Old age, time, and the space of the home: A qualitative research study during the COVID-19 pandemic

This qualitative study analyzes old age, time, and the space of the home by focusing on the mechanisms of mirroring and symbolization. Throughout the subject’s life, these two mechanisms have shaped the house and existence within it. By investigating mirroring and symbolization, starting with discussion on the theme of the house, we can further unpack emotional data that are embedded within this dialogue. To this end, 3 men and 3 women (between 75 and 90 yrs.) participated in a Free Association Narrative Interview (FANI) during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions; the participants’ houses were the setting. Five major themes emerged from analysis of the interviews: origins, the body, loneliness, death, and the influence of the public health emergency on experience of the present. Questions of reflexivity and countertransference in psychoanalytically-informed qualitative research are discussed.