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ERIC Number: EJ940973
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Oct
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0016-9013
EISSN: N/A
Continuity and Discontinuity: The Case of Second Couplehood in Old Age
Koren, Chaya
Gerontologist, v51 n5 p687-698 Oct 2011
Purpose: Continuity and discontinuity are controversial concepts in social theories on aging. The aim of this article is to explore these concepts using the experiences of older persons living in second couplehood in old age as a case in point. Design and Method: Based on a larger qualitative study on second couplehood in old age, following the existential-phenomenological tradition, a theoretical sample of 20 couples was chosen. Forty individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, tape-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Results: A continuity-discontinuity continuum and a value-attribution pole emerged from data analysis. Continuity was experienced as the exception and discontinuity as the rule. Implications: Findings are discussed in light of social theories on aging, raising questions regarding the role of continuity and discontinuity in old age development. Practical implications are suggested.
Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://gerontologist.oxfordjournals.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A