Still Growing: The Creative Self in Older Adulthood

Donald Capps

Mar 2015 · The Lutterworth Press

About this ebook

The later-adult years are commonly viewed as a period in which one struggles to maintain a vestige of the physical, mental, and emotional vitality of oneÕs earlier years. In 'Still Growing', however, Donald Capps shows that older adulthood is actually a period of growth and development, and that a central feature of this growth and development is the remarkable creativity of older adults. This creativity is the consequence of the wisdom gained through years of experience but is also due to a newly developed capacity to adapt to unprecedented challenges integral to the aging process. In Part 1, Capps illustrates the challenges of transitioning to older adulthood from the author's own experiences, while in Part 2 he draws on material from Erik H. Erikson, Sigmund Freud, and Paul W. Pruyser to account for longevity, adaptability, and creativity in older adults. Finally, in part 3 he focusses on the work of both William James and Walt Disney to fashion a model of creative aging.

About the author

Donald Capps is William Harte Felmeth Professor of Pastoral Theology (Emeritus) and Adjunct Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of 'Striking Out: The Religious Journey of Teenage Boys' (2011) and 'At Home in the World: A Study in Psychoanalysis, Religion, and Art' (Lutterworth Press, 2013). He is coauthor with Nathan Carlin of 'Living in Limbo: Life in the Midst of Uncertainty' (2010).