title: Dialogues with three religious renunciates and reflections on wisdom and maturity.
abstract: In-depth interviews and participation observation were conducted with Hindu religious renunciates living in Varanasi and Pondicherry, India. The respondents selected were designated by their acquaintances as being spiritually mature. Analysis of excerpts from three representative interviews indicate that these men rate as highly mature by Western developmental models, but Western correlates of life satisfaction were not found to hold for these men. The implications for Western aging are considered, particularly the importance of contemplation and acceptance of death.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, Storrs.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003906:Developing Countries; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D012067:Religion; D012069:Religion and Psychology