The middle-aged adult and their own old age: a structural approach to social representation / El adulto de mediana edad y su propia vejez: enfoque estructural de la representación social
Qualitative research supported by the Theory of Social Representation. The field of study was the marginal urban jurisdiction of the Toribia Castro and San Martin Health Centers, in the Lambayeque district, in Peru. Two hundred people between 40 and 59 years old were participants in the study, 50% males and 50% females. Data was collected using the Free Word AssociationTechnique, with the inductor term "my old age". The data was analyzed with the EVOC 2003 software.
The probable central nucleus of old age shows negative representation overall and, depending on how the person copes with it in the course of their life, the meanings assigned to it will vary. Health promotionpolicies that highlight self-care and communicate a positive and autonomous image of old age can contribute to reconfigure such representations.
El probable núcleo central de la vejez evidencia una representación negativa, y a depender de la forma cómo la persona la enfrente en el curso de vida, dependerá los significados que le asigne. Las políticas de promoción de la salud que destacan el autocuidado y comunican una imagen positiva y autónoma de la vejez pueden contribuir para reconfigurar tales representaciones.