Identifying and Codifying the Model of Meaning of Life in the Iranian Elderly: A Qualitative Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: The evolutionary characteristics of old age and the approach of people to death at this stage of life makes this period different from others in the field of meaning of life.The purpose of this study was to analyze the lived experience of the Iranian elderly in order to develop a conceptual model of meaning of life.
Method: This article is a qualitative research that was implemented and analyzed with the grounded theory approach. For this purpose, 25 elderly people (13 females and 12 males) of Shiraz city, who were over 65 years with the ability to speak Persian and those which had not any severe effective cognitive disorders were selected by purposeful and theoretical sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted. A systematic and analytical approach of Strauss and Corbin was used to reach the findings.
Results: Based on the analysis, in open and axial coding, the obtained model had 14 main categories and 37 themes. This means, the perspective and perception of the elderly about a meaningful life is multi-dimensional.
Conclusion: Paying attention to these components, in futuristic planning can be effective in constructing and accepting the active role of the elderly in the society and it can be used for planning macro-political, socio-economic policies with respect to future aging trends.

Keywords


  1. References

    1. Mesrabadi J., Jafariyan S., Ostovar N. Discriminative and construct validity of meaning in life questionnaire for Iranian students. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2013; 7(1): 83-90.
    2. Hemphill K. Man’s search for meaning: Viktor Frankl's psychotherapy. Journal of Biblical Counseling, 2015; 29(3): 59-68.
    3. Martela F, Steger M F.The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2016; 11: 531-45.
    4. Alizamani A. The Meaning of Meaning of Life. Philosophy of Religion Research, 2012; 5(1): 59-89.
    5. Ahmadi S, Bagherian F, Heydari M, Kashfi A. Elderly and Meaning in Life: Field Study of Sources and Dimensions of Meaning in Old Women and Men. Journal of Psychological Achievements, 2017; 24(1): 1-22.
    6. Taghvaeinia A. The Moderating Role of Coping Styles in the Relationship Between Attachment Styles and Obsession Death among the Elderly. Developemental Psychology, 2018 ; 14(56): 461-473.
    7. Moschis GP. The Life Course Paradigm: Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations. InConsumer Behavior over the Life Course; 2019 (pp. 37-59). Springer, Cham.
    8. Tangestani Y., Moatamedy A., Borjali A., Sohrabi-Asmarodi F., Delavar A. Prediction of Psychological Disorders Based on Meta-cognitive Components in the Elderly of Tehran. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2018; 12(3): 108-113.
    9. Robinson-Whelen S, Taylor HB, Feltz M, Whelen M. Loneliness among people with spinal cord injury: exploring the psychometric properties of the 3-item loneliness scale. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 2016; 97(10):1728-34.
    10. Hill CE, Kline K, Bauman V, Brent T, Breslin C, Calderon M, Campos C, Goncalves S, Goss D, Hamovitz T, Kuo P. What’s it all about? A qualitative study of meaning in life for counseling psychology doctoral students. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. 2015; 28(1):1-26.
    11. Zhang H, Sang Z, Chan DK, Teng F, Liu M, Yu S, Tian Y. Sources of meaning in life among Chinese university students. Journal of Happiness Studies. 2016;17(4):1473-92.
    12. Stavrova O, Luhmann M. Social connectedness as a source and consequence of meaning in life. The Journal of Positive Psychology. 2016;11(5): 470-9.
    13. Callister A, Galbraith Q, Kelley H. Constructing Meaning through Connection: Religious Perspectives on the Purpose of Life. International Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Society. 2019; 9(3).
    14. Yuen M, Yau J. Relation of career adaptability to meaning in life and connectedness among adolescents in Hong Kong. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 2015; 91:147-56.
    15. Noviana U, Miyazaki M, Ishimaru M. Meaning in life: a conceptual model for disaster nursing practice. International Journal of Nursing Practice. 2016; 22: 65-75.
    16. Martela F, Ryan RM, Steger MF. Meaningfulness as satisfaction of autonomy, competence, relatedness, and beneficence: Comparing the four satisfactions and positive affect as predictors of meaning in life. Journal of Happiness Studies. 2018;19(5): 1261-82.
    17. Rafiee Z., Momeni K. The Effectiveness of Optimist Memory Telling on Death Anxiety and the Sense of Aging in Elderly. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2018; 12(2): 69-75.
    18. Abbasi M, Mirderikvand F, Adavi H, Hojati M. The relationship between personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion) and self-efficacy with aging depression. Iranian Journal of Ageing. 2018; 12(4): 458-66.
    19. Bastani S, Zakariai Seraji F. Gender differences in old age: social networks and support, Iranian social issues, 2012; 3 (1) 33-57.
    20. Karimi S., Nasr AR. Methods of Analysing Interview Data. Pazhuhesh, 2013; 4 (1), 71-94.