Abstract

MARQUES, Filipa D.  and  SOUSA, Liliana Xavier Marques de. Family integrity and old age poverty: values and meanings. Psicol inf. [online]. 2012, vol.16, n.16, pp. 11-43. ISSN 1415-8809.

Life review is one of the most important developmental tasks in later life. It involves the elderly and their families and can lead to integrity, family disconnection or alienation. This study explores the construction of family integrity (versus alienation and disconnection) in elderly with a history of poverty throughout their lives, exploring their world of meanings and values. The sample involves twelve participants aged between 65 and 89 years. The simple word count technique was applied, using the qualitative analysis program N- -Vivo7. Main results suggest that the meanings and values attributed to being poor influence the re / interpretation of identity throughout life: family integrity occurs when being poor is seen by the person’s conquests; disconnection / alienation emerges when being poor is accompanied by feelings of devaluation and inferiority. Family and community intervention should consider these meanings and values to fit the experiences of the poor old people.

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