Obraz ekspresji seksualnej w okresie późnej dorosłości : stereotypy a fakty empiryczne

Understanding of late adulthood period is associated with a number of misunderstandings and stereotypes. They affect the functioning in the sexual sphere, among others. Here, particularly emphasized is the myth of the “natural” and socially expected asexuality in the elderly. This article presents a positive outlook on sexual expression in late adulthood, as an integral part of the development in the life-span perspective. It presents the beliefs that function in society,  and refers them to the results of research on the sexuality of older people, carried out in the last dozen years. The aim of the paper is to outline a realistic picture of the sexual expression of  people after the age of 60–65. The article shows an outlook on sexuality in late adulthood from the perspective of both younger generations and older people themselves, describes the process of changing one’s attitudes towards one’s own sexuality as a result of aging, and points out the difficulties and ways of dealing with them undertaken by the elderly in the area of their sexual  expression.