A report done during the 2011 US Census suggested that the geriatric population is growing at a higher rate as compared to other age groups. This being the case, aging and developmental theories have increasingly become a way to frame and give the order to the aging phenomenon. The film Driving Miss Daisy is one good example of the age-related changes that occur in individuals throughout the different stages of their lives between early adulthood through to old age. Being the main character in this particular movie, this film gives an account of the life lived by Daisy in her 70s and as she ages into her 90s. This being said, the core intent of this essay is to analyze Daisys aging and her many age-related adjustments throughout the 25 years of her late adulthood developmental stage.
Firstly, with reference to Erick Ericksons developmental paradigm, it is with no doubt that Miss. Daisy, at the age of 72 through to the age of 95, was in her late adulthood developmental stage. According to Erickson, this is a developmental stage that is characterized by both integrity and despair. Thus, it is during this phase, that adults reflect on the kind of lives they have lived. For those whose reflection of their past lives gives them a feeling of contention, they get to face life and their aging proudly. Nonetheless, those who feel disappointed. However, those like Miss Daisy, who feel held up by society and culture, fall in despair. In the Film, throughout Miss. Daisys aging, she is overly irritable, self-righteous and has her ways substantially impacted by the widespread racial discrimination against the ethnic minorities, especially the blacks, which characterized her time. Nonetheless, towards her 90s and upon interaction with her African-American chauffer, Hoke, Daisy, begins to understand how productive her life was and begins to develop a feeling of integrity.
In a similar regard, Miss Daisys transitions and age-related adjustments through the 25 years of her old age also relate to the activity theory, which states that continued activity is a significant indicator of successful aging (Jett, 2012). As this is well exemplified in Miss. Daisys aging, the film Driving Miss Daisy the film, gives an account of how Daisys active participation in her daily chores gave her a feeling of successful aging. For instance, she took pride in continuing her usual daily activities which included cooking, canning, gardening and above all else, managing her bills. As seen in the film, despite her old age, Miss. Daisy was an independent woman who became very upset when she was no longer able to drive her own car, she at first could not allow, Hoke, her chauffeur to drive her around. Concerning the challenges related to the developmental stages, the fact that Miss Daisy lost her ability to perform this daily task is considered as a critical developmental step and an aging process challenge, according to the disengagement theory. This loss of ability was, in its deepest essence, a threat to Miss Daisys identity. Another of Miss Daisys old age challenges was suffering from dementia and also becoming weak to the extent of using a walker.
Living in the South, which back in the 1950s was characterized by both racial discrimination against the ethnic minorities and religious prejudice, it is evident that culture had a lot of impacts in the experiences and the development of Miss Daisys old age developmental stage. For instance, while Hoke serves as Miss Daisys chauffeur for the next 25 years, despite being black, Hokes grace and resilience spark a friendship relationship between Miss Daisy and himself. Thus, through this friendship, Miss Daisy substantially loses some of her deep-rooted prejudice against the African Americans to the extent of reaching a point where she considered herself a supporter of the civil rights. Therefore, we can deduce that Miss Daisy enhanced her sense of identity which was characterized by her good relations with her chauffeur Hoke. This, in essence, significantly contributed to her despair to integrity transition, in her old age developmental stage.
Being the concept through which the interconnected nature of social categorization such as social classes, race, and gender apply to a given individual or group of people, intersectionality and its issues are well exemplified through Miss Days old age developmental stage. Living in the south, Daisy deeply resents Hoke, not just because Hokes job as her chauffeur was an implication that she was no longer able to control her life, but because he was African American. In the film, the blacks, who are a representation of the ethnic minority are given small roles such as being the house maid, like Ideally and Hoke, her chauffeur. Nonetheless, regardless of Daisys barely disguised prejudices, Hoke through his resilience and his patience for her intolerance, teaches Miss Daisy, on how to be a more humane person. This, in essence, helped her transition from her late adulthood despair to developing integrity which saw her aging successfully.
In the process of completing her old age or rather the final developmental stage, Miss Daisys status was characterized by various identities. For instance, with reference to the developmental tasks, Miss Daisys central developmental task that characterized her transition into old age was her adjustment to retirement. This developmental task was inclusive of the challenge for Miss Daisy to create a positive sense of her life in the end. Despite her decrease in physical strength, Miss Daisys old age transition also included her task of meeting social and civic obligations. This is exemplified in the movie where she takes it as her own obligation to try teaching, Hoke, an illiterate African-American, how to read and write.
Request Removal
If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the customtermpaperwriting.org website, please click below to request its removal:
