RELIGIOSITY, SPIRITUALITY AND RESILIENT AGING

A LOOK AT COGNITION, MEMORY AND LANGUAGE

Abstract

This article investigates the relationship between spirituality, resilience, cognition and language in the subjective experience of elderly individuals. Starting from the thesis that spirituality functions as an integrated meaning system, whose linguistic expression and cognitive practice acts as a protective factor against age-related decline, the study articulates contributions from gerontology, psycholinguistics and the psychology of religion. A narrative literature review methodology was adopted, analyzing empirical and theoretical studies published over the last three decades. The results indicate that spiritual and religious practices promote cognitive reserve, preserve narrative fluency and discursive coherence, and mobilize a sense of life purpose in older adults. It is concluded that spiritual language, expressed in prayers, autobiographical narratives, and meaning-making discourses, constitutes a symbolic mediation between subjective experience and cognitive resilience, positioning itself as a priority field for comprehensive elderly health policies.