Attaining Ego Integrity Through Life Review

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to provide the theological dimension of Erik Erikson's last stage of life, the crisis of ego integrity versus despair. In this crisis an answer is demanded to the question, "Was my life worthwhile?" A positive or negative verdict must be reached. The "Life Review" is necessary for the resolution of this conflict. Such a life review is often precipitated by the awareness of death. A few cases are briefly cited to show how elderly patients in a Veterans Administration (V.A.) Hospital setting have coped with this crisis. Two theological ideas are brought to bear on this problem. One is a review of one's life in connection with James Fowler's idea of "master story," of how effectively we connect with our cherished religious symbols, and the other is Donald Capps's "parabolic event," or how we interpret events in the past as having the potential for new insights. A new look at repentance and confession is necessary as they are approximate psychological counterparts to these theological...