Interview: Life Review

Title of Activity: Interview: Life Review [Two Versions Below]

Designed by: Sheri R. Levy, Stony Brook University, sheri.levy@stonybrook.edu

Audience: Open

Suggested Courses: High School, Undergraduate, Graduate Courses; Any Psychology Course 

*NOTE: This activity can be adapted and completed in a number of ways. For example, this activity could be  a classroom activity led by the Instructor in which a guest or a panel of guests are asked to share pieces of life advice based on their life experiences.  This activity (two versions below) can be carried out by students as an assignment outside of the classroom (with the option of discussing the results of the activity as a class).

Version 1

Step 1: Briefly interview someone who is 60 years of age or older.  The person can be a relative, a relative of a friend, a co-worker, boss, etc. Explain that for a class project you were asked to interview someone who is 60 years of age or older and ask them to share 1-3 pieces of life advice based on their life experiences. 

Step 2:  Write in complete sentences.  Number your responses according to the questions below. 

1. (1-2 sentences)
   1. What is the age of the person you interviewed? (do not give names or other identifying information)
   2. How do you know this person (relative, co-worker, boss, etc.)
   3. How long have you  known this person?
   4. How long did the interview last
2. Describe the 1-3 pieces of life advice that was provided in the interview. (2-6 sentences)
3. How enjoyable and/or valuable was the interview for you and why? (1-2 sentences)
4. How enjoyable and/or valuable did the interview seem to the person you interviewed and why? (1-2 sentences)
5. Optional. Are there any thoughts you would like to share about the experience?  For example… did you learn anything? were you surprised by anything?

Version 2

Step 1: Briefly interview someone who is 60 years of age or older.  The person can be a relative, a relative of a friend, a co-worker, boss, etc.  Explain that for a class project you were asked to interview someone who is 60 years of age or older. Ask them to share 1-3 pieces of life advice based on their life experiences.  Listen carefully. Do not take notes during the interview.

Step 2: Immediately after you finish the interview, complete the following survey about the interview. (The survey can be downloaded from below.)

Step 3: One week after the interview, complete the final page of the survey below. (The final page can be downloaded from below.)

Discussion:

This activity is based on theorizing and research on life review (Butler, 1963), life story (McKeown et al., 2006), and reminisce (Gaggioli et al., 2014; Pinquart & Forstmeier, 2012) which can create mutually valuable interactions. An instructor can assign one or more of these readings and/or discuss the readings during class.

Citation for This Activity: 

Levy, S.R. (2021). Interview: Life Review Activity. In S.R. Levy (Ed.). Taking Ageism Seriously. https://takingageismseriously.org/

Suggested Readings:

Butler, R. N. (1963). The life review: an interpretation of reminiscence in the aged. Psychiatry, 26, 65–76 

Gaggioli, A., Morganti, L., Bonfiglio, S., Scaratti, C., Cipresso, P., Serino, S., & Riva, G. (2014). Intergenerational group reminiscence: A potentially effective intervention to enhance elderly psychosocial wellbeing and to improve children's perception of aging. Educational Gerontology, 40(7), 486-498. doi: 10.1080/03601277.2013.844042.

McKeown, J., Clarke, A., & Repper, J. (2006). Life story work in health and social care: systematic literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 55, 237–247. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03897.x

Pinquart, M., & Forstmeier, S. (2012). Effects of reminiscence interventions on psychosocial outcomes: a meta-analysis. Aging & Mental Health, 16, 541–558. doi:10.1080/13607863.2011.651 434