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Essay HMPYC 81 Research Report
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How individuals create meaning after retirement
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Module code: HRPYC81Research report for PROJECT 4802
Assignment number 12
Title of study: The relationship between meaning and life satisfaction in 60 to 90 year old retired
individuals
Examination period: October/November 2018
Page | 1
,CONTENTS
ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................................. 3
Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 4
Chapter 2: Literature review ......................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 3: Research Methods ....................................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 4: Findings: Interviews and Themes ............................................................................................. 12
Chapter 5: Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 26
Chapter 6: Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 27
LIST OF REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 29
Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 32
Page | 2
,The relationship between meaning and life satisfaction in 60 to 90 year old retired
individuals
ABSTRACT
The aim of the investigation is to find out what meaning and life satisfaction means to retired
individuals, how they find and construct meaning and satisfaction/dissatisfaction within their
lives. Furthermore, the researcher wants to conclude through these whether a relationship exist
between meaning and satisfaction. An over-all of 3 retired participants within the age group of
60 to 90 years was selected randomly within the Montagu region to participate within the study.
Each participant were interviewed using an in depth grounded theory qualitative approach. The
interview method that was used was an open-ended method since the study was based on the
subjective realities and life stories of the participants. Research analysis is done by using an
inductive approach using an interpretative phenomenological analysis in order to produce coding
of those results and thematic analysis is used to develop themes that are found within the raw
data collected transcripts of the participants. Themes that were yielded from the life stories of the
participants were ageing, socioeconomic status on ageing, retirement necessity or free will, life
after retirement, accepting life changes in life, gender differentiation and life fulfilment and
wellbeing. The research study was credible and trustworthy. The findings confirms that there is a
relationship between meaning and life satisfaction, the participations who used various ways to
find meaning through work, retirement pension which boost their financial wellbeing, family,
social lifestyles shows that they reached life satisfaction through the meaning they constructed
throughout their lives. Furthermore findings shows that meaning and life satisfaction are more
bound based on daily challenges and experiences within the lifestyle of the retirees and that a
relationship do exist between meaning and life satisfaction as well as that contributing factors
and concepts such as the themes that was developed plays a significant role in how the elderly
constructed meaning and life fulfilment within their lives.
Key words: Grounded theory; Aging; Meaning; Retirement; Life fulfillment
Page | 3
, Chapter 1: Introduction
“The ways of reporting the meaning of old age and the aging process for the elderly will depend
on how that person lived and how they adapt and face daily challenges (de Freitas et al., 2010, p.
406). Age is one thing that every human being has to go through (Fenton, 2014). Ageing is part
of being human and it is one focal concept that can never be removed from individuals‟ lives,
and it is the one thing that no individual can wish away since everyone goes through that process
on a daily basis. Not only does age make you older physically but also mentally. Growing
mentally is fascinating, through this we learn a lot about whom we are, what life gives us and
significantly how we can contribute to life and one‟s own lifestyle in order to create meaning in
our life, as we grow within age, it can either be that life satisfaction grows with age or decreases
(Fenton, 2014), this powerful decision lies within the actions of the individual. Age produces
how many years an individual are on earth and the richness of the historical experiences and
relationships with other individuals and the world all together (Day, 2007). All of this creates
that lovely stories that make small children sit for hours in front of the elderly and grandparents
listening to their life experiences and in what era they had to grow up in and how it was within
those times. Thus, with age it can be seen that it presents life satisfaction/ dissatisfaction within
individuals‟ life and ageing also creates meaning within our lifestyles as we grow older, as
Pervin (1984, p. 416 cited in Meyer et al., 2008) situates that “individuals play an active role
through interpreting and evaluating the results of their own.. behaviour” (p. 299). Within this
paper themes will be discussed about how retired elderly finds and create meaning and life
satisfaction within their lifestyles, to determine whether a relationship is found between meaning
and life satisfaction.
Looking at meaning and life satisfaction of 60 to 90 year old retired individuals much can be said
about it since meaning is the focal point within the study for without meaning in an individual‟s
lifestyle there will be no life satisfaction or fulfillment to be reached. Therefore it can be stated
that within the study meaning is the independent variable and life satisfaction the dependent
variable. This leads to developing the research question of: Is there a relationship between
meaning and life satisfaction in 60 to 90 year old retired individuals? Do meaning create life
satisfaction or dissatisfaction? Do people need meaning in their daily lives to have life
satisfaction? And finally how do the retired individuals create meaning and life satisfaction in
Page | 4
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