| Summary: | The focus of this masters thesis in educational gerontology was to explore guided
autobiography, life review and reminiscence, as a means of engaging in transformative learning
as it contributes to successful aging. From the perspective of developmental psychology I hold a
positive view of aging in terms of psychological growth in wisdom and understanding across the
entire life span. A crucial aspect of successful aging is that older adults have meaningful social
roles in their work and relationships. Negative attitudes about aging and the aged, an underlying
theme in ageism, can be an invisible barrier to successful aging. With this in mind I examined
major paradigms in psychology in the twentieth century, as they relate to a positive growth
model of aging. In particular, the psychoanalytic, humanistic and cognitive behavioural
paradigms, along with the medical model and a wellness perspective about aging, were
examined. Moreover, the possibilities for a model of transformative learning of which guided
autobiography, life review and reminiscence are one methodology were explored. === Education, Faculty of === Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of === Graduate
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