The Indian summer of life. A preliminary study of septuagenarians.

Abstract

In 1981, 45 men, then average age 70, all of whom are long-term subjects in the Terman Study of the Gifted (begun in 1921), were interviewed at UCLA, and most were seen biannually to date. From the transcribed interview sessions, exact word counts (and some concordances) were constructed. The present report focuses on changes in vocabulary (1981-1987) of 11 subjects, all of whom are lawyers--based on 51 interview sessions, 241,985 total words, and 11,659 different words. The data are analyzed in terms of Sears's areas of life satisfaction: occupation, family, friends, culture, community service, and joy in living--as well as health. In general, overall vocabulary decreased slightly each year of the septuagenarian decade, with the most telling changes occurring in the categories of health, occupation, and family. The word "death" was eschewed. The septuagenarian decade is seen as an Indian Summer. Being bright and mentally active enhances the septuagenarian years. The data are presented within the context of a heliptical view--rather than the traditional linear view of the human life course.