Indian Journal of Gerontology

2013, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 665–673

Anasakti: Stress and Coping in Old Age

Shikha Agrawal and Smita Jaiswal

D.V.P.G. College, Orai (UP)

ABSTRACT
Th paper highlights the indigenous concept of Anasakti
(ShrimadbhagwadGita) as a coping strategy for old age stress. The
concept of Anasakti, having the virtue of religious, philosophical,
individual and social significance, is based on the characteristic of
man of steady wisdom who performs his duties for union with God.
It has been found relevant for reducing stress. Anasakti as applied
to adults’ stress in modern society, suggests some useful ways to cope
with life hassles. In the light of existing literature, present paper
focuses on two questions, first is, what type of stress do older adults
have to face, second is, how can they manage their stress with the
help of Anasakti. The components of Anasakti have also been
discussed.

Key Words: Stress, Old age, Coping strategy, Anasakti.

Stress is many faceted process that occurs in the reaction to events

or situations in our environment and psychological reactions that
different people have to the same event, some may interpret an event
as stressful, whereas others simply take it in stride. Moreover, a
particular person may react quite differently to the same stressors at
different points in time.
666 Indian Journal of Gerontology

Old Age and Stress

Old age is marked by the presence of a wide range of stressors.
The older person is often subject to biological deterioration, social
extrusion and economic deprivation. Evans (1984) draws on a number
of studies to suggest that adverse life events occur more frequently in
old age and that their occurrence causally increases the prevalence of
illness in old age. There are number of factors cause powerlessness in
the elderly. Contextual events that may render a person helpless and
stressful include, being assigned a label that imply inferiority in
relation to the other person, engaging in a consensually demeaning
task, and no longer engaging in a previously reinforcing, valued task.
Elderly people are the targets of many false labels, myths and stereo-
types (Matteson & Mc Connell, 1988).
The social network also changes over the life span and is likely to
be markedly different in old age in comparison with middle and
younger adult years. For example, the elderly are typically separated
from their children and face a shrinking support system with the
demise of spouse, relatives and friends. The social network may also
have different expectations and generate social pressures for the older
persons that are different than those placed on the young and
middle-aged (Schulz & Rau1988).
In his study Rollin, 1986 found that the ageing process involves
general reduction in immunological competence. Adamec, 1990,
Panksepp & Miller 1996 pointed out that the structure in the brain
that mediate the experience of negative affect, the amygdala and limbic
system, become more sensitive with age. The older adults’ ageing body
may magnify the adverse effects of each stress, even though they may
not perceive the event as especially stressful. In reality an ageing
immune system can make adults more vulnerable to the physical
effects of stress.
Scientific literature reveals that people’s health is also profoundly
effected by prolonged negative emotions. Emotional disturbance are
precursors of diseases such as peptic ulcer, hypertension,
thyrotoxicosis, etc. The break down of adjustment caused by stressors
leads to dysfunction of that defense mechanism which controls basic
excitation and inhibition of the brain. Thoits (1984) rightly points out
Anasakti: Stress and Coping in Old Age 667

that emotions have a central role; stressors, coping, support and

psychological disturbance all involve emotional process. Thus it may
be said that elderly persons have to face so many problems in their life
that arouse stress in them and that stress may affect their mental health
as well as physical health.

Old Age and Coping

There are some association between age and coping preference. In
this light, age was presumed to be negatively correlated with problem
focused coping and total number of coping responses.
In their study Folkman, et al.; (1987) found that across the range
of stressful situation, older respondents used less face to face coping.
They were less likely to utilize behavioral approach processes such as
seeking social support, problem solving and defiant opposition. They
were more likely to trust on cognitive approach (Positive reappraisal)
and avoidance coping. Similar results were found by Irion and
Blanchard- Fields (1987), indicating that older adults used less face to
face coping in dealing with threat.
Folkman and her colleagues (1987) did comparative study on the
coping responses of older and younger respondents. They found that
older respondents consistently used more passive, intrapersonal,
emotion focused coping responses whereas younger respondents were
more likely to use active, interpersonal and problem focused coping.
However, older adults, in coping with health problems, tended to
use confrontative coping more than any other response. Ory, et al.;
(1992) clear this fact by their research that people who survive to
advanced age readily engage in health protective behaviors and indeed
may respond more positively than younger peers to instructions
aimed at health promotion.
Overall, it is likely that older individuals are neither more or less
mature than younger adults in their use of coping skills (Lau, W.K.
1994).

