Successful Aging Holarchy

I want to put forth the aspect of holarchy as it relates to my gerontological discussion. First, we have one who represents a person along the course of becoming a successful ager. There are many aspects to be considered as one is moving through a life course, but I have narrowed them down to six which may lead one to the perception that he or she has successfully aged.

These aspects are as follows: Religion/Spirituality, Social Connectivity, Education, Coping Strategies, Physical Activity/Functionality, and Financial Resources.

Imagine an organizational chart where One is centrally located and the six aspects of successful aging are radially connected to one. This may demonstrate the interrelatedness of each aspect to one. There is a constant push-pull between these aspects and one; however, for one to enjoy the perception of successfully aging he or she must capably navigate the interaction of each of these aspects throughout his or her life.

More later.

Introduction to Holarchy

I passed my oral defense this week for my MS in Gerontology. My thesis is about the aspect of successful aging ( predominately discussed in gerontological circles) and how we are connected to the holarchy. The word holarchy was coined by Authur Koestler in his 1967 book, The Ghost in the Machine. It's origins are from the greek word holos, meaning whole and hierarchy, meaning organization. The way I use holarchy is to describe how all aspects of our lives are so intimately interrelated with one another. In short, the "parts" of our lives give rise to the "whole".

Many believe their own perception of successfully aging is due to their finanical resources, or their social connectivity, their spiritual connectivity, their physical functional capability, etc., etc., etc. Unfortunately, many people don't look at the whole picture and get lost in life by focusing only on one predominat theme in their life. My contention is that everything matters in our lives and so holarchy represents all-that-is. This will be the crux of discussion on this blog.

I will continue to post here and I hope some of you will join me for conversation and maybe even a little learning. Afterall, it's been proven that if we don't use it, we lose it (our minds). I look forward to many rewarding discussions of this topic with everyone.