ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to explore the adaptive value of autobiographical methods in restoring, maintaining, and enhancing a sense of personal meaning in the lives of adults, particularly older adults. Of interest are such autobiographical methods as reminiscence, life review, and guided autobiography that involve an active reconstruction of the past as a basis for achieving meaningful integration with the present and optimistic projection into the near future. Four specific objectives are addressed. First, following a brief introduction, the main autobiographical methods are described in terms of content, structure, and function. Second, a number of theoretical speculations on the link between autobiographical methods and meaning and purpose in life are presented. Third, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative studies, the relevant empirical literature on the effects of these methods in restoring, maintaining, and enhancing a sense of personal meaning in the lives of community-residing and institutionalized older adults is reviewed and evaluated. Finally, drawing on personal experiences, the authors provide an anecdotal account of how the specific method of guided autobiography impacted their lives and how it reaffirmed their conviction that a meaningful life can be discovered and created no matter what the circumstances. It is concluded that one outcome of autobiographical methods—the discovery and creation of personal meaning—facilitates two key meaning-making processes, namely, transcendence (rising above) and transformation (cognitive restructuring).
