INTEGRITA A ZOUFALSTVÍ EGA V ERIKSONOVĚ KONCEPCI STÁŘÍ

Late adulthood and aging constitutes the chief portion of the human lifespan, which has various societal, demographical, political, but also psychological consequences. Following the work of Erik H. Erikson, who stressed the task of attaining ego integrity in the final stage of human life, the present study examines and stresses various facets of ego integrity concept: life reviewing, acceptance of the past, acceptance of the end of one's life and death. Erikson in his work suggested that ego integrity is attainable to everyone. The aim of this study is to present Erikson's theory in its complexity and connections to aging nowadays we felt worth exploring. Taking into account the growing number of elderly in society, the study should reveal new and old insight into psychological preparation of growing older with respect to optimal development, empirical and especially historical experience of aged people. Aging older based on this interpretation of Erikson's work and results from empirical evidence means primarily balanced dialogue between integrity and despair on the way to wisdom.