Abstract

Purpose is to reveal the trajectories of religious faith in the lives of older people.

Methodology is a qualitative study that has involved seven older people. Data was collected in qualitative semistructured interviews using Faith Development Interview (Streib & Keller, 2015), questions about sociademographic characteristics of participants, observation and diary of the researcher. The study applied thematic narrative analysis (Riessman, 2005) which consisted of the steps to reconstructe the life stories (Rosenthal, 1993) and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

Findings. The origins of religious faith formed in childhood, but had different trajectories in the course of life: a stable or wavy religious faith, manifested as hidden or rediscovered. Stable religious faith is a constant, little-changing belief in the lives of the older people. Wavy religious faith is a fragmentary belief and its changing meaning in life. At a certain stage of life, it may appear as neglected, hidden or rediscovered religious faith.

Research limitations / implications are the low number of participants. For this reason, the results of the study do not describe and generalize a larger population of the older people, but provide insights for further research. It is expedient to conduct longitudinal studies that reveal how religious faith develops in the course of life.

Practical implications. A valuable specialist in various fields working with these individuals in the institutions of social services, long-term care, and education, in associations for senior people and alliences. The findings of the study are adapted and integrated into consulting, psychotherapy and psychosocial and spiritual interventions of the elderly.

Originality. The presented perspectives of elderly people reflect the culture of Eastern Europe and Lithuania, where in the context of historical events and Catholic tradition were the older people and their religious faith have formed. There is a lack of such religious faith in historical and cultural environment of Lithuania.

Keywords: religious faith, elderly, life course.

Research type: case study.

JEL classification: D91, N34, Z12.