Discussion

Discussion

[Name of the Student]

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Discussion

Erikson’s theory of adult personality development deals with the psychological conflict of intimacy versus isolation. A young adult finds this conflict in developing close friendships or a long-term intimate relationship. Developing relationships in early adulthood is important according to Erikson’s theory because the individual will suffer from a decreased sense of self and isolation otherwise (Berk, 2018). Mostly, young adults find it difficult to develop long-term relationships because an intimate relationship demands for giving some of the independent self and then redefine the identity to adjust other person in one’s life. An individual’s personality remains incomplete without developing essential relationships. Isolated individuals cannot learn to cooperate with others, and they do not undertake many of the social responsibilities that give a feeling of accomplishment.

A study conducted on loneliness among older adults living in subsidized housing in urban areas revealed that almost half of the total explained variance in depression due to loneliness. It is generally understood that depression is acquired by mostly low-income older adults with certain disabilities. However, the mental health of aging adults residing in subsidized, urban housing has still not been studied thoroughly. Aim: The objective of the study was to focus on the role of loneliness while exploring the occurrence and correlates of depression in the selected sample of individuals. Method: Primary research was conducted in the form of interviews to collect necessary data for analysis. Out of the total 216 residents of subsidized urban housing in their late adulthood, 50 percent were Black and 45 percent were Latino. Results: Around twenty-six percent of the study participants showed enough symptoms of depression. It was observed that 49 percent of the individuals suffered from depression due to their experience of loneliness. Discussion: Social risk factors need to be addressed with the use of care models (Gonyea et al., 2018).

The information generated in the aforementioned research suggests that enhanced social support can reduce loneliness in older subsidized housing residents to ultimately eliminate depression. In view of other (classmates’) discussions, effective interventions in this issue can be to improve social skills of such lonely, depressed, older adults; increase opportunities for social contact; address maladaptive social cognition.

References

Berk, L. E. (2018). Development through the lifespan. Pearson.

Gonyea, J. G., Curley, A., Melekis, K., Levine, N., & Lee, Y. (2018). Loneliness and Depression among Older Adults in Urban Subsidized Housing. Journal of Aging and Health, 30(3), 458–474. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264316682908