Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Manual
Manual
Life review, acccording to Robert Butler who was one of the first
gerontologists to write about the process and function of reminiscence in the
lives and development of older people, is the tendency of older people towards
self-reflection. The normal life review process is brought about by the
realization of one's approaching dissolution and death. It is characterized by
the progressive return to consciousness of past experiences, the resurgence of
unresolved conflicts that can be looked at again and reintegrated, reflection on
the significance and meaning to one's life, and the preparation for death which
can help mitigate fear and anxiety. It is approached by older people or people
experiencing crises of bereavement and loss with an intensity and emphasis on
putting one's life in order. It is stimulated by free association, recall and
assessment. Life review has to do with memory and with how we organize our
memories. It is a process whereby people can give meaning to their lives and
which leads to personality integration. Life review can be seen as part of a
developmental process, the self in the making through dynamic processes. It is
a process that interests life-span theorists. It is a purposive, reflective,
retrospective process which dwells on the past in order to come to peace with
the past and present.
This acknowledgement of the process of life review in older people has been
supported by many studies since Butler described it in the early 1960's. The
positive effects of reminiscence have been studied in conjunction with emotional
and spiritual healing for the older person, with creativity in the lives of
older people and with its importance for intergenerational connections focusing
on older people as figures of wisdom and guardians of historical and cultural
data. Indeed, life review holds a significant place in gerontological
literature and practice.
The life review process as such is one in which younger generations can
participate as part of a natural healing process for the older person as well as
for the younger person in the act of sharing across the ages.
11) Tell me about your career. What were your doing in your 30's, 40's, and
50's?
12) Did you have children? Tell me about raising your children.
13) What was your relationship with your children over the years?
14) Do you have a close relationship with your children now?
15) Who else are you close to?
16) Who have been the most influential people at various stages in your life?
Why? When? What were you doing at that time?
17) Who are the important people in your life now?
18) Do you keep in touch with any of your old friends?
19) If you had to pick one person who had a major impact on your life, who would
it be? Why?
20) How have your friendships changed through the years?
36) Which of your parents/stepparents do you think you are the most similar to?
why? how?
37) Do you have any philosophy of life? If a person came to you asking you what
the most important thing in living a good life is, what would you say?
38) What do you think has stayed the same about you during your life? What do
you think has changed?
39) How do you see yourself?
40) Did you have any expectations at various points in your life about what
growing older would be like for you? What about when your parents grew older?
Sharon Kaufman in The Ageless Self argues that older people create a
continuity of self in describing the meaning of their lives which is revealed in
the life review process. They maintain a sense of self and of continuous
identity across the life span and thus can "be themselves" in old age. In order
to achieve ego integrity they integrate and accept diverse experiences of a
lifetime into what Kaufman calls themes. These themes are created by people as
a means by which they interpret and evaluate their life experience. Themes are
organizational and explanatory markers which connect and integrate diverse
experiences and create and maintain continuity. Themes fall into different
types. Some are sources of meaning from the past such as the influences of
money, rural or urban upbringing, class status, education, occupation, religion,
and geographic mobility. Others are sources of meaning from the present such as
activity and productivity in the daily routine, family ties, friendships, and
health. Using these themes to establish a cohesive sense of identity is a
process through which a person creates meaning, organizes the past, explains
events, and communicates with others. Kaufman argues that by following this
process people dynamically integrate a wide range of experience, unique
situations, structural forces, values, cultural pathways, and knowledge of an
entire life span to construct a current and viable identity. As people
interpret the events, experiences, conditions, and priorities of their lives,
making connections and drawing conclusions as they proceed, they formulate
themes. In this way, individuals know themselves and explain who they are to
others.
Kaufman argues that there are four to six themes for each life story. They
represent conceptions of meaning that emerge over and over in the texts.
Examples of the kinds of themes Kaufman found in the life review material from
the subjects in her book include affective ties, financial status, marriage,
work, social status, community service, self-reliance, industry, initiative,
search for spiritual understanding, discipline, service, acquiescence, self-
determination, financial security, religion, disengagement, family, achievement
orientation, creativity, need for relationships, and selflessness. Kaufman
argues that these themes are identifiable in individual life reviews because of
the repetitive nature of these factors. By closely analyzing the life review
content these four to six themes will be readily discernible. Kaufman also
argues that there is no uniform set of themes; they are highly individualistic.
By closely examining the material from an individual's life review interview
these themes will emerge quite clearly and be an important source of organizing
the data and of the understanding the unique and idiosyncratic older individual.
References