The Concept of Anasakti

Anasakti means freedom from both the attachment and aversion.
It means one is neither attached to someone nor averse to it. Anasakti
is transcendence of both attachment and aversion. Anasakti does not
668 Indian Journal of Gerontology

mean that one has no desires, values or goals, it doesn’t mean that one
is not able to behave consistently in committed relationship such as
marriage. Essentially anasakti means that one accept the ebb and flow
of events in life without being psychologically dependent on any
particular situation or outcome.
The literal meaning of Anasakti refers to ‘detachment’ but
empirical scholars hold the view that word ‘detachment’ is very
similar to separation, isolation and aloofness which distort the
meaning of Anasakti, so the appropriate English literal meaning could
be the ‘Non-attachment’ only (Pandey and Naidu, 1992).
The perfection with which the concept of anasakti has been artic-
ulated in the Bhagwad Gita is unprecedented. There in, anasakti
qualifies the manner in which action ought to be performed; with a
sense of duty, in the larger social interest.
According to Naidu and Pandey (1992, p. 3) Anasakti refers to an
“intense though disinterested action, performed with a spirit of
passion (1992, p. 3), without nurturing concerns regarding success or
failure, loss or gain, likes or dislikes.” The ultimate goal of anasakti is
“self realization”. Naidu and pande (1992, p.6) further describe the
Anaskti philosophy as follows: “ if the goal is fixed inwards, the
emotional impacts of external success and failure are minimized and
the consequences, good or bad, will be cognized as milestones on the
path to self realization, rather than reflections of personal capabil-
ities.”
Pandey and Naidu (1992) cite studies showing that emotional and
cognitive distraction can impede performance of the task; they suggest
that adopting a focus on process rather than outcome may reduce
distractions and lead both to superior performance and to lesser stress.
They find in their study that those scoring high on a scale of Anasakti
do in fact experience less stress and less strain in their dealing with
difficult life events.
The Gita asserts that a anasakt individual remains established in a
screne state, a state of mental poise. Anasakti changes the cognitive
structure of people. It changes people’s negative thoughts in to the
positive thoughts and fill him/her with positive energy. Due to this a
anasakt person perceive any situation in a different way and seeks
Anasakti: Stress and Coping in Old Age 669

positive interpretation for every situation. Anasakt person perceive

less stress than those who misinterpret the situation, highly concerns
with outcome and extremely attached to material world.
When people remain stable in all situations and accept every
thing unconditionally then they perceive less stress in any situation.
They are not subject to paroxysms of negative emotions such as anger,
anxiety, grief and depression. Failure, ignominy, loss, death and other
vicissitudes of life do not toss them as they would toss those persons
who attach to the gross sensory material plane of existence.
The Bhagvad Gita teaches that one who abandons all attachment
to the results of his/her activities, satisfied and independent, engaged
in all kinds of undertaking, yet not concerned with rewards involved,
is truly happy. Similarly in Isa Upnishad, the necessity of engaging in
continued activity is emphasized implying there by, that one should
not renounce activity but only the mental attachment towards reaping
personal benefits from them.
Shrimadbhagvad Gita says that action can be performed with
excellence only when the actor has understood that his concerns lie
only in action and not in the result, that action do not have a personal
motive to serve and that these don’t mean that he should resort to
inaction.
If a person, who is emotionally stable and has no worry about
outcomes, can apply himself to the task more efficiently while engaged
in an important task, he will perhaps be less distractable and therefore
will not commit major errors. Such a person can maintain greater
emotional equipoise in the face of success and failure and can solve
problems in a better way.
These conjectures, however, have empirical support. Zaffy and
Burning (1996) suggest that anxiety causes individual to attend to
fewer cues for problem solving. Easterbrook (1959) also suggested that
“the number of cues utilized in any situation tend to become smaller
with increase in emotion.”
The intrusive cognition and emotional excitation seem crucial in
reaction to stress. It can be argued that greater concentration and
absorption in to the task at hand will eliminate task- irrelevant
thoughts such as anticipations about the outcome. This will perhaps
670 Indian Journal of Gerontology

