Social and psychological characteristics of personal alienation of older people during the war

Abstract

In times of war, the elderly are a vulnerable category of the population that experiences not only material losses but also significant psychological and social challenges. Observing and studying the social and psychological characteristics of personal alienation of this group of people is an urgent task, as it can determine the quality of their lives and contribute to the development of effective support programmes. The article presents a study of the socio-psychological factors of personal alienation of the elderly. The authors analyse and consider the main approaches to understanding the concept of alienation. The article describes the author's model of the emergence of personal alienation in the elderly, which demonstrates the mechanism and process of the emergence and development of personal alienation in the elderly, and also considers the peculiarities of experiencing personal alienation by the elderly during the war. The model of personal alienation includes: a change in social status, an increase in the amount of unoccupied time, a decrease in the number of social contacts and a decrease in social activity, which in turn lead to the experience of non-compliance with social norms and standards, which causes a limitation of own resources and leads to personal alienation. The article also presents and discusses the author's structural model of personal alienation of the elderly. The proposed structural model identifies the socio-psychological and psychological factors that characterise the personal alienation of the elderly. The socio-psychological factors include: refusal to participate in the affairs of society, reduced social responsibility and social distancing. The psychological factors of personal alienation include: isolation, maladaptability, consistency in achieving goals, life goals, interest in life, conscious loneliness, emotional rejection of the present, negative assessment of the past, and anxiety. Personal alienation leads to a loss of subjectivity, which, due to the reduction of social contacts and social exclusion, further intensifies the experience of personal alienation by older people.