From Despair to Integrity: Using Narrative Therapy for Older Individuals in Erikson’s Last Stage of Identity Development - Clinical Social Work Journal
- ️Love, Heather A.
- ️Wed Aug 17 2016
Abstract
Adults aged 65 and over are a growing population in the United States today. This population is underrepresented in the mental health literature despite the high rates of depression and suicide. Additionally, the newest generation of older individuals is more likely to seek therapy than past generations, furthering the need for mental health professionals to be prepared for treating older individuals. Erikson in Childhood and society, Norton, New York, (1950) describes this time period as being critical in terms of the final identity crisis, integrity versus despair. Integrity is marked by a positive evaluation of the individual’s entire life, less anxiety about death, and a feeling of gaining wisdom. Individuals who do not resolve this crisis can manifest despair in a number of ways, including depression, anger, and regret. This model proposes utilizing Narrative therapy (White in Maps of narrative practice, Norton, New York, 2007) to understand how elderly individuals evaluate their lives in reference to their environment. The model utilizes externalization, unique outcomes, and re-membering conversations to unlock subjugated stories and promote integrity.
Access this article
Subscribe and save
- Get 10 units per month
- Download Article/Chapter or eBook
- 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
- Cancel anytime
Buy Now
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.
Instant access to the full article PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexopoulos, G. S. (2005). Depression in the elderly. The Lancet, 365, 1961–1970.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Baltes, P. B. (2006). Facing our limits: Human dignity in the very old. Daedalus, 135(1), 32–39.
Berntsen, D., & Rubin, D. (2002). Emotionally charged autobiographical memories across the life span: The recall of happy, sad, traumatic, and involuntary memories. Psychology and Aging, 17(4), 636–652. doi:10.1037//0882-7974.17.4.636.
Butler, R. (1963). The life review: An interpretation of reminiscence in the aged. Psychiatry, 26, 65–76.
Chimich, W. T., & Nekolaichuk, C. L. (2004). Exploring the links between depression, integrity, and hope in the elderly. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry: Special Geriatric Psychiatry Section, 49(7), 428–433. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.12.73.
Drapeau, C. W., & McIntosh, J. L. (for the American Association of Suicidology). (2014). U.S.A. suicide 2012: Official final data. Washington, DC: American Association of Suicidology. Dated October 18, 2014. Downloaded from http://www.suicidology.org.
Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and society. New York: Norton.
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. (2012). Older Americans 2012: Key indicators of well-being. Federal interagency forum on aging-related statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Feldman, S., & Howie, L. (2009). Looking back, looking forward: Reflections on using a life history review tool with older people. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 28(5), 621–637.
Freedman, J., & Combs, G. (1996). Narrative therapy: The social construction of preferred realities. New York: Norton.
Gardner, P., & Poole, J. (2009). One story at a time: Narrative therapy, older adults, and addictions. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 28(5), 600–620. doi:10.1177/0733464808330822.
Hanna, S. M., & Hargrave, T. D. (1997). Integrating the process of aging and family therapy. In T. D. Hargrave & S. M. Hanna (Eds.), The aging family: New visions in theory, practice, and reality (pp. 19–38). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Hsieh, H-F., & Wang, J-J. (2003). Effect of reminiscence therapy on depression in older adults: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 40(4), 335–345.
Inder, K. J., Lewin, T. J., & Kelly, B. J. (2012). Factors impacting on the well-being of older residents in rural communities. Perspectives in Public Health, 132(4), 182–191. doi:10.1177/1757913912447018.
Johansson, C. (2002). Integrity versus despair: An Eriksonian framework for geriatric rehabilitation. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 17(3), 1–12. doi:10.1097/00013614-200203000-00003.
Lee, Y. J., & Hung, W. L. (2011). The relationship between exercise participation and well-being of the retired elderly. Aging and Mental Health, 15(7), 873–881. doi:10.1080/13607863.2011.569486.
Mehlsen, M. Y. (2011). Life satisfaction in old age. In L. Larsen (Ed.), Geropsychology: The psychology of the ageing person (pp. 199–215). Aarhus: Aarhus University Press.
Mitchell, A. J., & Subramaniam, H. (2005). Prognosis of depression in old age compared to middle age: A systematic review of comparative studies. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(9), 1588–1601. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.9.1588.
Munk, K. (2011). Depression in the late life. In L. Larsen (Ed.), Geropsychology: The psychology of the ageing person (pp. 199–215). Aarhus: Aarhus University Press.
Peachey, N. H. (1992). Helping the elderly person resolve integrity versus despair. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 28(2), 29–30. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6163.1992.tb00368.x.
Taylor, W. D. (2014). Depression in the elderly. The New England Journal of Medicine, 371(13), 1228–1236. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp1402180.
Tomm, K. (1989). Externalizing the problem and internalizing personal agency. Journal of Strategic and Systemic Therapies, 8(1), 54–59.
Vink, D., Aartsen, M. J., & Schoevers, R. A. (2008). Risk factors for anxiety and depression in the elderly: a review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 106(1), 29–44. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2007.06.005.
Vygotsky, L. (1986). Thoughts and language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Werner, C. A. (2011). The older population: 2010. 2010 Census Briefs. Retrieved from: http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-09.pdf.
White, M. (2007). Maps of narrative practice. New York: Norton.
White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative means to therapeutic ends. New York: WW Norton & Company.
Woods, N., & Witte, K. L. (1981). Life satisfaction, fear of death, and ego identity in elderly adults. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 18(4), 165–168.
Young, E. (2010). Narrative therapy and elders with memory loss. Clinical Social Work Journal, 38, 193–202. doi:10.1007/s10615-008-0146-4.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Purdue University Calumet, 1247 E. 169th St., Hammond, IN, 46324, USA
Eric T. Goodcase & Heather A. Love
Authors
- Eric T. Goodcase
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
- Heather A. Love
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Corresponding author
Correspondence to Heather A. Love.
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Author Eric Goodcase declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author Heather Love declares that she has no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goodcase, E.T., Love, H.A. From Despair to Integrity: Using Narrative Therapy for Older Individuals in Erikson’s Last Stage of Identity Development. Clin Soc Work J 45, 354–363 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-016-0601-6
Published: 17 August 2016
Issue Date: December 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-016-0601-6