result in task- excellence. On the other hand the emotional stability

acquired through dissociation oneself from concerns regarding the
outcome, will protect the individual from succumbing to the experi-
ences of failure.
Now it is clear that Anasakti influences human thinking very
effectively. It makes a person able to see the life in a optimistic way and
seek positive interpretation for all events. Many studies show that
positive life orientation is beneficial to health. In their study Brissette,
et al.; 2002; Scheiever & Carver,1992; Smith & Williams, 1992
indicated that a highly optimistic individuals appear to attract
supportive social relationships, use adaptive coping strategies, and
have different health habits than pessimists, who tend to give up and
turn away in stressful situations.
The concept of anasakti has been explored by Pandey and Naidu
(1992). Various dimensions of anasakti described by Naidu and Pandey
(1990) as follows:
• Effort orientation
• Emphasis on duty
• Absence of hedonistic compulsions
• Effort after excellence
• Emotional equipoise in success and failure
• Attention control
• Present orientation
• Lack of social approval/comparison
• Non attachment of material possession
In light of this, the doctrine of abasakt action seems to offer an
important coping resource. In this context, therefore, it is being
hypothesized that anasakti would be implicated in stress process.

How Anasakti as a Coping style

Several studies have suggested that coping styles undergo a
natural development across the life span (Lau, W.K 1994). Here it
seems that if the notion of Anasakti is practiced since very beginning it
can be a good coping response at old age when the resources are
limited. Hearing a religious base it can be highly sensitive tool in
Anasakti: Stress and Coping in Old Age 671

Indian context. There are a few studies who have practically examined
the effectiveness of anasakti in relation to mental health at younger
and older people as well.
Pandey and Naidu (1992) found that anasakti has moderating
effect on stress and strain.
Jaiswal (1993) has compare the concept of self-actualization and
karmayoga and found that subjective and cognitive dimension of man
of Bhagwad Gita is beyond self-actualization.
Kumar S. (2009) in an empirical study found that Anasakti signifi-
cantly influence the level of aggression in adult subjects. Anasakti was
also found to be significantly interacting with gender. The
non-attached group was found to be critical to aggression and negative
emotions.
Panchmukhi (2001) has analyzed distinguishing features of
Bhagwad Gita Management Science in comparison with those of the
Modern Management Science. It is found that Bhagwad Gita sets out
many profound of management which are of great relevance.
Jaiswal and kumari Poonam (1999) reported a positive correlation
between belief in karmayoga and mental health of high and low
believers of karmayoga.
Tiwari and Shrivastva (1998) have explored that whether
Anasakti and religiosity associate significantly with aggression and
mental health. Anasakti did not correlated significantly with
aggression and mental health. Religiosity correlated negatively with
aggression but positively with poor mental health.
On the basis of above studies it may be concluded that doctrine of
‘Anasakti’ conveys a message which is central to coping with life
stresses. Ancient literature and recent studies also demonstrate that
significance of cognitive and attitudinal systems determines the
manner in which stress provoking situations are confronted (Pearline
et al., 1981).
Now it can be said that Anasakti is like a key of happiness by
which people can open the door of healthy life. If the concept of
anasakti is practically practiced by older people in real life than it will
be easy for them to adjust in any situation and handle all positive and
negative life events successfully.
672 Indian Journal of Gerontology

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