Happy life in the late adulthood : the meaning of individual motive

Positive psychology points out the relation between experiencing the state of engagement in life, including social engagement, and the feeling of happiness and contentment in seniors. The purpose of the conducted study was to search for the relationship between the well-being of older adults and their individual life motives which were operationalized on the basis of the Japanese cultural phenomenon of ikigai. The participants in the study were seniors from three groups: members of the Active Senior Club, students of The Third Age University and inmates of a Care and Therapy In-patient Department (N = 138). The sense of meaning of life, satisfaction with life and resiliency were measured. Additionally, the participants were asked a question concerning the value they ascribed to their own life. The results of the study indicate that the seniors who declare they possess an individual life motive are generally more satisfi ed with their life and consider it to have more meaning. Senior citizens who are active in areas such as education or culture also present a higher level in those areas