ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the focus on self-study is more internal. At any age, it makes good psychological sense to enhance your self-awareness, to give it some definition and substance. The older you are, the greater the wealth of material you have, since many years of life experience have shaped and informed your personality. Now this knowledge about who-you-are can guide you in making important decisions. As you grow older, you’ll want to create a life as consistent as possible with your values, interests, and preferences of all kinds. Your self-analysis can take the form of exploratory conversations with yourself, or be aided by one of the many ready-made personality tests on the market. You’ll want to record your observations or discoveries so you can review and revise them when further insights occur to you. Heightened self-awareness is an important asset, a resource to help you cope with some of the challenges you’ll meet in the territory of aging.
