Educational Media Reviews Online

A quick review of Joan and Eric Erikson's work and development of the Eight Stages of the Life Cycle, lays the foundation for an enlightening interview with Joan Erikson, aged 90. When the Erikson's created their stages of personality development in the 1950's, they decided the Eighth Stage, Integrity vs Despair, would result in a feeling of wisdom. Having reached the age of 90, Joan feels compelled to rethink the Eighth Stage, saying she doesn't feel wise. "…wisdom and integrity are things that other people might see in an old person, but it's not something this old person is feeling…"

The program focuses on Joan's ideas and thoughts on aging and aging theory. In rethinking the Integrity stage of development, she explains the source of integrity is tact. Her description of looking up the meaning of the word "integrity" in the Oxford English Dictionary is in itself, an illustration of her own theory of a wise person gaining the resiliency to go on in life. The Eighth Stage is broken down into nine areas confronting the older adult: Wisdom, Integrity, Practical Issues of Old Age, Retirement, Coping, Dementia, Facing Death, The Woven Life Cycle and Resiliency.

Being able to see Joan explain these issues and give examples from her own life is an exceptional experience. Producer Frances Davidson has captured the essence of a wise woman who, ironically, (because of the Eight Stages) feels she must apologize to people who think they should feel wise at 90. The production values in this video are excellent. Set in a comfortable interview style, most of the shots are of Joan talking, but superbly edited breaks and titling of different sections, keep the video from lapsing into the "talking head" doldrums. On Old Age: A Conversation with Joan Erikson at 90 is highly recommended for library collections supporting psychology, aging, or health sciences. A follow-up video, On Old Age II: A Conversation with Joan Erikson at 92 is also available from Davidson Films.