The Life Review: An Interpretation of Reminiscence in the Aged

The universal occurrence of an inner experience or mental process of reviewing one’s life in older people is postulated. It is proposed that this process helps account for the increased reminiscence of the aged, that it contributes to the occurrence of certain late-life disorders, particularly depression, and that it participates in the evolution of such characteristics as candor, serenity and wisdom among certain of the aged.