The Significance of Voluntary Activities in Old Age

Abstract

　 I have focused on group participation in old age as a means of understanding the productivity of the elderly in finding their own way of life and rebuilding their lifestyle.
　The objective of this paper is to clarify the diversity of subjective significance that is found in group activities, and to study the various functions of friend network that arc based on a newly reorganized context of locality. I regard group participation in old age as an important factor that directs "aging."
　In the relational context, group participation in old age is close to the concept of "Kanshin-en" (relation based on common interest), and in the context of the social domain, it is found in the concept of "Kyo" (a social domain composed of voluntary associations based on spontaneity and interest). In this paper, voluntary associations are divided into "Shi-en" (social contribution-oriented groups) and "Yu-en" (recreationoriented groups) by the types of individual interest. This paper is written based on data from interviews carried out with elderly who live in suburbs and participate actively in various voluntary associations.
　The following three points can be raised as the result of my analyses. First of all, the social function of group participation in old age is the creation of "one's place." It supplements the diminishing private domain in one's life structure while involving one in situations that occur in neighboring networks and between couples. Second, by creating a new type of role in the transition of one's life course, one can bridge the transition from middle age to old age, working to affirm the value of one's old age.Third, in the community, the intermediate group "Shi-en" improves community welfare and deepens mutual understanding among generations by reorganizing networks that are centered on friends to include the wider context of family, kin and neighbors.