Crafting the Self: Older Persons’ Narratives of Occupational Identity

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine how engagement in creative occupations informed six older retired people's occupational identities. METHOD: Occupational narratives were gathered from in-depth interviews with 6 participants (75 years of age or older) who had extended experience of participation in creative occupations. A process of narrative-type inquiry produced summarized, chronological stories for each participant. Subsequently, a process of paradigmatic-type narrative analysis produced thematic categories related to how a sense of self is associated with creative occupational engagement in later life. RESULTS: Four themes derived from data analysis included the relevance of relational practices, changing self-awareness, enduring qualities, and reflective processes to the formation of a sense of self. CONCLUSION: This study adds to an understanding of how leisure occupations maintained across the life cycle contribute to building an occupational identity.