Policy Press
Three Integrating the sacred in creative ageing
Abstract
This chapter centres on the role of values in the ways in which people in later life cope with challenges in creating meaning in their personal lives in the United States. It is not surprising that the received wisdom on ageing as a time of crisis promotes the idea that religion plays a central role in the process of successful ageing. However, the question remains as to whether religion in fact promotes successful ageing. Based on the result of the research, as a general trend, religious and/or spiritual individuals were more likely to be leading more active everyday lives in old age than their non-religious and non-spiritual peers. However, as one case highlights in this chapter, it is possible to carve out an engaged and purposeful existence without concern for religion.
Abstract
This chapter centres on the role of values in the ways in which people in later life cope with challenges in creating meaning in their personal lives in the United States. It is not surprising that the received wisdom on ageing as a time of crisis promotes the idea that religion plays a central role in the process of successful ageing. However, the question remains as to whether religion in fact promotes successful ageing. Based on the result of the research, as a general trend, religious and/or spiritual individuals were more likely to be leading more active everyday lives in old age than their non-religious and non-spiritual peers. However, as one case highlights in this chapter, it is possible to carve out an engaged and purposeful existence without concern for religion.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables and figures v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements x
- Foreword xi
- Introduction 1
-
Religion, spirituality, cultural resources and creating meaning
- Religious belonging and spiritual questioning: a Western European perspective on ageing and religion 23
- Spirituality: a means for achieving integration in personal and community spheres in an ageing Singapore 37
- Integrating the sacred in creative ageing 51
- Atheist convictions, Christian beliefs or ‘keeping things open’? Patterns of world views among three generations in East German families 73
- Beyond dialogue: entering the fourth space in old age 91
-
Norms, values and gerontology
- The long road to a moralisation of old age 107
- How to balance generations: solidarity dilemmas in a European perspective 123
- Pension systems and the challenge of population ageing: what does the public think? 139
- Ethos of care and environment in long-stay care settings: impacts on residents’ lives 161
- Engineering substantially prolonged human lifespans: biotechnological enhancement and ethics 177
-
Ageing and wisdom? Conflicts and contested developments
- Wisdom: a humanist approach to valuing older people 201
- Social practices, moral frameworks and religious values in the lives of older people 217
- ‘Woo-hoo, what a ride!’ Older people, life stories and active ageing 233
- Does eldership mean anything in the contemporary West? 249
- Talk about old age, health and morality 261
-
Afterwords
- Exploring positive images of ageing: the production of calendars 277
- Gateways to humanistic gerontology 283
- Index 289
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables and figures v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements x
- Foreword xi
- Introduction 1
-
Religion, spirituality, cultural resources and creating meaning
- Religious belonging and spiritual questioning: a Western European perspective on ageing and religion 23
- Spirituality: a means for achieving integration in personal and community spheres in an ageing Singapore 37
- Integrating the sacred in creative ageing 51
- Atheist convictions, Christian beliefs or ‘keeping things open’? Patterns of world views among three generations in East German families 73
- Beyond dialogue: entering the fourth space in old age 91
-
Norms, values and gerontology
- The long road to a moralisation of old age 107
- How to balance generations: solidarity dilemmas in a European perspective 123
- Pension systems and the challenge of population ageing: what does the public think? 139
- Ethos of care and environment in long-stay care settings: impacts on residents’ lives 161
- Engineering substantially prolonged human lifespans: biotechnological enhancement and ethics 177
-
Ageing and wisdom? Conflicts and contested developments
- Wisdom: a humanist approach to valuing older people 201
- Social practices, moral frameworks and religious values in the lives of older people 217
- ‘Woo-hoo, what a ride!’ Older people, life stories and active ageing 233
- Does eldership mean anything in the contemporary West? 249
- Talk about old age, health and morality 261
-
Afterwords
- Exploring positive images of ageing: the production of calendars 277
- Gateways to humanistic gerontology 283
- Index 289
