طهورا اکبری

This research was conducted with the aim of studying the lived experiences of successful seniors from the stages of psychosocial development from adolescence to old age. The qualitative research method was phenomenology. The statistical population of the study included all elderly men and women (۶۰ years old and above) of District ۸ of Tehran in ۱۴۰۳ and ۱۴۰۲, of which ۱۰ people were selected through purposeful sampling and interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The result of the findings showed that the experience of the successful elderly from the psychosocial development of their adolescence had ۶۸ primary categories and ۱۰ main themes. The successful elderly's experience of the psychosocial development of their youth period had ۴۵ primary categories and ۶ main themes, and the successful elderly's experience of the psychosocial development of their middle age period had ۳۲ primary categories and ۵ main themes.In the end, the researcher found ۲۱ main themes in examining three periods of the elderly's life, which include religious identity, family identity, personal identity, occupational identity, national and social identity, discovery of independence, value   and beliefs, social support, and extracurricular activities. And imitating adults was one of the main themes of psychosocial development in adolescence. Also, the six main themes of close and committed relationships, trust and belonging in relationships, family and parenting, self-regulation and role modeling, helping and altruism, and independence and sufficiency were effective factors in the experience of psychosocial development in youth. In addition, building and growing a family, participating in the work of the world, being active at home and in the community, accepting and adapting, and learning and developing skills were among the main themes of the successful elderly's experience of psychosocial development in middle age.According to the themes obtained, it is concluded that the more the elderly have a favorable psycho-social development in different stages of their life, the higher their coherence and quality of life will be in their old age.

Keywords: Successful aging, psychosocial development, lived experiences