Gerotranscendence: Components and Spiritual Roots in the Second Half of Life

Abstract

According to gerotranscendence theory (Tornstam, 1989), aging persons gradually develop a shift in meta-perspective, from a materialistic and rational vision to a more cosmic and transcendent one. The present study examined the structure of the construct of gerotranscendence, age differences in gerotranscendence, and relations between gerotranscendence and culturally determined meaning in life and death factors, such as levels of spirituality, religious beliefs, moral judgment, and death attitudes. Participants were 467 adults between 17 and 91 years old. Factor analysis of the Gerotranscendence Scale yielded three subscales, Transcendent Connection, Anxiety and Uncertainty, and Active Involvement. Transcendent Connection - the core component of gerotranscendence - was only weakly related to age. However, Transcendent Connection was positively related to spiritual views and practices, relativistic orientation to religious beliefs, moral consistency, higher stages of moral thinking, and negatively related to avoidance of death. Patterns of correlations with the scores on the other two scales were also explored. Together, the findings suggested that individuals' development with regard to issues of spirituality, religiosity, morality, and death attitudes is more fundamental for their development toward gero-transcendence than the natural process of aging.