Representational content and structure about family from the viewpoint of co-resident elderly people

Abstract

The scope of this study is to analyze the representational content and structure of the family from the viewpoint of co-resident elderly people. This is a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study with the theoretical contribution of Social Representation Theory, from the structural perspective, conducted with 169 elderly people registered in the catchment area of two Family Health Units. The Technique of Free Evocations was used for production of data using the keyword family, and the analysis performed using EVOC software. A probable structured nucleus was identified based on the words love, concern, yearning and relatives, while at the same time the peripheral elements elicit words such as unity and conflict, revealing elements of both positive and negative meanings. The conclusion drawn is that the representational structure reveals a dimension of positive and negative aspects of the elderly with regard to the family.

Family; Elderly; Social psychology; Social representations