Author Archives: Bob Ritzema

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About Bob Ritzema

I am a fourth-generation American of Dutch ancestry and am trained as a clinical psychologist. In 2012, I retired from Methodist University in North Carolina to return to Michigan to help family, and, in 2023, I started again with a move to Milwaukee to be near my children. I maintain a part-time therapy practice. I can be reached at bobritzema@hotmail.com.

Come Lord Jesus

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

Advent is nearly over; Christmas is near. Followers of Christ anticipate celebrating his three comings–in Bethlehem, upon his eventual return to earth, and in our hearts. We who are older have lived through many Advents and welcomed many Christmas mornings. … Continue reading →

Posted in Spirit | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Grief and Spirituality After Midlife

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

In previous posts at Life Assays and Olderhood.com, I wrote about the cover story in the Atlantic that describes the “happiness U-curve,” the finding that happiness decreases in the decades of early adulthood, reaches a low in midlife, and increases … Continue reading →

Posted in Spirit | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Midlife Grief, Late Life Happiness

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

I wrote earlier in my other blog about the cover story of the December, 2014 Atlantic on happiness in midlife. Jonathan Rauch, the author of the article, describes the “happiness U-curve,” a graph of data from numerous studies showing a … Continue reading →

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Midlife–More Slough Than Crisis

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

Originally posted on Life Assays:
The cover story in the December, 2014 Atlantic is an article by Jonathan Rauch entitled “The Real Roots of the Midlife Crisis.” His description of midlife, though, is not so much of a crisis but…

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Adaptation

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

In Spike Jonze’s movie Adaptation, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Nicholas Cage) struggles in his effort to adapt The Orchid Thief into a film. Part of the problem is the book—it’s lacking a usable storyline. But much of the problem is with Charlie himself, … Continue reading →

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No One Writes to the Colonel–And That’s a Bad Thing

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

I recently wrote some thoughts about a movie on my other blog, Life Assays. The movie is quite pertinent to older adulthood, so I’m re-posting my comments here. When I was in North Carolina recently, I saw a movie sponsored by … Continue reading →

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Olderhood.com

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

I recently became a contributing writer for olderhood.com. I’ve been following their blog for some time, and have found that their contributors offer interesting perspectives on aging and retirement. Bill Storie, the founder, is of Scottish origin but lives in Bermuda, … Continue reading →

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Healthy Aging

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

Some time ago I wrote a post about George Vaillant and the Harvard Study of Adult Development. I’ve since read Aging Well, Vaillant’s 2002 book in which he drew conclusions from the Harvard Htudy up to that point. In what … Continue reading →

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Are Elderly Parents an Emotional Weight for Their Children?

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

I recently wrote about medical ethicist Ezekiel Emanuel’s Atlantic article explaining why he doesn’t want to live past age 75. I left off without having discussed one of his contentions, that living a long time can have a negative impact on … Continue reading →

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Hoping to Die at 75?

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

The October, 2014 Atlantic considers the prospect of average lifespans reaching 100—I wrote about that possibility here. In the same issue there is an article by Ezekiel Emmanuel titled “Why I Hope to Die at 75.” Emanuel indicates that his … Continue reading →

Posted in Death | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments