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Older Widows' Experience of living Alone at Home
Author(s) -
Porter Eileen Jones
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
image: the journal of nursing scholarship
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1547-5069
pISSN - 0743-5150
DOI - 10.1111/j.1547-5069.1994.tb00289.x
Subject(s) - lived experience , phenomenological method , phenomenology (philosophy) , psychology , older people , perception , interpretative phenomenological analysis , social psychology , gerontology , qualitative research , aesthetics , sociology , medicine , epistemology , psychotherapist , social science , art , philosophy , neuroscience
Older widows' experience of living alone is described in this research. Based on Husserl's (1913/1962) philosophy, a phenomenological method was used. Prior to data‐gathering, knowledge pertaining to older widows' experience was bracketed. During semi‐structured, tape‐recorded conversations, seven older widows described how they lived at home alone. From data pertaining to their actions, intentions and perceptions, four phenomena of the lived experience were developed: (a) making aloneness acceptable; (b) going my own way; (c) reducing my risks; and (d) sustaining myself .