Walk into an assisted living facility, get behind an elderly driver, volunteer at a senior center, or attend a Medicare Lunch ‘N Learn and what words immediately come to mind? Probably not purposeful, reimagined, renewed, enlightened, invigorated. If, instead, you’re thinking just the opposite, you might be making some misassumptions about the oldest generation.
Our society, for the most part, sees just the wrinkles, wobbly gait, gray hair, and yellowed teeth. If one is smart enough to get beyond the superficial, however, they’ll discover that some, but not all, of our senior citizens are undergoing an almost sacred gerotranscendence. That’s a term for a developmental process in the aging whereby elderly individuals experience the shifting, growing, and maturing of their worldviews and self-identification. Swedish sociologist Dr. Lars Tornstam largely introduced it in his book, Gerotranscendence: A Developmental Theory of Positive Aging.
Struggling as I am with growing old, I was mightily intrigued with the theory of gerotranscendence and encouraged by its optimism. Equally, I appreciated its premise that much of gerotranscendence has to do with accepting what is as individuals come to terms with any limitations they might have, life circumstances, and their own mortality.
With this positive aging developmental process comes a slow withdrawal from middle-age materialism, lifestyle, and values and a gradual move towards introspection, spirituality, and the cosmic. It is a contemplative time that, for many, brings about greater life satisfaction and well-being, deeper interpersonal relationships, and a new-found connectedness to the universe. It can also heighten a special awareness of the mystery of life.
With gerotranscendence, moments of solitude (long or short) are important, death isn’t feared as much, small gestures have greater significance, time spent in nature brings peace, priority is placed on meaningful activities, past and present blur a bit, there is reflection on past accomplishments, and one comes to terms with regrets. Seeking forgiveness and making amends might also become important.
From the reading I’ve done so far, I understand that this elderhood great awakening is possible for everyone, but not everyone experiences it. That leads me to wonder whether those who do have always had, say, a more reflective spirit or a greater yearning for meaning in life. My guess is that some come to it slowly and peacefully while others might have more of an epiphany due to a crisis or great loss.
I strongly suspect that mindful living (living in the moment) is an important practice in gerotranscendence and I plan to write a future blog post on that connection. In the meantime I plan to dive deeper into gerotranscendence, continue my reading on the aging process, and try to focus more on the enlightenment that might await me rather than grieve decline and loss.
Here are some links on gerotranscendence: