Cultivating a “Growth Mindset” to Help You Age Well and Wisely

Episode Description:  

Several years ago, as Scott Fisher and Ben Green approached their 70^th birthdays, the challenges of aging loomed large for these two lifelong friends. Scott, an organizational psychologist, and Ben, a psychoanalyst, were curious about what kept some elders going strong while others lost interest or drive, or both. And they were determined to learn as much as possible about how to make their own elder years as purposeful and fulfilling as possible.

In today’s episode—the third appearance for Scott and Ben on 45 Forward—we’ll be deepening our discussion about their intriguing, recently published book, “The Aging Wisely Project.” In our previous episodes, the co-authors expanded on a number of their major concepts, particularly the emergence of a new, distinct developmental stage of elderhood, which they call “Elder Identity Revision.” They talked about the critical psychological tasks we face during this period, such as dealing with the loss of control in our lives, as well as some of the skills and attitudes (they call them “Healthy Habits”) we need to strengthen to address these challenges. Even as Scott and Ben have launched their book, they’ve discovered a somewhat unexpected, and heartening response from their readers, which they’ll reveal in today’s conversation. They call it the “Growth Mindset”:  a welcome feeling of optimism—that is, amid the inevitable setbacks in our later years, people can continue feel a renewed sense of hope and expectations for improved health and happiness—a meaningful, well-lived life, all the way through our elderhood.

Guest Descriptions:

Ben Green has been fascinated by psychological human development since his years at Yale College and went on to work for 40 years as a hospital- and then office- based psychiatrist for children and adults. Twenty years ago, Dr. Green became a child and adult psychoanalyst. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Health Science Center and has taught and supervised psychiatric residents for four decades. Dr. Green served as President of the Colorado Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Society and the Denver Psychoanalytic Society. He has taught high school math in the Congo-Kinshasa for a year and spent a year at Yale Divinity School; he has had a longstanding interest in religion, humanistic-existential psychology, and issues pertaining to aging, meaning, and mortality, and has delivered community lectures on these subjects for many years. Dr. Green is happily married and has three daughters and, recently, a grandson.

Scott Fisher has long been captivated by the factors that motivate people and the infinite ways they work to achieve their goals in career and in life. He received a BS in Organizational Behavior and MA in Organization and Management from Yale University. He served in executive positions in a variety of corporations and industries, leading human resources organizations dedicated to facilitating rapid growth and employee engagement. As a consultant and executive coach for more than 25 years, he worked with CEOs and their teams on strategy development and implementation, change management, culture assessment, and leadership development. For 12 years, he taught graduate-level courses in strategic human resources management and change management to MBA students at the University of Colorado/Denver School of Business. He is an avid yet mediocre golfer and enjoys travel and life with his wife and life partner.

Contact:    denverben.green@gmail.com

                  scott.fisher.tmg@comcast.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caregiverscommunity/

Linked In:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/aging-wisely-llc/

Website: https://theagingwiselyproject.com/