Religion in Older Adulthood Religion is an important part of millions of people’s lives. Religion gives someone a sense of belief and faith, in a world with many questions. An authority figure that children and adults go to when they are faced with a religious dilemma is an older adult. Santrock (2013) stated that, a belief in God is more prevalent in older adults than any other age group. Many important figures in religious roles are older adults. Religion meets some important psychological need in adults (Santrock, 2013).
Interview I chose to interview my grandmother Josefina Walker.
She is 66 years old and has been living with my family, in Bakersfield, for 3 years. She has 5 daughters and 10 grandchildren. I chose my grandmother because she’s a very religious person and I knew she would have great insight. Josefina talks about how long she’s been devoted to her faith when she said, “I’ve been catholic my entire life. I was baptized when I was a baby and went to church twice a week. My mother use to go to church 3 times a week so naturally we went with her”. Growing up in Mexico religion is an important aspect of everyday life.
However moving from Mexico to California really messed up her church going schedule, “Yeah I use to go twice a week but then when I moved to L. A I had to take some time out and when I had my first daughter I wanted her to be raised in it so I started going again once we moved to Wasco, CA”. As we talked about raising 5 girls I wanted to know how many times she goes now that she has more free time. She mentioned that, “I go twice a week. I go Wednesday for bible study and Sunday for church. The reason a religion draws someone in is different for every person.
The Term Paper on Time Management Things Important Quadrant
Things that matter most should never be at the mercy of thing that matter least. We, as human beings, let this happen much too often. Many of us waste our time on things that are neither important nor necessary, instead of using that time for thing of that are significant. Time management is not only how to get more out of you re time, but really how to become a better person. Time is a very hard ...
Josefina talks about how, “I like the sense of community I feel when I go there. I believe in the teachings since I was a little girl and it’s never changed. I liked that whenever I feel like I have a heavy heart I can go to confession and have the weight lifted knowing that God forgives me”. Out of everything a religion offers there’s always a specific reason someone enjoys it and Josefina says that, “Going to church makes me feel alive. They play music and you have to get up and clap and sing along. It feels good I get this overwhelming feeling of God.
Nothing matter in that moment except to praise him”. A really big question about religion is people practice their faith outside of church? Josefina is a great example on practicing outside of church when she stated that she prays and reads the bible, “All the time. I have a table with the virgin Mary ,candles and my rosary and every night I pray for my kids, my family, my mother and anyone else I can think of. I pray for guidance when I need help on something. I read parts of the bible a couple times a week so I can keep up to date with my bible study”.
Josefina has had health issues for many years and she mentions that, “When I’m in church I don’t feel achy or sore or tired I feel good. I know that God is healing me. It may not go at the pace I want it to but I know he’s working”. A major part of religion is aiding in the learning of younger people. Many kids get their religious learning from their parents or grandparents. When asked if she tries to teach her kids and grandkids she said that, “With my girls I had them all baptized and confirmed at a young age. As they got older I let them choose what they wanted to do. Now 4 are Christian and 1 is spiritual.
With my grandchildren I try to implement God in everything I do in the hopes that some of what I believe will somehow transfer to them. I don’t want to push them but I do want to make sure that they have some foundation to stand on. Most of them are at that age where they have a million questions. I try to answer them in a way that makes sense to them”. Josefina sees religion as not something she has to do but something she loves to do. She believes wholeheartedly in her religion and it affects the way she sees things in a more positive light. Relative Findings I learned some interesting things in my interview.
The Homework on Adulthood: Meaning of Life and Adult
?Like most people, I had the urge to grow up quickly. Despite the constant “they grow up so fast” from relatives, it was not fast enough for me. I used to say, “I can’t wait until I grow up,” usually when I was frustrated with my mom’s strict rules. I fantasized about living a posh life, walking under the warm sun wearing designer shades with my athletic boyfriend before stopping at a restaurant ...
An important thing to remember is that older adults who are religious have more resilience in the face of stress or difficult problems (Santrock, 2013).
Prayer is what’s commonly used to help with stress and difficult problems. Even Josefina mentions that she uses prayers for when she needs help with a problem. Having that faith that God will provide definitely takes some of the weight off. According to Krause (2011), who did a study on the dimensions of prayer between Whites, African Americans and Latino, the prayer lives of Latinos were greatly more advanced than White adults.
Due to the majority of Latinos having lower socioeconomic status they get more benefits from religion. In the interview, Josefina mentioned how she would try to teach her children and grandchildren about religion. Krause and Hayward (2013) did a study on religion and how it is associated with the meaning of life and how it is also associated with physical functioning. As older adults attend church, they have a growing relationship with God. This relationship aids them in helping others which gives them a meaning in life. Josefina also talks about how when she goes to church she feels better.
Also in the study done by Krause (2013) it says that when older adults have a meaning of life they have less functional disability over time. An emotional attachment is what is needed for optimal health. For Josefina religion is not a hobby, it’s a way of life. Religion sets up a path of resilience and empathy. For older adults religion is a way to connect to something in an uncertain time. It aids in helping find a meaning to life as well as helping others find theirs. Religion is not just an important aspect of an older adults life it’s important to others around them as well.
