Gerotranscendence and the shifting paradigms of aging: Global drivers of change

Within the field of gerontology, various theories have sought to explain them psychological and social changes associated with ageing. One significant theory is the Theory of Gerotranscendence, which posits that as individuals age, they experience a shift in meta-perspective from a materialistic and pragmatic worldview to a more cosmic and transcendent one (Buchanan et al., 2015). Despite its limited recognition, the concept of “gerotranscendence” has been a part of gerontology for approximately three decades since its introduction (Tornstam, 1989). Coined by Swedish gerontologist Lars Tornstam, this concept arose from his belief that disengagement theory (Cumming, 1963; Cumming et al., 1960; Cumming & Henry, 1961) had been unjustly overlooked (Jönson & Magnusson, 2001). Tornstam understands old age as the final stage in a natural progression towards maturity and wisdom, a notion supported by Rajani (2015), who noted that gerotranscendence serves as a developmental theory of positive ageing based on Tornstam’s empirical research conducted in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Tornstam began to explore ageing with an experiential qualitative approach in the late 1970s and early 1980s, drawing his theory from testable research and the work of other theorists.

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