Lars Tornstam

Gerotranscendence: The contemplative dimension of aging

Abstract Open-ended, qualitative interviews were conducted with 50 Swedish men and women, aged 52–97, in order to examine developmental changes in worldview and self-attitudes. Retrospective changes were reported by a number (but not all) of the respondents, reflecting an awareness of a more cosmic dimension of reality, and attitudes reflecting a less narcissistic view of the self. Similarities, and differences between the theory of Gerotranscendence, which has informed this research, and the theory of disengagement, and the works of other personality theorists are discussed, along with implications for understanding the subjective experience of aging.

Body images among men and women of different ages

The exterior territories, or surfaces, of the body have become symbols of the self in late modernity. People are increasingly overwhelmed with messages of youthful ideals: how to stay young or how ...

Gero-transcendcncc: A reformulation of the disengagement theory

This article offers a meta-theoretical reformulation of the disengagement theory. It is argued that what social gerontologists describe in negative terms and label “disengagement” is in reality often a positive development towards gero-transcendence. This latter can be described as a shift in meta-perspective from a materialistic and rational view to a more cosmic and transcendent one, normally followed by an increase in life satisfaction. To understand the nature of gero-transcendence gerontologists have to make a meta-theoretical shift from a traditional positivist view to a view where disengagement is phenomenologically comprehended. As the article includes some criticism of interactionist-based social gerontology, it should be mentioned that the author himself has been and is working within this theoretical tradition. The article is as much self-criticism as anything else.

Youthfulness and Fitness—Identity Ideals for All Ages?

In a consumer society the body is a symbol of ones identity. We have witnessed new images for elderly people, especially the young-old. The focus of this article is on a descriptive study on the importance of youthfulness and fitness among Swedish individuals of different ages. The empirical study among 1,250 Swedish participants ranging in age from 20 to 85 years shows youthfulness and fitness to be a uni-age phenomenon. More than 7 out of 10 participants in the study report lower subjective ages (Feel-Age, Ideal-Age, and Look-Age) than their chronological ages. Fitness activities and slenderness ideals seem to be important independent of age group. This could be interpreted as representing a changing lifecourse with new, more positive images of old age. On the other hand, it could be interpreted as a new, subtler form of ageism.

Loneliness in Marriage

Earlier studies of loneliness have obtained quite confusing results about gender differences. This might be due to the fact that many earlier studies have used very limited and special samples. In the present study of 2795 representative Swedes, 15-80 years of age, it is found that there certainly is a gender difference in loneliness, but that this difference is restricted to married individuals between 20 and 49 years of age. Several possible explanations of this observation are tested, among them the assumption that women more willingly acknowledge their loneliness. This explanation is refuted by the fact that the gender difference in loneliness was not general but was restricted to a certain group of married respondents. Other hypotheses of the causes of the observed gender differences in loneliness are related to assumptions of women having higher expectations for intimacy in a relationship and women having lower self-esteem. Even if gender differences are shown to exist in these respects, they do not explain the observed gender differences in loneliness, neither do differences in the social networks of men and women. The results of the study cannot rule out the remaining explanation, that the observed gender differences in loneliness are due not to social-psychological factors, but to a more basic difference in which men and women react to the stresses and strains in a relationship.

Gerotranscendence and the Functions of Reminiscence

In the present investigation, different functions of reminiscence have been empirically studied in relation to the developmental changes described in the theory of gerotranscendence, a theory dealing with human development towards maturity and wisdom. The phenomenon of gerotranscendence and the functions of reminiscence are, according to our analyses, intertwined. Since gerotranscendence is largely about the change and reconstruction of identity and personal frames of reference, this also means that the common continuity-oriented theoretical perspective on reminiscence has to be questioned. Reminiscence can have functions other than that of stabilizing an already developed identity. It can just as well play an instrumental role in developmental change and reconstruction of the identity and in our perception of the world.

Attitudes toward Embodied Old Age among Swedes.

Messages in the consumer culture are often youth oriented, aiming at the prevention of the bodily decay associated with biological aging. In gerontological discourses, this has been hypothesized to generate negative attitudes toward embodied aging and old age. Studies about general attitudes toward old age show that younger respondents have more negative attitudes than do older respondents, and gerontological discourses also hypothesize a gendered ageism, with especially negative attitudes toward elderly women. The empirical study of embodied aging among 1,250 Swedes aged 20–85 years contradicts these hypotheses. The results show rather positive attitudes toward embodied old age, especially among young and middle-aged respondents. Neither do the results unequivocally confirm the hypothesis of gendered ageism, which predicts considerably more negative attitudes toward old women than toward old men. One interpretation of the results is that, counter to many hypotheses, the consumer culture, with its new opportunities and roles for old people, may positively affect these attitudes.

Nursing staff´s interpretations of "Gerotranscenddental Behavior" in the Elderly

From the theory of gerotranscendence, certain so-called “gerotranscendental behaviors” have been derived, e.g., changes in the perception of time and the amount of time spent in solitude. In order to find out if staff members working with the elderly notice such behaviors and how they interpret them, we presented a number of caregivers with descriptions of specific behaviors (i.e., the transcendence of time). A common denominator in the interpretations of “gerotranscendental behaviors” is that they are constructed within the perspective of either a pathology-oriented or an activity-oriented theory. In the first case, the behavior is understood as a symptom of, for example, dementia. In the second case, the behavior is regarded as a negative consequence of inactivity. We conclude that, if the inherently positive developmental perspective provided by the theory of gerotranscendence is not to be lost, staff members apparently need access to new frames of reference.

Dimensions of Loneliness

Experiences of loneliness have been studied in 2795 Swedish inhabitants aged 15-80. Three different kinds of feelings of loneliness have been identified: intensity/quantity of loneliness, inner loneliness and positive loneliness. Contrary to common belief, the analysis shows that the intensity/quantity of loneliness is higher among young subjects whereas the degree of inner loneliness is slightly higher among older subjects. Both developmental experiences during childhood/adolescence and social conditions at present are correlated with the experience of loneliness in old people. (Aging 2: 259-265,1990)