Abstract
This study was conducted to understand the aging process that late middle-aged Koreans experience. The essential meaning of aging was explored by observing life experiences related to aging in the context of their generation and studying the structure of these experiences. Eight women and eight men living in Korea in their late middle age (55-64 years old) were selected to participate in data collection and analysis according to van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological study process. As a result, 60 core meanings and 42 themes were observed, including 16 essential themes: <aging body that they are unfamiliar with>, <health they want to hold onto until the end>, <places they have adapted as their responsibilities and roles>, <barren land that they have not been deeply rooted in>, <child that they cannot turn away from>, <a place like a mother’s arm that they have found>, <a couple who have just met in one place after going through ups and downs>, <directional coordinates that they reclaim through choices and challenges>, <the life of conformity that has become their second nature>, <moments paused by their past wounds>, <personal time that was restricted by their roles but now they regain>, <roles that have been forced on them unilaterally>, <umbilical cord that is unbreakable>, <the fragments of relationship lost by times and work>, <family bond that is strong and tough>, <personal existence that they do not want to be forgotten>. The semantic structure of the previous 16 essential themes was understood by dividing them into van Manen’s four lifeworld existentials: lived body, lived space, lived time, and lived human relations. This study attempted to comprehend the universal and personal aging process through the historical and societal context that late middle-aged Koreans share. Exploring the experience and meaning of aging in late middle age from a more systematic and contextual perspective is expected to be an essential resource for understanding the perception and attitude of late middle age. As the importance of elderly life is increasing due to an aging society, such understanding of aging has practical significance in the development of psychological support programs and social policies that aid the preparation of healthy aging for the new and growing elderly population.
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