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Self-Transcendence and Family Caregivers of Adults with Dementia

University of Texas at Austin

Kathy B. Wright, M.S.N., R.N., C.G.R.N., C.S.

University of Texas at Austin

Research has documented that caring for a family member with dementia is stressful and burdensome. However, difficult life experiences such as fear, loss, and grief may help persons move beyond a concern for self toward a larger perspective and concern for others. Both positive and negative experiences can promote positive movement toward growth and development. This movement has been described as self-transcendence, or the ability to look beyond the self and present difficulties, to extend concern to others, and to find personal meaning and wholeness in the context of life-changing events. The family caregiving experience with its inherent difficulties might provide the impetus for such a movement toward self-transcendence. The purpose of this article is to examine the concept of self-transcendence, explore its linkages to the caregiving experience, and suggest potential strategies to assist family caregivers to achieve self-transcendence.

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