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UBC Theses and Dissertations
An exploration of meaning in the lives of elderly men Swanson, Roy Michael
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to qualitatively explore the phenomenon of meaning in the lives of community dwelling elderly men. Meaning and seeing one's life as having meaning are important components of living well and aging well. It is also important to recognize that aging is a time of continued growth and development. Interviews were conducted with six elderly men to explore the research question "Is there something or things so important to you in your life that they give your life meaning?" The data was analyzed using the Colaizzi (1978) phenomenological method of analysis to arrive at an exhaustive description of the phenomenon of meaning. From this study, the findings showed that elderly men continue to define and redefine meaning throughout their lives through the interconnectedness of relationships, outlook, interests, independence and health. The findings included a discussion of the similarities and differences in how young-old men (ages 65-79) and old-old men (over the age of 80) described meaning in their lives. The aforementioned five themes were common to both the young-old and the old-old cohorts. Implications for social work and recommendations for future research are identified.
Item Metadata
| Title |
An exploration of meaning in the lives of elderly men
|
| Creator | |
| Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
| Date Issued |
1998
|
| Description |
The purpose of this study is to qualitatively explore the phenomenon of meaning in the
lives of community dwelling elderly men. Meaning and seeing one's life as having meaning are
important components of living well and aging well. It is also important to recognize that aging
is a time of continued growth and development.
Interviews were conducted with six elderly men to explore the research question "Is
there something or things so important to you in your life that they give your life meaning?"
The data was analyzed using the Colaizzi (1978) phenomenological method of
analysis to arrive at an exhaustive description of the phenomenon of meaning.
From this study, the findings showed that elderly men continue to define and redefine
meaning throughout their lives through the interconnectedness of relationships, outlook,
interests, independence and health. The findings included a discussion of the similarities and
differences in how young-old men (ages 65-79) and old-old men (over the age of 80) described
meaning in their lives. The aforementioned five themes were common to both the young-old
and the old-old cohorts.
Implications for social work and recommendations for future research are identified.
|
| Extent |
3502520 bytes
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| Genre | |
| Type | |
| File Format |
application/pdf
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| Language |
eng
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| Date Available |
2009-05-26
|
| Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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| Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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| DOI |
10.14288/1.0088634
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| URI | |
| Degree | |
| Program | |
| Affiliation | |
| Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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| Graduation Date |
1998-11
|
| Campus | |
| Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
| Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.