Family In Later Life Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Family In afterward Life Research Paper - Essay ExampleWidowhood in the later life leaves the surviving pardner to undergo a normal knead from grief to acceptance the challenges associated with widowhood are likely to open naked opportunities for increasing and maintaining social relationships. Widows/Widowers and the Efforts of Overcoming Grief Widows are broadly associated with isolation, loss and vulnerability (Walker, 1993, p. 34), especially the post feminist movement era. With the women al nearly completely dependent on men, widowhood seems to be the worst thing that can happen to a woman, especially in the presence of young children. However, the changing views of womens roles in the contemporary society do widowhood less burdensome for the surviving better half, but contemporary views do not spare widows in the process to acceptance. The first challenge for a widow is coping with grief, where older people are seen to cope damp than their younger counterparts (Bryant, 2003). According to Balkwell (1981), there seems to have a reaction pattern following a mates death where initially, surviving partners undergo shock or bewilderment...and may refuse to believe that the spouse is dead (p. 120). ... Bureau of Census (1993) indicated that 80% of women between the ages 65 and 75 are already widow compared to 39% of widowers in the same age bracket (as cited in Bryant, 2003). The issue of sex or sex related to acceptance of death seems to receive contradictory comments from psychologist through the years. Kail and Cavanaugh (2008) stated that men generally have problems with social relationships after the death of the spouse. Moreover, they were seen to be more vulnerable than women because (1) they are the ones who would initiate dating, which is inapt after being married (2) retirement and the loss of contact from workmates (3) there are less widowers in whom they can relate to and (4) they lack familiarity with the things women do such as house hold chores (Balkwell, 1989, p. 120). On the early(a) hand, women are perceived to be more efficient in coping with widowhood, but it depends on the affable of coping mechanism she uses. Lopata (1973) labeled three types of widows the modern woman, the lower class urbanite, and the social isolate (as cited in Chambers, 2005). Each of the three types possesses unique qualities in which Lopata (1973) based their names. The modern woman would have to be the most familiar, where the widow is generally passive but is willing to re-engage. Such characteristic is also evident for women who depart to the lower class urbanite only that they generally seek emotional counsel to family and friends, and not from outside peers such as at work. These qualities are the opposite to what social isolates have. As the term suggests, women belonging to this category do not engage with socialization and basically are withdrawn even to people whom they have finisher connections (Chambers, 2005, pp. 27- 28). In contrast