Trajectórias de envelhecimento e percursos imaginados de velhice em mulheres "jovens-idosas"

Abstract

Perceptions of aging refer to how the individuals perceive their aging process and, consequently their personal experience of transition to old age. Such perceptions imply an individual assessment, reflecting the way people think and the decisions they make, which in turn may influence how future goals are established. The aim of this study is to understand how women (60-64 years old) perceive their own aging process and how they positioned themselves in relation to it, in terms of future. In order to achieve our purpose we proceeded to the implementation of three focus groups with women between 60 and 64 years old, married, with medium low and superior educational level, living in the community. The qualitative analysis was performed using the NVivo8. We conclude that for the informants in this study, aging is something that lies in a very distant future, this being the motive why they are not concerned about growing older. We also realized that the way aging is perceived is largely influenced by the observation of others and by the media. The informants in this study have not set any goals for their future lives, either because they consider unrealistic to define it at their age, either due to the economic situation the country is experiencing.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	António Manuel Fonseca (Supervisor)