Kivnick, Helen

Abstract Helen Kivnick (1950–2020) was a clinical psychologist and social worker at the University of Minnesota. Her early research was on the meaning of grandparenthood to grandparents, which inspired her interest in working with older adults. Kivnick became well known for her work with Erik and Joan Erikson, where she helped them to revise Erik Erikson’s theory of life-span development by changing the oldest stage of development from emphasizing reminiscence to emphasizing vital involvement in life, which is defined as finding meaningful ways to interact creatively with other people. Vital involvement was a major theme in her life’s work. Kivnick was also a musician interested in social justice, and in the 1980s, she visited South Africa to study and promote the choral music of Black South Africans during apartheid. She produced two albums of African music and was nominated for a Grammy for one of them. Kivnick was known for her belief that even frail elders can lead meaningful lives and be role models for younger folks. She was also a promoter of the arts. With Linda Davis, she developed arts and strength-related interventions to improve health and well-being in at-risk inner city young adults and frail older adults. Finally, she believed that the humanities and arts were important means of understanding the meaning of late life. She increased the visibility of the arts and humanities as the first associate editor for the Humanities and Arts section of The Gerontologist, the flagship journal of the Gerontological Society of America. Helen Kivnick was a woman who was able to integrate her different interests into one marvelous career. She was a clinical psychologist, a gerontologist, a social worker, a musician, and a patron of the arts. She was equally interested in theory about adult development and aging and in practical methods to improve older adults’ lives. She was also proficient in both qualitative and quantitative research. Although best known for her early work with Erik and Joan Erikson, her contributions expand upon and go far beyond the early work.