Enthusiastic Aging: The 9th Stage of Life?
The International Journal of Aging & Society recently published The Ninth Stage of Life: Aging with Enthusiasm. The abstract explains
A new stage has been added to the human life cycle due to increasing numbers of the very old. In particular, adults over eighty constitute a new focus for developmental research. These older adults seem to have reached a stage beyond Erikson’s eight stages, first proposed sixty-four years ago. As Joan Erikson suggested, eight stages no longer capture the end of life concerns of this older group. In this paper, I review the research focusing on the self-reports of individuals who are still thriving in their eighties and nineties. I suggest that this research supports a ninth Eriksonian life stage. This ninth stage might be called “Appreciation versus Resignation with the associated strength, Enthusiasm.” A defining aspect of the elders described in the studies cited below is that they express a keen appreciation for their extended years and a determination not to squander them. I discuss implications for practice and for further research.
Who are these 9th stagers and why study them? According to the introduction,
“Ninth stagers” are individuals in their eighties and nineties. I suggest that the emerging picture of this stage is considerably brighter than the one Joan Erikson painted. In the spirit of Erik Erikson’s (1950) proposed eight stages, I suggest that the ninth stage is characterized by a dialectical tension between two qualities, appreciation and resignation, with the associated strength, enthusiasm. I consider research focused on ninth stagers’ self-reports as well as research on the essential conditions for sustaining vitality and enthusiasm. Following Gawande (2015), I suggest that our diminished picture of the capacity for vitality in ninth stagers is, in part, an artifact of the medicalized assisted living environment in which many of our seniors live and the deleterious effect of this environment on their autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
The 9 page article looks at vitality, longevity and psychological variables to name a few. The author concludes “this ninth life stage might be called “Appreciation versus Resignation with the associated strength, Enthusiasm.” A defining aspect of many of the elders in the studies cited was that they expressed keen appreciation for their extended years and a determination not to squander them. Enthusiasm does not seem too strong a word to characterize their strength. Toquote Henry David Thoreau: ‘None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.'”
A pdf of the article is available for download from here.