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Tornstam, L., Tornqvist, M., 2000, Nursing staff's interpretations of "Gerotranscendental Behavior" in the Elderly, Journal of Aging and Identity 5(1):15-29.

Abstract

From the theory of gerotranscendence, certain so-called "gerotranscendental behaviors" have been derived, e.g. changes in the perception of time and more time spent in solitude. In order to find out if staff members working with the elderly notice such behaviors and if so how they interpret them, we have in this qualitative study presented a number of care givers with descriptions of specific behaviors, for example, the transcendence of time. When such behaviors were recognized, we have deconstructed the staff members' interpretations of them. A common denominator in the interpretations of "gerotranscendental behaviors" is that they are constructed within the perspective of either a pathology- or an activity-oriented theory. In the first case, the behavior is understood as a symptom of, for example, dementia. In the second case, the behavior is regarded as a negative consequence of inactivity. If the inherently positive developmental perspective provided by the theory of gerotranscendence is not to be lost, staff members apparently need access to new frames of reference.



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May 30, 2000