Understanding Gerotranscendence in Older Adults: A New Perspective for Counselors

Abstract

The author describes gerotranscendence as a process that occurs when o h adults shhiftf;.m a rationalfocus on the present-abj material world to a more universal and transcendent perspective. Accompanying this shif2 is a desire to move toward the end of li~$ with a sense of integrip and mceptance of on& choices. By gaining an undwstanding of gmtranscdnce, counsehrs can better meet the need of their aging clients. Using existing gerotranscendence literature a a gurdeline, suggestions are Made for appropriate counseling intmentions.As an adolescent, I witnessed the physical decline of my paternal grandmother as she first spent a couple of years living in my family's home, a time that was followed by her ultimate decline into death a few years after her move into a nursing home. Born into a family of Presbyterian missionaries and widowed at an early age, having had six sons who were betyeen the ages of 2 and 16 years, her life was one in which her faith accompahied her from struggle to struggle. College-educated, just as her own five brothers had been, at a time when education was certainly an anomaly for women and a "lady" when ladyhood was still aspired to by young women, Margaret McIlwaine lived a challenging life. Yet as she moved into her 80s and as her health began to decline, she seemed to have few complaints, few demands, and a decreased need for companionship. She did not seem irritably discontent. She simply seemed to have retreated within herself and to have become more reflective and less interactive with others. This shift from an outer-to an inner-directed standpoint in an older adult can surprise family and caregivers who feel that the individual is somehow "slipping away." However, greater understanding of the changes experienced during the end of life transition can better prepare counselors to meet the needs of older adults and members of their support system. Many theories have been developed over the past several decades in an attempt to explain the cognitive, affective, and physical functioning changes Suzanne Degges-Wbite, Counseiingand Development, School ofEducation, Purdue University Calumet.