Self and Meaning in the Lives of Older People - Case Studies Over Twenty Years

A longitudinal study of how older people maintain a sense of self and meaning despite the losses associated with ageing.

List of contents

1. Living a long life: why survive?; 2. From self-esteem to meaning: studying psychological well-being in later life; 3. Investigating older people's lives at the end of the twentieth century; 4. Ageing together; 5. Adaptation to loss of spouse; 6. Ageing alone; 7. Women becoming frailer; 8. Men becoming frailer; 9. Towards one hundred years; 10. The future of later life: personal and policy perspectives on ageing and meaning.

About the author

Peter G. Coleman is Emeritus Professor of Psychogerontology and an associate member of the Centre for Research on Ageing at the University of Southampton. His research relates to the mental health of older people, especially the functions of reminiscence and life review and sources of self-esteem and meaning in later life.Christine Ivani-Chalian has specialised in the study of adult development and learning, with a Master's thesis on the University of the Third Age and a PhD on disability and open learning. She has also worked for the Open University teaching on social care and social work courses.Maureen Robinson obtained an MPhil in Psychology while working on the initial stages of this project. She works as an independent advocate for older people and persons experiencing dementia, is a long standing community activist, serving over twenty years as a local councillor as well as holding non-executive posts within the NHS and housing organisations.

Summary

Through ongoing interviews with a group of forty older people over more than twenty years, this book studies how they maintained their well-being through the vicissitudes of later life, including bereavements and the onset of frailty. It questions whether future generations of older people will be as resilient.

Product details

• Authors: Peter G Coleman, Peter G. Coleman, Peter G. (University of Southampton) Coleman, Peter G. (University of Southampton) Ivan Coleman, Peter G. Ivani-Chalian Coleman, Coleman Peter G., Christine Ivani-Chalian, Ivani-Chalian Christine, Maureen Robinson, Robinson Maureen
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.04.2015
• EAN: 9781107617230
• ISBN: 978-1-107-61723-0
• No. of pages: 259
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Psychology > Applied psychology; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > General; Non-fiction book > Psychology, esoterics, spirituality, anthroposophy > Psychology: general, reference works; PSYCHOLOGY / Developmental / General, Psychology of ageing, Health psychology, Social, group or collective psychology, Age groups: the elderly, humanistic psychology