Francesca Romana Greco

By Greco Francesca Romana, D’Onofrio Grazia, Seripa Davide, Ciccone Filomena, Sancarlo Daniele, Mangiacotti Antonio and Greco Monica

Female identity is a dynamic concept, and it has been a very discussed issue by contemporary cultural critic. How does old age affect identity construction and perception in elderly woman? Has feminine gender an impact in subjective well-being? Psychological changes of midlife women have been as conflicting as the idea that society has about them. Personality changes after young adulthood in women is a controversial matter. Erikson proposed that women might not develop identities in early adulthood as men do. In fact, he argued that women develop them later, in the context of an intimate relationship. Moreover, identity development appears to have important consequences for midlife well-being. For example, Vandewater et al. found that women’s midlife well-being was facilitated by earlier attainment of a well-articulated identity. In these situations accomplishment of developmentally earlier tasks (identity formation) sets the stage for later psychological health. Our work sheds additional light on how women live this period of life in terms of happiness and purpose of life.

Part of the book: Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology

By Francesca Romana Greco and Grazia D’Onofrio

Aging is a complex and dynamic process. Senses become less sophisticated and negative life events increase. These factors combined with medical conditions contribute to develop a degenerative functional autonomy of the elderly. This clinical condition is known as frailty. However, there is a difference in the way people live their silver years in terms of happiness and their sense of autonomy. Both being and feeling frail represent two different drives of cognitive representations concerning how the elderly live their lives. In addition, other factors such as cognitive stimulation, assistive technology and physical activity can support frail people to achieve independence. This chapter aims to provide an overview on how the psychological environment may affect frailty, suggesting a possible role of new technology’s solutions and physical activity as therapeutic interventions.

Part of the book: Frailty in the Elderly