Individuation 70+

Jung said, “The first half of life is devoted to forming a healthy ego, the second half is going inward and letting go of it.” Indeed, he is well known for his theory of adult development and his work on individuation in the second half of life. With this lecture I would like to propose a third phase of life after the first phase (building up a life structure) and second phase (developing a relationship with the inner world). This third phase is especially relevant now as many of us can expect today to live well past the 20th century life expectancy of 65 years old. I have chosen to talk about individuation after age 70 because I want to change this analytical focus on end of life for older adults as a time of preparation for death and instead talk about life and the new possibilities after 70. This phase is not a further continuation of the second half of life.