Narrative Self-Transcendence: Decreased Regret and Increased Acceptance Over Late Midlife

Abstract

Introduction: Self-transcendence—connectedness within and beyond the self—is a complex phenomenon theorized to increase with age, but evidence is mixed. This longitudinal study is the first to investigate changes in self-transcendence across late midlife using life story narratives. Method: We tracked self-reported and narrative identity self-transcendence scores of 163 participants as they aged from M = 56.4 (SD = 0.95) to M = 64.5 (SD = 0.94). Participants were 64.4% women, 35.6% men; 55.2% White, 42.9% Black, 1.8% interracial/other; median income was $75,000–$100,000; median education was college graduate. Results: Self-transcendence narrative themes of closure and self-actualization increased significantly over time, especially between ages 60–65, but self-reported self-transcendence did not change. These trends were not uniform; race-by-gender groups exhibited distinct trajectories over time. Discussion: Late midlife is seen as ushering in opportunities for increased self-transcendence, especially acceptance of oneself and one's life. We found some of the strongest empirical evidence of this phenomenon to date. On average, US Black and White adults narrated their life stories with less regret and more satisfaction with self across late midlife. Findings demonstrate the utility of leveraging first-person narrative identity methods to collect and analyze data about rich, complex personality constructs and highlight positive changes associated with late midlife.