A phenomenological study of anticipated intimacy and sexual expression needs of aging male and female baby boomers.

Abstract

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe doctoral education process is an adventurous journey on its own without the rocky roads, detours, and sudden left turns that appear and attempt to block us from completing the journey and at minim takes on detours that take as far away from the path we began and visualized. Fortunately, I had the fortune of selecting a tremendous mentor and dissertation chair, Dr. Anita P. Barbee, Ph. D. who helped me navigate those some very difficult times due to health, injury, and personal life crisis that kept me on going in The purpose of this study was to understand the phenomenon of how heterosexual Baby Boomers define and understand intimacy, sexual expression, along expectations and desires relating to their respective expressions across the lifespan through their individual experiences and reflections. A set of guiding questions were used in a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative research design. Data was gathered from thirteen subjects (n=13) using the Rappaport Time Line (RTL) that was used to develop individualized semi-structured interviews and follow-up interviews that were professionally transcribed. These were coded to identify emergent themes. Results of the study provided insight into the phenomenon of how heterosexual Baby Boomers define and understand intimacy, sexual expression, expectations and desires relating to their respective expressions across the lifespan.