Attachment and Old Age, a Perspective for Understanding Wellbeing and Emotional Regulation in Elders

Abstract

This study presents a review of attachment theory applied to old age in its theoretical and applied aspects. The work aims to compile the most important information on the relationship between the attachment response in the elderly with subjective well-being, illness and emotional regulation, as a strategy to achieve an understanding that in the future favors and increases the quality of life of the aged people. Rarely used in our language, this theory is an essential theoretical framework for understanding aging and individual differences in coping with unavoidable losses and age-related diseases and is currently considered an important resource for resilience in old age. The article begins by pointing out that old age remains outside of attachment theory, to continue exposing the distinctive characteristics of attachment in old age, the evolution of attachment styles and figures, and the importance of symbolic attachments. The updated explanation of the biological substrate of attachment allows us to understand its enormous influence on health and on emotional regulation and coping processes. We conclude with the need to investigate in our language in this pioneering area of knowledge for the prevention and promotion of healthy aging.