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Four phases of aging: Beyond Erikson's integrity
versus despair Search

Four phases of aging: Beyond

Erikson's integrity versus despair
by Jean Illsley Clarke, M.A., CFLE

December 1, 2013
NCFR Report
Content Area:
Human Growth and Development Across the Lifespan

It's a Stage She's Going

Through
My mother used to shake her head about
me and remark, "It's a stage she's going
through." I suppose it was. My mother's
position was that the cure for each stage
was the next one; I guess that worked for
both of us. But what would she say if she knew that I'm almost 90 years old
and I'm still going through stages? Well, it's what she predicted, isn't it?

Many of us who are aged, while we appreciate psychoanalyst Erik Erikson's

pioneering work on identifying developmental stages, need help beyond
"integrity versus despair," because 50 is no longer old and the concept of
aging has changed. People who are old and their younger family members
may find the family journey easier if they have some guidelines on the
developmental stages and old age.

Here we will consider the four stages identified by Gene Cohen, a student of
Erikson, in his 2006 book, The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging
Brain. While there are many helpful descriptions of aging, I chose Cohen's
because his stages are easy to grasp and easy to teach. Current research
continues to support his theories and it is easy to add new research,
especially about the brain. Also, I am old enough to have experienced all
four stages and they fit my experience and my observation of aging in
others.

Old Age
Erikson's old age, the age of wisdom, started at 50. In his 1950 book,
Childhood and Society, Erikson called the eighth stage of development, old
age, a crisis of integrity versus despair, a stage of generalization of sensual
modes with the basic strength of wisdom.

When I turned 50, I didn't experience even small spots of wisdom. While I
continue to be grateful for the groundbreaking work of Erikson, I needed
more.

My old dictionary says something about aging as the gradual change in an

organism that increases the risk of death.

Really! The "risk" of death? I thought death was a given. Part of our natural
life process.

Currently we have the geriatric position that aging is not about birthdays,
but is a developmental and maintenance process, and that successful aging
is associated with all aspects of well-being and a high level of life
satisfaction.

Gene Cohen picked up Erikson's challenge to his students to continue the

work on aging. His book, The Mature Mind, is the outcome. Cohen begins by
debunking the prevailing stubborn myth that aging is negative, an illness, a
stagnation, a falling apart, and is dominated by the inevitable decline of
body and mind. He urges us to expect positive growth with age and to
embrace the scientific findings that the aging brain can form new memories
and grow new brain cells. He says,

We've also learned that older brains can process information in a

dramatically different way than younger brains. Older people can use both
sides of their brains for tasks that younger people use only one side to
accomplish. A great deal of scientific work has also confirmed the old "use it
or lose it" adage.

Developmental Intelligence
Quotient and the Inner Push
Cohen posits that we are all endowed with an Inner Push that urges us on
with our development at every age. He notes that, throughout their lives,
people are always at some level in the development of their intelligence.
That level is their Developmental Intelligence Quotient. It is

... the degree to which a person has manifested his or her unique
neurological, emotional, intellectual, and psychological capacities.
... More specifically, developmental intelligence reflects the
maturing synergy of cognition, emotional intelligence, judgment,
social skills, life experience, and consciousness.
Cohen sees developmental intelligence as the greatest benefit of the aging
brain/mind. Call it wisdom. Although the process of aging is associated with
some memory loss and some slower thinking, Cohen reminds us to consider
that many declines in mental abilities are caused not by birthdays but by
disease, mental illness, depression, stress, unhealthy lifestyles, and injuries.

Not by birthdays? When I recently lost almost a year of robust health, I was
repeatedly told that I had to expect it because I was in my 70s. When I lost
much of my fourth-grade year to an undiagnosed illness, no one told me to
expect that because I was 9! Let's beware of labeling memory lapses as
"senior moments." They may not be about birthdays.

Cohen's Four Stages of Maturity

Cohen's phases (stages) are more fluid than Erikson's; he notes that people
may experience them in a different order from the one presented here, or
they may overlap.

