El sol de la edad :
narraciones de personas mayores sobre la soledad como concepto polisémico en Santiago de Chile
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Abusleme Lama, María Teresa
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Buenos Aires
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La investigación que se desarrolla a continuación titulada “El sol de la edad: narraciones de personas mayores sobre la soledad como concepto polisémico en Santiago de Chile”, tuvo como propósito central comprender
cómo las personas mayores construyen y representan la soledad a lo largo de sus trayectorias vitales, y de qué manera ésta se articula con sus procesos de envejecimiento y vejez. El estudio parte de la constatación de que la vejez es representada socialmente como sinónimo de enfermedad, pérdida y dependencia, invisibilizando su heterogeneidad y desconociendo su potencial como etapa de agencia y construcción positiva. Estas representaciones, reforzadas por el edadismo y los estigmas, configuran la soledad como un fenómeno
homogéneo y negativo. Frente a ello, y producto de la discusión actual, se planteó la necesidad de analizar la soledad desde la experiencia subjetiva, biográfica y relacional de las propias personas mayores. El objetivo general fue comprender la representación que construyen las personas mayores de Santiago de Chile sobre la soledad, identificando los efectos que esta tiene en sus procesos de envejecimiento y vejez. Para ello, se
articularon enfoques sociológicos del envejecimiento, tales como desvinculación, actividad, continuidad, curso de vida, economía política y gerontología crítica, con la teoría de las representaciones sociales y aportes
teóricos sobre modernidad, individualización y soledad. Metodológicamente, se adoptó un diseño cualitativo, biográfico y dialógico, inscrito en el paradigma interpretativo. Se realizaron 32 entrevistas en profundidad a mujeres y hombres mayores, tanto que viven solos como acompañados, utilizando la reconstrucción de relatos de vida como técnica principal. La información se trabajó mediante herramientas del análisis del discurso, integrando dimensiones semánticas, narrativas y simbólicas, complementadas con un anexo sobre la construcción y significado de metáforas, elemento que emergió inesperadamente en los relatos de las personas. Los resultados muestran que la soledad en la vejez no puede reducirse a un estado negativo y homogéneo. Por el contrario, se manifiesta como un concepto polisémico y ambivalente, que evidencia diferencias significativas
según género, trayectorias vitales y condiciones de vida, lo que confirma que la experiencia de la soledad es heterogénea y situada. En términos conclusivos, la investigación afirma que la vejez debe ser entendida como una etapa vital diversa y socialmente determinada, marcada tanto por proyectos y reinvenciones como por duelos y renuncias. La soledad, a su vez, se revela como un fenómeno relacional y cambiante, que puede ser
vivido como autonomía y capacidad de agencia o como angustia y desazón, lo que obliga a superar las aproximaciones homogéneas que la reducen a un problema considerado como una pandemia en la actualidad. Se observa también que los roles de género en la vejez están en transformación: mujeres que reconfiguran su feminidad desde la autonomía y hombres que exploran nuevas formas de emocionalidad. Finalmente, el estudio plantea que la vejez no debe concebirse como un problema demográfico, sino como una etapa con desafíos y potencial creativo. La narrativa pública debe matizar la imagen de la persona mayor como dependiente y solitaria, y reconocerla como sujeto de derechos. De este modo, se concluye que tanto la vejez como la soledad son experiencias complejas, socialmente moduladas y subjetivamente vividas, que requieren ser abordadas desde una mirada crítica, relacional y respetuosa de la dignidad y diversidad de quienes envejecen.
