Self-Direction in Productive Aging: A Qualitative Study

Aims: Replicating our prior study, this research explores personal perspectives of today’s current healthy productive agers actively engaged in their communities, and compares these to prior findings. Learning from their successful strategies for independent functioning can inform practitioners toward working collaboratively with clients.Methods: In this qualitative study, we interviewed six retired older adults. By applying constant comparative analysis, triangulation, and coding, we used inductive reasoning to identify and define several themes.Results: Authors identified three themes: hope for the future, planned performance, and purposeful social participation. From these emerged an overall theme of self-direction. Participants not only verbalized their beliefs in these principles, but also demonstrated them with their continuing active life roles.Conclusion: The results highlight the strong and self-directed sense of purpose in life enacted by these participants. They mastered self-management skills balanced with meaningful social roles in their communities. Findings have implications for expanded practitioner interventions.