Observing differences across age groups

¶ … Age Group in Relation to Psychology

Situational Overview

To have the opportunity to observe elderly individuals in the latter stages of life, the observer arranged to have dinner during the "early-bird" discount period at a local restaurant where retirement-age people typically frequent the establishment. The observer waited at the bar area so as to be able to select subjects, ideally, a party of four comprising two couples in the age group selected. The design of the experiment was to take an adjacent table and to eavesdrop on their conversation while wearing headphones plugged into a device that was not actually playing any sound to present the appearance of a disinterested person without any interest in the conversations taking place in his vicinity. The subjects eventually selected for observation were two (apparently) married couples approximately 70 to 75 years in age. They seated themselves at a table and appeared to be regulars by their familiarity with their surroundings. That assumption was confirmed when they greeted their server by name.

Demeanor and Apparent Attitude

There seemed to be an obvious difference in the two couples. Couple Number 1 seemed to be cheerful and in a good mood and interacted with one another very pleasantly and politely. Couple Number 2 seemed stressed and irritable and the male was somewhat short, even bordering on impolite, in the way he spoke to his wife. Husband Number 1 pulled out the chair for his wife but Husband Number 2 simply seated himself. He was the first to speak and immediately began complaining. First, he inspected his silverware and smelled the cream in the container, announcing that there were water spots on his spoon and that the cream was not fresh.

Conversational Content

Throughout the conversations, Couple Number 1 spoke about their grandchildren, the part-time job that the husband had taken in the local library assisting with English as a Second Language Skills Class, and about the cruise they were considering taking with several other members of their philatelist society in which the wife served as a member of the governing board. They seemed to be interested in the same things; they each contributed to the conversation on ways that complement the other and neither complained about anything. They made no references to their past occupations and engaged in no bickering or arguing. Couple Number 2 contributed less variety to the conversation, and talked almost exclusively about their recent medical problems. There was a dynamic of mutual irritation apparent between them that seemed to be related to the fact that the wife was responsible for monitoring all of the husband's medical tests and appointments and medications and that the husband was obstinate about complying with certain instructions from his physician. They never mentioned any interests and the husband made several references to having been a police officer for 28 years. When his wife responded to the other couple that maybe she and her husband would join their cruise someday, the husband dismissed it with an irritated wave of his hand and said "I need to be locked up on a ship like that like I need a hole in the head."

Application of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory