Life as Experienced Within and Through the Body After the Age of 85 Years: A Metasynthesis of Primary Phenomenological Research

Abstract

The body is central to the experience of aging. In this metasynthesis, the authors located, analyzed, and reconceptualized phenomenological research on how life is experienced within and through the body after 85 years. Sandelowski and Barroso’s metasynthesis method was employed. Seven databases were searched for primary phenomenological studies. After systematic screening and quality appraisal, 19 studies were included for review. Analysis was guided by Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s existential philosophy of embodiment. Findings were organized using Max van Manen’s reflective lifeworld existentials. Four ontological dimensions emerged, namely, being in a body (corporeality), being in time (temporality), being in place (spatiality), and being with others (relationality). Each dimension captures a distinct experiential dimension of this stage of the life course. The results suggest vast heterogeneity in the ontological experience of aging, supporting the view that diversity grows with age. The ability to adapt to multidimensional losses was identified as a source of resilience.

A systematic review of qualitative social work articles: Exploring embodiment from 2000 to 2019

“…Our analysis of the 89 articles paints a picture of the sub-field of embodiment in social work over the last 20 years and offers some preliminary revelations about where the profession has been and hinting at where it might go. Subjective experiences of embodiment are first and foremost a social justice issue; it is a topic that points to how marginalization, oppression and violence happen in and to people's bodies, that bodies tell stories about lived experiences (Krieger, 2005), and that 'the body keeps the score' (van der Kolk, 2014). When social workers ignore the body, they are reinforcing the modernist paradigms that perpetuate disconnection from bodies and silence the relationships between the body and society.…”

“…For this systematic review of qualitative articles, we were influenced by two methodological approaches including meta-synthesis and qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS). A meta-synthesis is a systematic method of analysing and re-conceptualizing primarily the qualitative literature (van Rhyn et al, 2019). This methodology allows for the integration of knowledge and further interpretation of previous literature and how it relates to a specific topic.…”

“…systems theory, ecological theory, social constructionism and critical theory) provide few insights or space to consider the subjective role of the body (Cameron and McDermott, 2007). While feminists have contributed much, we hypothesized that with the increased focus on the impact of trauma and the work of key contributors such as van der Kolk (2014), there could be more acceptance of including a subjective view of the body in human experience and the social work agenda. Moreover, with the publication of a book on embodied pedagogy by Canadian-based scholars Batacharya and Wong (2018) that includes substantial social work perspectives, as well as the recent publication of a special edition of Australian Social Work on embodiment and social work (Mensinga and Pyles, 2021), there appears to be global momentum on this topic.…”

A cross-cultural investigation of the conceptualisation of frailty in northern Tanzania

“…Refusing to obey their owner and function as they should, there was a separation created between the frail body, and the self. A meta-synthesis of phenomenological research from HIC settings similarly found that older people's experiences of being in their bodies increased as their bodily limitations became more apparent (van Rhyn, Barwick and Donelly, 2020). Grenier discussed how medical models of frailty have focused on the body's functioning, however the failing body was only one reason for 'feeling' frail (Grenier, 2006).…”