A esperança no processo de envelhecimento: uma leitura psicanalítica

Abstract

Understanding the psychic processes of aging becomes an emergency as the Brazilian population has reached a high life expectancy. This research aims to investigate the conditions related to hope during aging. A semi-structured interview and the application of two instruments were used as procedures: an Interactive Narrative and the Herth Hope Scale. His results were discussed in light of D.W.Winnicott's theory. The procedures were performed with four interviewees, one male and three female, with ages ranging from 67 to 82 years. The results found point to hope as an important factor associated with health and three categories of analysis were formulated: 1) The encounter with the purpose and sense of existence: hope and the act of reparation; 2) Feeling alive: hope and the ability to die and 3) Relationships and Transgenerationality: hope and the environment. It was concluded that emotional development is a continuous process, demanding several transformations between the phases of living. Hope has been shown to sustain these vicissitudes and a way of crossing the age and gaining capacities regarding the maturation that follows until the end of life.