Life Review and Reminiscence Method

The life review and reminiscence method is a structured procedure for eliciting, organizing, and re-evaluating an older person's recollections of their past across the whole span of life. Robert Butler introduced the concept in 1963, arguing that the upsurge of reminiscence common in late life is not idle dwelling on the past or a sign of decline but a normal, developmental process triggered by the awareness of approaching death. In this view the aging person spontaneously reviews unresolved conflicts and unfinished business, and when this review is facilitated well it can lead to reintegration, reconciliation, and a sense of wisdom rather than to despair. The method has since become both a research technique in narrative gerontology and a widely used psychotherapeutic intervention for depression, grief, and identity in older adults. It connects directly to Erikson's final psychosocial stage, in which the task is to achieve ego integrity rather than fall into despair. By moving systematically through life stages and helping the person re-evaluate what they recall, the practitioner converts diffuse reminiscence into a coherent, meaning-making narrative.