ABSTRACT
The growing literature on the psychology of aging makes it clear that people vary widely in how, and how well, they cope with their later years. Whereas for some, their final decades truly are the “golden years,” a time marked by clear signs of increased psychological well-being, others lapse into hopelessness and depression. This suggests that, at least in some cases, wisdom may indeed come with age. There may be lessons to be learned from the elderly from which even the young can benefit. Terror management theory, inspired by the work of the late cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker, proposes that the human fear of death results from our uniquely human ability to self-reflect. Terror management research has consistently shown that reminders of our mortality make us especially defensive of our cultural worldviews and our self-esteem.