Phase I—Midlife Reevaluation (ages mid-30s to mid-60s)

Phase I is a period of quest more than crisis. It involves searching for truth
and meaning.

Where have I been?

Where am I now?
Where am I going?

People in this phase commonly confront their mortality. Although for some
this produces anxiety, the Inner Push usually results in an exciting new look
at what we want to do with our lives. This may mean doing something
differently or something entirely new. Midlife people often become less
impulsive, more thoughtful about their work, more open to life's
complexities, and more aware of their intuitive feelings. Meanwhile, the
brain is aiding the Inner Push by expanding the corpus callosum. This
increasing integration of both sides of the brain produces more balance
between the analytical and the intuitive, resulting in greater productivity
and a stronger sense of self. It's a great time to start a new project or
direction.

On my 50th birthday I decided to write my first book. I always thought of myself

as a slow starter, but according to Cohen, I was right on time.

Phase II—Liberation (ages late 50s into the 70s)

Phase II is a time of experimentation and innovation. In the busy brain, new
neurons are growing in the hippocampi where dendrites reach their
greatest density from the early 50s to late 70s. The Inner Push is toward
liberation, not compliance, toward innovation and willingness to take risks.
For many, retirement means time to do the things they always wanted to
do. The questions are: If not now, when? Why not? What can they do to me?

For me this was a delicious career time of inventing new ways to teach and to
think about theories.

Phase III—Summing Up (ages late 60s through 80s)

Phase III is a time of review and resolution and heralds a desire to give back.
The review is of one's life with recognition of its meaning. It is a time of
putting photos in albums, of writing memoirs. It may be that the richness of
the autobiographical activities is aided by the ability to use the left and the
right sides of the brain simultaneously. The left side is mostly used by young
adults. Cohen speculates that the brain "relishes" the summing-up activities.

In his early 70s my husband Dick realized that his grandchildren had no way of
knowing their immigrant grandfather's history. Dick started with a few pages
and several years later had 3 inches of facts, stories, and pictures.

Cohen's research indicates that 80% of those in the summing-up phase do

some sort of volunteer work. Common questions are: What is the meaning
of my life? How do I give back, make the world a better place? Are there
unresolved conflicts I can make right?

Phase IV—Final Phase, Encore (ages the late 70s until the end of life)
Cohen remarks,

This need to remain vital can lead to new manifestations of

creativity and social engagement that make this period full of
surprises.

Drawing on his extensive research and that of others, and on interviews and
experiences working with people in Phase IV, Cohen sees the Inner Push
fostering reflection and celebration. He notes that this phase continues
aspects of the three previous phases: reexamination, liberation, and
summing up. Hence the name encore is used in the French sense of
"continuing." Although some qualities of intellectual functioning decline,
new dendrites, synapses, and neurons are continually being created,
especially if there is adequate physical and mental stimulation. Not only is
learning always possible, but the depth of experience gives an added
dimension of wisdom to the quality of one's thinking. Cohen cites research
indicating that the oldest-old can cope well and have high levels of
satisfaction and psychological resilience. Positive emotions and morale are
supported by further changes in the amygdala. Cohen states:

Several other studies have confirmed these findings—even

among unhealthy adults. The bottom line: people become better
at adapting to their conditions as they get older.

Regardless of their health status, older people typically are better

prepared—in terms of both satisfaction with life and coping
capacities—to face the vicissitudes of aging.
For me this book is a yes! It is so freeing. Yes, personal perceptions and ways
of thinking change. They get broader and deeper. Yes, those old societal
myths about aging program us to fear old age. Yes, we need to move
beyond them and expect positive growth.

Invitation
If you think Cohen's four-phase concept can be helpful in a class setting or
in coaching an individual or a family, I have two ideas to share. First, I find
Cohen's phase designations cumbersome, so I nickname them Quest, Zest,
Meaning, and Mellowing. Second, if the Four Phases of Adult Developmen
t handout looks useful, feel free to use it. I create short activities, depending
on the interests of the group or individual, to help people examine their
thoughts and beliefs about each stage.

May all of us who are older be thoughtful as we journey through our stages and
create our own successful aging.

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