从物质到精神:后小康社会老年贫困的理论建构

From Subsistence to Spiritual Wellbeing: A Coneptual Framework of Poverty of the Elderly

依照马斯洛的需求层次理论、健康-积极-成功老龄化的发展战略以及新时代老有所养的民生定位,可以将老年贫困概念的内涵和外延置于经济、健康、社会和精神四个领域的理论框架之中去理解。经济、健康、社会和精神贫困虽有一定的层级关系和先后序次,但彼此嵌入,同向纠缠、互为因果、相互激化。四类贫困可分为两大类:一类与生理需求有关,物质贫困和健康贫困皆属于此;二者均为维系生存之所需,处于需求的较低层次,可通过外生物质环境的改善而得以缓解(除机体功能的退行外)。另一类与较高层次的社会需求有关,社会贫困和精神贫困皆归于此;这些需求的满足需要外部和内部要素的联手方能得到满足。物质需求总有限度,但精神需求却无止境。后小康社会的老年贫困研究,必须同时关照贫困的多维度性,在致力降低物质贫困的同时,全方位提升老年人的福祉,尤其是心理和精神福祉。

Starting from the definition of the concept of"poverty,"this paper clarifies the connotation and extension of poverty,and proposes a theoretical framework of poverty covering the four dimensions of economic,health,social and psychological poverty of the elderly.These four domains of poverty among the elderly are intertwined,entangled and interact with each other,although economic poverty,and to some extent,poverty in health,are always the basic forms of poverty.The four domains of poverty can be divided into two categories,one is related to the needs of daily life,which can be alleviated through the improvement of external environment.The other is related to higher levels of social needs,and the satisfaction of these needs requires the cooperation of external and internal forces.In the study of poverty among the elderly in a post-well-off society,the multidimensional nature of poverty should be taken take into account in order to improve the well-being of the elderly in an all-round way.