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Rashid

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This essay will look at the case study of Rashid and, using the information provided about him, will consider what issues Rashid and his family may be facing and how theories of lifespan development can be applied to help inform social work intervention. Rashid is in the later stage of adulthood and this will affect how he is viewed by himself and society. The way society views old age is a social construct, which is a perception created through cultural and social practice (dictionary.com, no date), and these change over time and between cultures. Our current society values economic productivity with older people often seen as a drain (Gilleard and Higgs, 2000), despite the economic contributions they make within childcare or voluntary work. This may lead to Rashid experiencing ageism whereby people make assumptions, treat him a certain way or disadvantage him based upon his age. As Rashid is in old age and from an ethnic minority it may benefit a social worker to understand the double jeopardy hypothesis, which proposes Rashid has a double …show more content…

If a person can do this it may lead to feelings of wisdom and a positive experience in later life, however if you are unhappy with the way you feel about yourself or your past this can lead to feelings of despair and bitterness (Gibson and Gibson, 2016). Rashid displays behaviours which may indicate he is struggling to maintain a positive view of himself, Ego Integrity, for example his unwillingness to accept help or talk to anyone. It is important to understand how this life stage may affect him, however Erikson’s stages may be too rigid as everyone has different experiences at different times in their lives. For this reason, other explanations of his behaviours should also be considered when deciding how to most effectively work with Rashid and his

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