Meaning in Life Categories of Later Life Couples

Abstract

Essay statements were gathered from 36 active married seniors about the strongest meaning in their lives. These golden anniversary couples most often reported the category of relationships (within the family) as central, followed by health and pleasure. A chi-square analysis showed a significant difference between the type of meanings of seniors and those of younger adults. The results were similar to those of McCarthy's (1983) study of convalescent home seniors with the exception that the latter group more strongly emphasized belief and deemphasized pleasure. The importance of relationships over the lifespan and this study's implication for Cumming and Henry's (1961) disengagement theory is discussed. In addition, the proposition that our age lacks meaning as put forth by such theorists as Frankl was examined and again questioned from a phenomenological data-gathering perspective.