The following research, entitled The Sun of Old Age: Narratives of Older Adults on Loneliness as a Polysemous Concept in Santiago, Chile, sought to understand how older adults construct and represent loneliness throughout their lives, and how it connects with their processes of aging and old age. The study begins from the observation that old age is socially represented as synonymous with illness, loss, and dependency, thereby making its heterogeneity invisible and overlooking its potential as a stage of agency and positive life construction. These representations, reinforced by ageism and stigma, frame loneliness as a homogeneous and negative phenomenon. In light of this, and within the context of current debates, the need emerged to analyze loneliness from the subjective, biographical, and relational experiences of older adults themselves. The overall objective was to understand the representations of loneliness constructed by older adults in Santiago, Chile, and to identify their effects on the processes of aging and old age. To this end, sociological approaches to aging—such as disengagement theory, activity theory, continuity theory, the life course perspective, political economy, and critical gerontology—were combined with the theory of social representations and theoretical contributions on modernity, individualization, and loneliness. Methodologically, a qualitative, biographical, and dialogic design was adopted, embedded within the interpretive paradigm. Thirty-two in-depth interviews were conducted with older men and women, both those living alone and those living with companions, using the reconstruction of life stories as the primary technique. The information was analyzed through discourse analysis tools, integrating semantic, narrative, and symbolic dimensions, and complemented by a supplementary section on the construction and meaning of metaphors—an element that unexpectedly emerged in participants’ narratives. The findings reveal that loneliness in old age cannot be reduced to a negative and homogeneous state. On the contrary, it manifests as a polysemous and ambivalent concept, marked by significant differences related to gender, life trajectories, and living conditions. This confirms that the experience of loneliness is heterogeneous and situated. In conclusion, the research affirms that old age must be understood as a diverse and socially determined stage of life, characterized both by projects and reinventions as well as by grief and renunciation. Loneliness, in turn, emerges as a relational and dynamic phenomenon, which can be experienced as autonomy and agency or as anguish and unease—thus calling for the overcoming of homogeneous approaches that reduce it to a phenomenon often described today as a pandemic. The study also highlights that gender roles in old age are undergoing transformation: women are reconfiguring femininity through autonomy, while men are exploring new forms of emotionality. Finally, the study argues that old age should not be conceived as a demographic problem, but rather as a stage defined by challenges and creative potential. Public narratives must provide a more nuanced image of older adults—not merely as dependent and lonely, but as subjects of rights. Therefore, the research concludes that both old age and loneliness are complex, socially mediated, and subjectively lived experiences that require a critical and relational approach that respects the dignity and diversity of those who age.
The following research, entitled The Sun of Old Age: Narratives of Older Adults on Loneliness as a Polysemous Concept in Santiago, Chile, sought to understand how older adults construct and represent loneliness throughout their lives, and how it connects with their processes of aging and old age. The study begins from the observation that old age is socially represented as synonymous with illness, loss, and dependency, thereby making its heterogeneity invisible and overlooking its potential as a stage of agency and positive life construction. These representations, reinforced by ageism and stigma, frame loneliness as a homogeneous and negative phenomenon. In light of this, and within the context of current debates, the need emerged to analyze loneliness from the subjective, biographical, and relational experiences of older adults themselves. The overall objective was to understand the representations of loneliness constructed by older adults in Santiago, Chile, and to identify their effects on the processes of aging and old age. To this end, sociological approaches to aging—such as disengagement theory, activity theory, continuity theory, the life course perspective, political economy, and critical gerontology—were combined with the theory of social representations and theoretical contributions on modernity, individualization, and loneliness. Methodologically, a qualitative, biographical, and dialogic design was adopted, embedded within the interpretive paradigm. Thirty-two in-depth interviews were conducted with older men and women, both those living alone and those living with companions, using the reconstruction of life stories as the primary technique. The information was analyzed through discourse analysis tools, integrating semantic, narrative, and symbolic dimensions, and complemented by a supplementary section on the construction and meaning of metaphors—an element that unexpectedly emerged in participants’ narratives. The findings reveal that loneliness in old age cannot be reduced to a negative and homogeneous state. On the contrary, it manifests as a polysemous and ambivalent concept, marked by significant differences related to gender, life trajectories, and living conditions. This confirms that the experience of loneliness is heterogeneous and situated. In conclusion, the research affirms that old age must be understood as a diverse and socially determined stage of life, characterized both by projects and reinventions as well as by grief and renunciation. Loneliness, in turn, emerges as a relational and dynamic phenomenon, which can be experienced as autonomy and agency or as anguish and unease—thus calling for the overcoming of homogeneous approaches that reduce it to a phenomenon often described today as a pandemic. The study also highlights that gender roles in old age are undergoing transformation: women are reconfiguring femininity through autonomy, while men are exploring new forms of emotionality. Finally, the study argues that old age should not be conceived as a demographic problem, but rather as a stage defined by challenges and creative potential. Public narratives must provide a more nuanced image of older adults—not merely as dependent and lonely, but as subjects of rights. Therefore, the research concludes that both old age and loneliness are complex, socially mediated, and subjectively lived experiences that require a critical and relational approach that respects the dignity and diversity of those who age.
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Keywords
VEJEZ, SOLEDAD, EXPERIENCIA, REPRESENTACIONES SOCIALE, ESTIGMATIZACIÓN, SUBJETIVIDAD, SOCIABILIDAD, EMOCIONES, ENTREVISTAS, ANÁLISIS DEL DISCURSO, CHILE, SANTIAGO DE CHILE
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Tesis doctoral
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399 h.
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Abusleme Lama, María Teresa (2025). El sol de la edad: narraciones de personas mayores sobre la soledad como concepto polisémico en Santiago de Chile. Tesis de Doctorado. FLACSO. Sede Académica Argentina, Buenos Aires.
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