SOCIAL WORK WITH THE CONFLICTS OF THE ELDERLY. CONCEPT, STRATEGIES, SPECIFICS

ABSTRACT

The article is devoted to the study of the choice of strategies of behavior in conflict situations of people of late adulthood. The article presents a comparative analysis of the strategies of behavior in conflicts between working and non-working persons of late adulthood. This paper examines the general characteristics of conflicts. The specifics of social work with elderly people in a conflict situation.

Keywords: social work, conflict, conflict situation, psychologist, elderly person, crisis, old age.

Currently, there is a certain lack of theoretical and practical research in the field of conflicts of older people, especially in the age range from 65 to 80 years. There are practically no works that analyze the underlying causes of conflicts and behavioral strategies among the elderly and their impact on the life of society as a whole, and the individual in particular. At the same time, the problem of the conflict is purely applied. It is widely used in solving very specific situations in which there is a clash of interests of two or more parties.

A theoretical analysis of the literature suggests that there is no generally accepted understanding of the essence of conflict in psychology today. Some authors interpret it as a collision, counteraction, contradiction.

Sometimes conflict is understood as a type of communication, situational incompatibility, a situation of not finding a way out, a type of competitive interaction. Among the essential features of the conflict are the presence of contradictions between the subjects, their opposition and negative emotions towards each other [1, с. 22].

In modern life conflict is one of the integral factors of human existence and therefore a part of our life. In fact the entire history of mankind is a history of conflicts, crises, misunderstandings and struggles.

Thomas identifies the following ways to respond in a conflict situation:

• Rivalry: the least effective, but most frequently used way of behaving in conflicts. It is expressed in the desire to achieve the satisfaction of one's interests at the expense of another. A person who uses a competitive style is not interested in cooperation with others and achieves the goal by using his ability to dominate, to force them to take the right solution to the problem.
• Adaptation: means sacrificing one's own interests for the sake of another. When using this style, there is participation in the situation and agreement to do what the other wants.
• Compromise: a compromise is an agreement between the parties to a conflict reached through mutual concessions.
• Avoidance: characterized as a lack of desire for cooperation and a lack of tendency to achieve their own goals. A person does not defend his rights and avoids resolving the conflict.
• Cooperation: the participants in the situation come to an alternative that fully satisfies the interests of both parties. This style requires more time than the others [4, с. 12].

The concept of conflict has no age boundaries and is applicable to the description of behavior, both in children's groups and to the description of the behavior of older persons. Numerous studies indicate the influence of age, age-related interpersonal relationships and interests on the nature of conflicts [2, с. 34].

Human behavior undergoes changes in adulthood, due to changes in social status and type of activity. The social situation of development in old age is associated with a departure from active participation in the productive life of society – with retirement. And it is retirement in some theories of old age that is recognized as the beginning of this age.

After the termination of work, the elderly person is faced with a new attitude from the usual circle of people, for example, children, friends. Retirement is an important event not only for a particular person, but also for those around him. Thus, the presence of conflicts and their resolution in a person's life at the stage of late maturity can directly depend on the choice of a strategy of behavior in it.

The specifics of the social worker's communication with the elderly.

The best way to avoid conflict with an older person is to prevent conflict. This should be known to both the social worker and the relatives of the elderly.

The social worker should be aware that it is important in his work to fill the deficit not only of communication but also of the client's family ties. After all to a single client it most often replaces a family-lost or never existed. Therefore it is necessary to allow the elderly person to speak out to allow some lyrical digressions, reflections, memories and not only because it is necessary to know his point of view but first of all so that a weakened and helpless person does not cease to feel like an active participant in events whose actions and opinions are important, valuable and expedient. You need to be interested only in positive memories to avoid talking about negative events in the life of an old person to switch attention to the possibility of a positive solution to his needs and needs [5, с. 88].

The work of a social worker with the elderly is characterized by high emotionality. Reduced intelligence, helplessness of the client such features as sloppiness, forgetfulness, egocentrism and demands can cause negative emotional reactions in the social worker. An important quality of a social worker is the ability not to be irritated in any circumstances to always remain correct and calm to treat the ward with interest.

The social worker should encourage older people to establish new social contacts and connections to show an interest in religion, recovery, entertaining leisure, and to participate in a wide variety of types of assistance and mutual assistance.

You should never judge and criticize the behavior of an elderly client especially not to take any side in his possible conflicts with relatives or neighbors, unless, of course, there is no direct moral or physical violence against the old person. In case of violence it is necessary to notify the management for a comprehensive solution to this problem possibly with the participation of a police officer, psychologist, psychiatrist, lawyer, district doctor.

We looked at the current viewpoints on conflicts in old age, found out the strategies of behavior in a conflict situation. Note that this topic is not well researched to date. We also reviewed the technology of behavior of a social worker with an elderly person. The result is that you should not forget about the state of mind of an elderly person, how difficult he would not be in communication [3, с. 130].

It is important to understand the changes taking place in a person in order to maintain a positive attitude towards him.

It is essential to understand the fact that by their conflict behavior an elderly person makes it clear to others that he is not well. Not all of his needs are met. Therefore it is not necessary to condemn him for this behavior but it is necessary to help him get rid of difficulties and gain peace of mind.

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