The Social Exclusion as a Problem of Self-Realization of the Elderly

Abstract

The article presents the problem of social exclusion, which in the context of suchchallenges of global society as poverty, inequality, migration, aging of population, has become oneof the most urgent in different countries and continents. It is actual both, for the residents of theUSA and for the citizens of Ukraine. While living in different countries, we are the residents of ourcommon “house”- Earth and many problems of modern global world make us more close to eachother than we even can think. Among them - a problem of social exclusion and aging ofpopulation, which destroyes the democratic and human rights both of the inhabitants ofAppalachians and the hutsuls, living in Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine. The social, cultural andbehavioral aspects of the problem of exclusion and aging of population are analyzed in the article.Peculiarities of aging, cognitive and emotional state of personalities in the period of aging, thepersonality’s attitude towards aging and social exclusion reflect the feelings and experience ofpeople and show that they are similar as for residents of Appalachian region and for gutsuls ofCarpathian mountains. In the article it is stressed that social exclusion is dangerous for people ofall ages, especially for people from families, for residents of mountain regions, for orphans anddisabled. Not having sufficient capacity to manage the situation, they all feel powerless and unableto manage their life. That is why most countries of the world pay great attention to overcome socialexclusion. And since the second half of the 90-th the fight with social exclusion is an integral partnot only of the EU's and of the USA’s social policy, but it also has become an important direction ofthe social work in Ukraine.