Essays were gathered from fifty-three elderly nursing home residents about the strongest meaning in their lives. These elderly nursing home residents most often reported the category of family relationships as central, followed by pleasure and then health. A chi-square analysis showed a significant difference between the type of meaning of the elderly nursing home residents and those of younger adults. An additional chi-square analysis found no significant difference between the nursing home residents and a group of golden anniversary couples' meanings. Finally, our results indicate that elderly nursing home residents do not report an absence of meaning in their lives.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
GubriumJ., Living and Dying at Murray Manor, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1975.
2.
LiebermanM. A., Institutionalization of the Aged: Effects on Behavior, Journal of Gerontology, 24, pp. 330–340, 1969.
3.
WackJ. and RodinJ., Nursing Homes for the Aged: The Human Consequences of Legislation-shaped Environments, Journal of Social Issues, 34, pp. 6–21, 1978.
4.
CampbellA.ConverseP. E., and RogersW. L., The Quality of American Life, Aldine, Chicago, 1976.
5.
AllportG. W.VernonP. E., and LindzeyG. A., A Study of Values, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1960.
6.
CrumbaughJ. C. and MaholickL. T., Manual of Instructions for the Purpose in Life Test, Psychometric Affiliates, Munster, Indiana, 1969.
7.
KobasaS. C. and MaddiS. R., Existential Personality Theory, in Current Personality Theories, CorsiniR. J. (ed.), F. E. Peacock, Itasca, Illinois, pp. 243–276, 1977.
8.
YalomI. D., Existential Psychotherapy, Basic Books, New York, 1980.
9.
BattistaJ. and AlmondR., The Development of Meaning in Life, Psychiatry, 36, pp. 412–423, 1971.
10.
RekerG. T.PeacockE. J., and WongP. T. P., Meaning and Purpose in Life and Well-Being, A Life-Span Perspective, Journal of Gerontology, 42, pp. 44–49, 1987.
11.
MeierA. and EdwardsH., Purpose-in-Life Test: Age and Sex Differences, Journal of Clinical Psychology, 30, pp. 384–386, 1974.
12.
PearsonP. R. and SheffieldB. F., Purpose-in-Life and the Eysenck Personality Inventory, Journal of Clinical Psychology, 30, pp. 562–564, 1974.
13.
RekerG. T.PeacockE. J., and WongT. P., Meaning and Purpose in Life and Well-being: A Life-span Perspective, Journal of Gerontology, 42, pp. 44–50, 1987.
14.
YarnellT. D., Purpose-in-Life Test: Further Correlates, Journal of Individual Psychology, 27, pp. 76–79, 1971.
15.
EbersoleP. and DePaolaS., Meaning in Life Categories of Later Life Couples, The Journal of Psychology, 121, pp. 185–191, 1987.
16.
DeVoglerK. L. and EbersoleP., Categorization of College Students' Meaning in Life, Psychological Reports, 46, pp. 387–390, 1981.
17.
McCarthyS. V., Geropsychology: Meaning in Life for Adults Over Seventy, Psychological Reports, 53, pp. 497–498, 1983.
18.
De VoglerK. L. and EbersoleP., Adults' Meaning in Life, Psychological Reports, 49, pp. 87–90, 1981.
19.
De VoglerK. L. and EbersoleP., Young Adolescents' Meaning in Life, Psychological Reports, 52, pp. 427–431, 1983.
20.
FranklV., Man's Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy, Beacon Press, Boston, 1962.
21.
EbersoleP. and De Vogler-EbersoleK., Meaning in Life of the Eminent and the Average, Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 1, pp. 83–94, 1986.
22.
YorkJ. L. and CaslynR. J., Family Involvement in Nursing Homes, Gerontologist, 17, pp. 500–505, 1977.
23.
HookW. F.SobalJ., and OakJ. C., Frequency of Visitation in Nursing Homes: Patterns of Contact across the Boundaries of Total Institutions, Gerontologist, 22, pp. 424–428, 1982.
24.
SpasoffR. A.KrausA. S.BeattieE. J.HoldenD.LawtonJ. S.RodenburgM., and WoodcockG. W., A Longitudinal Study of Elderly Residents of Long-Stay Institutions, Gerontologist, 18, pp. 281–292, 1978.
25.
EriksonE. H., Childhood and Society, Norton, New York, 1963.
26.
National Council on Aging, The Myth and Reality of Aging in America, Washington, D.C., 1975.
27.
AinlayS. and SmithR., Aging and Religious Participation, Journal of Gerontology, 3a, pp. 357–363, 1984.
28.
MindelC. and VaughanE., A Multidimensional Approach to Religiosity and Disengagement, Journal of Gerontology, 33, pp. 103–108, 1978.
29.
YoungG. and DowlingW., Dimensions of Religiosity in Old Age: Accounting for Variation in Types of Participation, Journal of Gerontology, 42, pp. 376–380, 1987.
