Data from life review interviews with thirty-nine elder Catholic women religious (68–98) show these women's lives do not conform to a sequential pattern of late life developmental stages. Their lives can best be understood in terms of continuous themes throughout individual lives. The majority of the women reach ego integrity in young old age and continue to reestablish this by adhering to themes in their life stories. Themes serve as a framework of the self. The main themes of the participants are: faith, family, education, friends, community, caring for others, and prayer. Communal aspects of religious life support the women in their continuous development of identity. Generativity is evidenced in their lives as an ongoing component of self-identity. These data show the continuous process of establishing ego integrity throughout late life. The life review data can best be explained using the continuity theory of identity development.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ArmstrongM. J., & GoldsteenK. S. (1990). Friendship support patterns of older American women. Journal of Aging Studies, 4(4), 391–404.
2.
AtchleyR. C. (1989). A continuity theory of normal aging. The Gerontologist, 29(2), 183–190.
3.
ColemanP. G.Ivani-ChalianC., & RobinsonM. (1993). Self-esteem and its sources: Stability and change in later life. Ageing and Society, 13, 171–192.
4.
CoxE. O., & ParsonsR. R. (1996). Empowerment-oriented social work practice: Impact on late life relationships of women. In RobertoK. A. (ed.), Relationships between women in later life (pp. 129–143). Binghamton, NY: Harrington Park Press.
5.
DaniewiczS. C.MercierJ. M.PowersE. A., & FlynnD. (1991). Change, resources and self-esteem in a community of women religious. Journal of Women & Aging, 3(1), 71–91.
6.
DeedyJ. (1984). Beyond the convent wall: Sisters in the modern world. Theology Today, XL(4), 421–425.
7.
Dittman-KohliF. (1990). The construction of meaning in old age: Possibilities and constraints. Ageing and Society, 10, 279–294.
8.
DoyleJ. C. (1986). Commitment in a religious order: A sociological view. Review for Religious, 45(2), 188–204.
9.
EriksonE. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). New York: W. W. Norton.
10.
EriksonE. H.EriksonJ. M., & KivnickH. G. (1986). Vital involvement in old age.New York: W. W. Norton.
11.
FreemanM. (1993). Rewriting the self: History, memory, narrative.London: Routledge.
12.
FieldD., & MillsapR. E. (1991). Personality in advanced old age: Continuity or change?Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 40(6), 299–308.
13.
HagbergB. (1995). The individual's life history as a formative experience to aging. In HaightB. K. & WebsterJ. D. (eds.), The art and science of reminiscing (pp. 61–75). Washington, D.C.: Taylor & Francis.
14.
HaightB. K.ColemanP., & LordK. (1995). The linchpins of a successful life review: Structure, evaluation, and individuality. In HaightB. K. & WebsterJ. D. (eds.), The art and science of reminiscing (pp. 179–192). Washington, D.C.: Taylor & Francis.
15.
KaufmanS. R. (1986). The ageless self: Sources of meaning in late life.Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.
16.
KotreJ. (1984). Outliving the self: Generativity and the interpretation of lives.Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
17.
LewittesH. J. (1989). Just being friendly means a lot—Women, friendship, and aging. In GrauL. (ed.), Women in the later years: Health, social and cultural perspectives (pp. 139–159). New York: The Haworth Press.
18.
LuborskyM. R. (1994). The identification and analysis of themes and patterns. In GubriumJ. F. & SankarA. (eds.), Qualitative methods in aging research (pp. 189–210). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
19.
MacHaffieB. J. (1986). Her story: Women in Christian tradition.Philadelphia: Fortress Press.
20.
MageeJ. J. (1988). Determining the predictors of life satisfaction among retired nuns: Report from a pilot project. Journal of Religion & Aging, 4(1), 39–49.
21.
McAdamsD. P. (1990). Unity and purpose in human lives: The emergence of identity as a life story. In RabinA. I.ZuckerR. A.EmmonsR. A., & FrankS. (eds.), Studying persons and lives (pp. 148–200). New York: Springer Publishing Company.
22.
MeliaS. P. (1997). Aging gracefully: A woman's art. Paper presented at the American Society on Aging 43rd Annual Meeting.
23.
MercierJ. M.PowersE. A., & DaniewiczS. C. (1991). Aging Catholic Sisters' adjustment to retirement. Journal of Religious Gerontology, 8(2), 27–39.
24.
MercierJ. M., & PowersE. A. (1996). Sense of control among women religious. Journal of Religious Gerontology, 9(4), 7–26.
25.
MercierJ. M.ShelleyM. C., & PowersE. A. (1996). Religious commitment and social relationships: Their relative contributions to self-esteem of Catholic Sisters in late life. In RobertoK. A. (ed.), Relationships between women in later life (pp. 91–111). Binghamton, NY: Harrington Park Press.
26.
NealM. A. (1984). Catholic Sisters in transition.Wilmington: Michael Glazier, Inc.
27.
ParkerR. G. (1995). Reminiscence: A continuity theory framework. The Gerontologist, 35(4), 515–525.
28.
SnowdenD. (1995). What we can all learn from the Mankato nuns, Health Confidential, 9(9), 1–3.
29.
StraussA. L. (1987). Qualitative analysis for the social sciences.New York: Cambridge University Press.
30.
ThompsonP. (1992). ‘I don't feel old’: Subjective ageing and the search for meaning in later life. Ageing and Society, 12, 23–47.
31.
WittbergP. (1985). Transformations in religious commitment. Review for Religious, 42(2), 161–170.
32.
WolfM. A. (1986). Growth and development with older women religious: An exploration in life review. Lifelong Learning, 9(4), 7–10, 28.
33.
WolfM. A. (1990a). The crisis of legacy: Life review interviews with elderly women religious. Journal of Women & Aging, 2(3), 67–79.
34.
WolfM. A. (1990b). The call to vocation: Life histories of elderly women religious. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 31(3), 197–202.
35.
WolfM. A. (1991). Elder women religious: A phenomenological view. Paper presented at the Gerontological Society of America 44th Annual Meeting.
