Beyond Death: Inheriting the Past and Giving to the Future,Transmitting the Legacy of One's Self

Abstract

This study explores the phenomenon of legacy as a component of the aging experience among women. Against a backdrop of prior focus on transmission of material possessions as the primary form of legacy, the concept is critically examined in developing an expanded, theoretically and empirically grounded perspective. In-depth interviews with 38 women, ranging in age from 31 to 94 and representing diverse marital, parental, and health statuses, reveal multiple dimensions of leaving a legacy in terms of content, creation, and transmission. Through the stories of the participants in this study, legacy emerges as a means of passing on the essence of one's self, in particular one's values and beliefs. Legacy is a method of leaving something behind after death and making meaning of the end of life. The desire to leave a legacy is manifest in many different ways dependent on the individual and their culture. While the idea of legacy is often couched in terms of material possessions, it appears that passing on values and beliefs is more important to older adults.

Legacy—I was awakened to that idea while watching the movie Armistad. The man talks about how he is a collection of all of his ancestors. I never really thought about that before. I wrote this thing out on an index card and stuck it in my room. It says “I am all that I am for all that those have gone before me. I carry all of them in me.” When I was thinking about it in that way I thought wow, I have a lot to live up to. (Lisa K, 63 years old)

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