES ZSUZSANNA
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1976.tb03262.x
Subject(s) - loneliness , pessimism , emptiness , medicine , boredom , mental state , gerontology , psychiatry , social psychology , psychology , philosophy , theology , epistemology
One hundred old people (age range 60–94 years) were studied with respect to the state of their emotions. The chief factors leading to emotional sterility were loneliness, retirement and decline in sensory and locomotory functions. Among the 100 subjects, 60 were optimists and 40 were pessimists; most of the pessimists were lonely people. Suggestions are made for combating emotional “emptiness” before it leads to catastrophic mental impairment.