Satisfaction with Life Seniors' Perception

Abstract

A research was conducted aiming to understand the factors associated with life satisfaction in the elderly, in Barreiras (BA). The methodology chosen was qualitative. As a guiding question it was asked to the interviewed to talk freely about life satisfaction. Twenty-one seniors were interviewed, chosen by convenience, from different socioeconomic and cultural classes and several ages. The interviews were recorded and registered in mp3 format and it content was transcript in full. Data analysis was conducted considering the Grounded Theory and represented by Symbolism Theory. The results are shown in the description of three phenomena that were interrelated and integrated throughout the experience of life, when it comes to life satisfaction. These were the vertices in the base of the tripod that converged to what appears to be a sense of satisfaction with life, among them "Electing Affection Relations And Complicity With The Family, Friends And Leisure"; "Finding Happiness In Life, As It Was Built"; "Understanding Health Conditions And The Requirements Of Its Prevention As Their Determinants." Thus, satisfaction with life among the elderly, not only appeared as a clipping of a specific point, but as a lifelong path that gave moments of happiness, attitudes and desires, beyond the ramifications and implications that old age holds. After discovered these phenomena, we seek for patterns of connectivity between their components to conceptualize the core category and we understood the key points that allowed us to portray the experience of elderly in Barreiras - BA, during their lifetime, associated with the degree of satisfaction.