Gerotranscendence Measurement

Gerotranscendence measurement operationalizes Lars Tornstam's theory that healthy aging can culminate in a qualitative shift in how a person experiences self, others, and reality. In his 2005 book Gerotranscendence: A Developmental Theory of Positive Aging, Tornstam argued that, contrary to the view of old age as decline or as continued midlife activity, many older adults move toward a more cosmic and less materialistic outlook. The construct is captured along two principal dimensions: cosmic transcendence, a redefinition of time, space, and one's connection to earlier and future generations, and the coherent, more solitary self, marked by reduced self-centeredness and greater inner contentment. Self-report items ask respondents how much their experience has changed in these directions, and the responses are summed into dimension scores. The measure gave gerontology a way to study positive late-life development beyond activity and disengagement theories. It has been used cross-culturally and adapted into several item sets to test whether transcendence increases with age.