UPPVJK007 Psychology of Ageing and Old Age

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Winter 2023
Extent and Intensity
10/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Naděžda Špatenková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Naděžda Špatenková, Ph.D.
Institute of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Contact Person: PhDr. Edita Ondřejová, Ph.D.
Timetable
Fri 29. 9. 15:35–19:40 C207, Fri 10. 11. 15:35–19:40 C204, Sat 2. 12. 16:25–18:00 C205
Prerequisites (in Czech)
FAKULTA(FVP) && TYP_STUDIA(B) && FORMA(K)
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course objective is to understand the basic definition of the life stage of old age, including its establishment in psychological theories. Students will understand the basic characteristics of physical, cognitive and emotional processes in the elderly. Attention will also be paid to intergenerational relationships, adaptation to old age, retirement and the resulting loneliness in the elderly. Students will also be acquainted with the issues of death and dying, with emphasis on detabuization of this problem. The course objective is to create a theoretical and practical basis for further study of applied disciplines, especially psychology and pedagogy.
Learning outcomes
Professional knowledge: Students acquire and demonstrate knowledge of basic characteristics of the ageing process from the perspective of developmental psychology including the interconnections of ageing in psychological theories. They can characterize the essential features of this stage of ontogenetic development of a human being, understand the rules and conditionality.

Professional skills: Students are well versed in the normal course of human development in old age, including the risks associated with ageing and dying. They are familiar with the relevant field literature, can locate, interpret and apply the gained information in practice. They are able to integrate the acquired knowledge to the needs of the practice in the field.

General qualification: Having completed the course, students will be qualified not only to use their knowledge and skills for specific work with clients, but also to better respond to the needs of clients. At the same time, the methods of the course will encourage the development of critical thinking, creativity and the students' ability to make decisions independently and responsibly.
Syllabus
  • 1. DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, THE COURSE AND SUB-DISCIPLINES OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (a course of developmental psychology in the broader and narrower sense, the objectives of developmental psychology, collaboration with other disciplines, disciplines of developmental psychology)
  • 2. HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISCIPLINE
  • 3. OLD AGE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES
  • 4. METHODS OF RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (research methodology, developmental psychology methods, research approaches, experimental research in developmental psychology)
  • 5. AGING AND OLD AGE FROM THE ANDROPSYCHOLOGICAL AND GERONTOPSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE PERIODIZATION. STRUCTURE OF DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS IN LIFE (theory of self-determination according to Deci and Ryan, hierarchy of needs by Abraham Maslow, structure of needs according to Vágnerová)
  • 6. SOMATIC DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGES IN THE OLD AGE (physical involution, involutional changes in sensory perception)
  • 7. CHANGES OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS (basic characteristics of cognitive processes and their changes: attention, memory, intelligence, creativity, communication skills, attitude to the deterioration of cognitive abilities)
  • 8. EMOTIONAL CHANGES IN OLD AGE (transformation of emotional experience, neurophysiological processes affecting emotionality and their changes in old age, self-image and self-esteem of the elderly)
  • 9. ADAPTATION TO AGE. OPTIMAL ADAPTATION FOR OLD AGE. TRANSITION TO RETIREMENT (adaptation, transition to retirement, changes in socialization, strategies of coping with old age, optimum adaptation to old age: an overview of the theory of adaptation to old age, inactivity and immobilization syndrome, the concept of optimal adaptation by Švancara, the model of selective optimization with compensation)
  • 10. PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS OF THE ELDERLY. INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS (marriage of the elderly, influence of retirement on the marital relationship, experiencing intimacy and sexuality in the old age, change of the importance of partnerships in terms of satisfying psychological needs, the impact of worsening health on marriage, relationship to adult children and grandchildren, the role of grandparents, intergenerational cohabitation)
  • 11. Loneliness and the elderly (the concepts of loneliness and solitude, types of loneliness, overcoming loneliness, widowhood, concluding new partnerships, marriage in old age, the issue of institutional care, day care, placement in a residence for the elderly)
  • 12. DYING AND DEATH (dying, people’s attitudes to death, various theories describing reactions to impending death, emotions and needs of the dying, fear of death, the needs of people in the immediate vicinity of death)
  • 13. CONCEPT OF SUCCESSFUL AGING AND ACTIVE AGE (preparation for old age, preventing premature ageing, creation of a life programme)
Literature
    required literature
  • BLATNÝ, M., ed. Psychologie celoživotního vývoje. Vydání první. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2016. ISBN 978-80-246-3462-3.
  • ERIKSON, E. H. Životní cyklus rozšířený a dokončený: devět věků člověka. 2., přeprac. vyd. Praha: Portál, 2015. ISBN 978-80-262-0786-3.
  • KOLAŘÍKOVÁ, M.Psychologie stárnutí a stáří [online]. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, Fakulta veřejných politik v Opavě, 2019. Dostupné z:https://elearning.slu.cz/course/index.php?categoryid=45
  • ŘÍČAN, P. Cesta životem: [vývojová psychologie]: přepracované vydání. 3. vyd. Praha: Portál, 2014. ISBN 978-80-262-0772-6.
  • THOROVÁ, K. Vývojová psychologie. Praha: Grada, 2015. ISBN 978-80-262-0714-6. info
  • VÁGNEROVÁ, Marie. Vývojová psychologie II.: dospělost a stáří. Praha: Karolinum, 2007. ISBN 978-80-246-1318-5. info
    recommended literature
  • HÁTLOVÁ, Běla. Psychologie seniorského věku. V Ústí nad Labem: Univerzita J. E. Purkyně, 2010. ISBN 978-80-7414-318-2. info
  • KIMPLOVÁ, T. aM.KOLAŘÍKOVÁ.Jak žít s těžkým zrakovým postižením?: souhrn (nejen) psychologické problematiky. Praha: Triton, 2014. ISBN 978-80-7387-831-3.
  • KLEVETOVÁ, D. Motivační prvky při práci se seniory. 2., přepracované vydání. Praha: Grada Publishing, 2017. ISBN 978-80-271-0102-3.
  • MÜHLPACHR, Pavel. Kvalita života seniorů (Quality of Life of Seniors). 1. vydání. Brno: MSD, 2017, 163 pp. Výzkumná agentura Ministerstva školství SR. ISBN 978-80-7392-260-3. info
  • SCHMID, W. Umění stárnout: jak dosáhnout životní moudrosti. Praha: Euromedia, 2017. ISBN 978-80-7549-178-7.
  • VETEŠKA, J. Gerontagogika: psychologicko-andragogická specifika edukace a aktivizace seniorů. 2. doplněné a rozšířené vydání. Praha: Česká andragogická společnost, 2017. ISBN 978-80-905460-7-3.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
zápočet, zkouška
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Teacher's information
Lectures, consultations - students have the possibility to consult via e-mail or upon agreement with the instructor in person.
The course is also listed under the following terms Winter 2019, Accreditation summer, Summer 2021, Summer 2022, Winter 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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