Preface 9
1 Introduction 11
2 Aims and Methods 15
2.1 Attitudes of the Researchers 15
2.2 Memories and Productive Orientations in the Interview
and in Group Discussion 17
2.3 Researchers View in Analysis 19
2.4 Core Sentences as Experience Categories Expressed
in Everyday Language 21
3 Theoretical Introduction with Erich Fromm 25
3.1 Productive Orientations and Spontaneous Activity 26
3.2 Feelings of Insecurity and Productive Orientations 29
4 Interviews with People of Old Age 33
4.1 Territorial Experiences of People in Old Age 33
4.1.1 Living in a Senior Citizens Home 34
4.1.2 Managing the Household in the Senior Citizens Home 37
4.1.3 Assisted-living at Home 38
4.1.4 A Therapeutic Example from Irvin D. Yalom:
a Wake-up Call in Old Age 41
4.2 Experiences of Relationships of People in Old Age 45
4.2.1 Maintaining Caring Relationships 46
4.2.2 Developing Relationships of Friendship 52
4.2.3 A Literary Example from Bertolt Brecht:
"Die unwürdige Greisin" (Unseemly Old Lady) 56
5 Interviews with Social Carers 59
6 Remembering - A Creative Activity 67
6.1 Looking into the Mirror:
a Quiet, Personal Conversation with Oneself 69
6.2 War Memories - Reflections of an Old Man 73
6.2.1 "Back then, when you had decided on a trade,
that was your scope of work to the bitter end" 73
6.2.2 "Today I thank God that I was not a hero, when you kill someone,
you're a murderer" 74
6.3 Sculptures, Photos and Pictures as Forms of Memory 78
6.3.1 "Those are our dogs. When we went hunting,
they were always with us. All of them are dead now." 79
6.3.2 "That's my wife, who's dead now, she had just come
from dancing, that was the first time we saw each other" 79
6.3.3 "That was our Golden Wedding Anniversary and
that was our Diamond Wedding Anniversary" 81
7 Group Discussions with People of Old Age: Aims and Method 85
7.1 Group Discussion on the Question:
"How do I experience ageing physically?" 88
7.1.1 Perspectives of a Women's Group:
"A good life is not possible for me without being close to nature" 91
7.1.2 Perspectives of a Men's Group:
"We develop the need for peace and quiet" 96
7.1.3 Perspectives of a Group of Women and Men:
"I couldn't believe I'd become older" 102
7.2 Group Discussion on the Question:
"Should a person receive more to live on than he needs?" 106
7.2.1 "It has to be more, so you can participate in social life
and be creative" 107
7.2.2 "Local communities do a lot to ensure that senior citizens can
take part in things. For example, senior citizens receive
a grant to visit museums" 109
7.2.3 "A touch of bling and glamour doesn't hurt" 110
7.3 Group Discussion on the Question: "What is beautiful for you?" 112
7.3.1 "When we came home wearing trousers, we had to take
them off straight away. No! You're girls, my mother would say,
girls don't wear trousers" 112
7.3.2 "And suddenly we had happy music again and dance events" 116
8 Experiencing, Learning and Perceiving in Old Age -
Research Perspectives of Marie Jahoda and Erich Fromm 119
8.1 Objective Experience Categories of Ageing 119
8.2 Perception Categories of Ageing 122
8.3 Objective Experience and Perception Categories of Ageing
as a Topic of Interviews - Marie Jahoda and Erich Fromm 125
8.3.1 "I read and write, then I eat, relax for an hour, and in the afternoon,
I answer letters and do other practical things that need doing" 126
8.3.2 "I have no pain and I still go for a walk alone with my white stick
because I value the feeling of independence" 127
8.4 Objective Experience and Perception Categories of Ageing
as a Topic of Group Discussions 128
8.4.1 "The youth aren't as bad as all that. You have to take them
seriously and meet them halfway" 130
8.4.2 "We have a wealth of practical knowledge from which
young people could learn a great deal" 131
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