A Collaborative Inquiry into Improving Self-esteem in Women Sixty Years and Olde

Research shows that as people age their self-esteem peaks at sixty years of age and then declines. Using the Collaborative Inquiry process of action and reflection I explored with four other women what simple actions could improve and maintain self-esteem in women over sixty. We met nine times over a six-month period using Nathaniel Branden's The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem (1994) as our guide for defining "self-esteem" and experimenting with the "pillars" by identifying simple actions we could take to bolster our self-esteem. At each meeting we discussed the successes and failures of our self-esteem actions, reflected on what happened, and agreed on future action. Co-participants maintained reading and reflection journals and self-reported results to the group. Our Collaborative Inquiry found that maintaining friendships, social connections and living purposefully are keys to bolstering self-esteem. We concluded simple actions and reflection supported by others can strengthen self-esteem in women over sixty.