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Professional Helpers and Resistances to Work with Older People

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Simon Biggs
Simon Biggs
Affiliation:
Central-Council for Education and Training in Social Work, Derbyshire House, St Chad's Street, London WC1H 8AD, England.
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Abstract

Resistances to empathy with older service users are outlined, drawn primarily from Jungian psychology. It is suggested that lack of a helper's personal experience of old age allows disproportionate influence to be played by archetypal intrapsychic processes. These are augmented by helpers perceptions of a negative personal future and a tendency either to ignore the age appropriate projects of older persons or replace them with those appropriate for the helper. Consequences for helper training are briefly explored.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , March 1989 , pp. 43 - 60
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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References

NOTES

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