Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Abstract
The Change of the Happiness Meaning in Life Cycle Transition: A Study Among Women in Kerman
Lida Akhoundfeyz[1] , MohammadSaeed Zokaei[2]
Received: 10/4/2016 Accepted: 12/12/2016
Abstract
Some empirical studies reveal that happiness as a category and a social construct show some variations during different periods of lifetime. Besides the biological reality of age, the social impact of generation can explain quality of joy experience and reactions to joyful situations and tries to understand how women and girls make sense of their happiness experiences in different periods of their life. In this article mentality, experience and interpretation of happiness in three age groups (adolescents, young and middle aged) has been studied based on a qualitative approach and through individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups with girls and women in Kerman. The results of this study indicate that women’s understanding and interpretation of happiness is not constant. Findings also represent how generational experiences, gender politics and the biological reality of age which appear externally in women activities and interests, display changes in different life period. In addition the above result confirms the importance of sociological interpretations of joy as well as its attention to the dominant psychological aspects, and it also has implications for some positive performance and interventions in these age groups to manage emotions.
Keywords: Happiness, Life Cycle, Women, Generation Experiences
[1]. M.A. Degree In Sociology, Graduate At Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran,
IRAN. Email: Lida_a920@yahoo.com
[2]. Professor In Sociology & Cultural Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Allameh
Tabataba'i University, Tehran. IRAN. Email: saeed.zokaei@gmail.com
)