Discussion Board Forum #3 Chapter: Later Life – Cognitive, Emotional, and Social

Discussion Board Forum #3
Chapter: Later Life – Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Development

Learning Objectives
1. Students will describe and analyze the cognitive, emotional, and social development of adults in later life (65 years and above).
2. Students will describe and analyze Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stage of Development titled Integrity versus Despair.
Evaluation Method
STEP 1
Each student will interview one person above the age of 65. The person may be a relative or a friend. Suggestions for the interview questions are listed below. Feel free to add your own questions during the interview.
Please tell me about your childhood, family, and school life.
Do you consider yourself old? At what age did you feel that you were getting older?
What is the most important historical event or period of time that you have lived through? How did it influence you personally?
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
If you could change the way you handled one situation throughout your life, what would that be? How would you handle the situation differently?
What were the best years of your life to date?
Do you feel satisfied with your experiences and accomplishments so far in life?
What are your plans for the future?
What advice do you have for the younger generations?
What legacy would you like to leave behind?

STEP 2
Organize the information gained from the interview and prepare to post a summary of it on the discussion board. To protect confidentiality, be sure to use initials or pseudo names only.

STEP 3
Post a summary of the interview. Feel free to use the format below.
1. State the date of the interview, the person’s age, and the person’s occupation. (1-3 sentences)
2. What did you learn from this interview? (2-6 sentences)
3. Were there any answers that surprised you? (1-6 sentences)
4. How do the responses in the interview tie in with or confirm the information you learned about in the chapter titled Later Life: Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Development? (2-6 sentences)
5. How do this person’s experiences and attitudes tie in with Erikson’s psychosocial stages? (2-6 sentences)
6. Has this changed your opinion on aging? (2-6 sentences)
7. What are your own personal perceptions on aging? (2-6 sentences)