Features of Life-Sense Representations in Old Age

Abstract

The article brings forward the comparative analysis of terminal and instrumental values, life areas of values, features of interpretation of life senses and characteristics of the substantial aspect of life-sense representations of older people, carried out in 1989 and 2009.
Respondents at the age from 60 to 75 years with diUerent education, family and social status were the object of the study. Methodological tools of the study included M.5Rokich’s “Value Orientations”, “Questionnaire of Terminal Values”, “Free Semantic
Evaluation” technique, S.5Rosenzweig and T.5Leary’s test, and interviews for studying characteristics of life-sense representations.
The main results of the study have shown that the revealed representations of life senses correspond to values and dominant spheres of life peculiar to this age group. Older people discover life-sense representations in happy family and friends, health and communication; they rationalize the path of life. There are diUerences
in life-sense representations in men and women: women are more focused on the family sphere, while men, along with family and parenting, discover the sense of life in professional activities and public recognition. The obtained results can be useful to psychologists, when rendering psychological assistance if the life-sense crisis is a client’s problem, family members with older people for considering age characteristics and problems of the aged, and all the people who are interested in the sense of life problem.