PENSIONERS’ WAY OF LIVING AND THEIR RELATION TO TIME

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of the work is to study the lifestyle and attitude to time of people at the late ontogenesis stage. Methodology and Approach. Based on the results of the ZPTI Questionnaire (F. Zimbardo) and the author’s questionnaire, the time perspective features in groups of pensioners (58-93 years old) who lead different lifestyles are analyzed: elderly non-working people who are at home-based social services; elderly non-working people, leading an active lifestyle. Results. The prevailing temporal orientations in the general sample are “Future” and “Positive Past”. A balanced time perspective is observed in one third of respondents. The Past and the Present are correlated, while the mode of the future is isolated. Active pensioners are more future-oriented. When planning goals for the next year, they often want to learn something new, but in the long term, the goal of “maintaining health” becomes the most important. For pensioners dependent on social assistance, maintaining health is an urgent goal throughout all periods of future planning. The age of 64-75 years is the most balanced, when all three aspects of time are actualized and integrated in the personality time perspective. Single or cohabiting living does not affect the personality time perspective. Theoretical and Practical implications. The results of the study contribute to the time psychology of late age people, and allow us to determine the vulnerability points in orientation in time, as well as to develop psychocorrection programs.

Keywords

• well-being aging
• time perspective
• old age
• active pensioners
• pensioners at home-based social services