2005 年 18 巻 1 号 p. 45-54
The subjective cognition of aging by the elderly was investigated using the qualitative research method of semi-structured interviews. We selected ten healthy elderly people as informants (interviewees) that were aged 65 years or more, and lived independently (Male = 7, Female = 3, Age: M = 72.4, SD = 5.52). Results were suggestive of two kinds of aging. Those that thought, “The classification that I am an old person depends on the social system, but I am not actually old ”were classified as “the socially aged.” Those that thought, “I recognize that I am really old ” were classified as the “the subjectively aged”. These results indicate the need to be attentive to individual aspects of aging. Moreover, these cognitive patterns suggest ways of adapting to aging. The cognition that regarded aging as inevitable, natural, and common was classified as “adaptive acceptance”.