Introduction: Active aging is an important concept in the positive paradigm of aging that has attracted policy makers’ attention in the past two decades. However, active aging has been less underscored as an issue of research which can provide real and reliable insight about the aging population. Thus, the present study explored the nature, context, and influencing factors of active aging based on the experiences of the elderly.
Method: This qualitative study was conducted through grounded theory method in 2014-2015. Sampling was initiated with purposeful sampling method and continued with theoretical sampling method. The study environment consisted of cultural centers, artistic-cultural associations, and parks in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 35 elderly adults until data saturation was achieved. Data were analyzed and coded through 3 phases of open, axial, and selective coding suggested by Strauss and Corbin.
Results: “Reduction of roles” was the context for the phenomenon or main theme of the study which manifested as “agency-oriented existentialism”. This theme consisted of two sub-categories of “continuity of self” and “effective identity seeking” and wasthe main essence of experiences of active elderly. Causal conditions for active aging consisted of the subcategories of “internalized health tendency”, “quality of life time perception”, and “rethinking the quality of presence in relationships”.
Conclusion: At first glance, active aging appears as a behavior type, but in fact it is an attempt for agency-oriented existentialism and it requires elderly individuals’ different perception about time, their presence, and health tendency.
Keywords: Active aging, Grounded theory, Agency orientation, Quality of perceptio
