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Interior design: An exploratory study about the use of residential social space by older couples
Abstract
This was an exploratory qualitative study of the use of social space by older couples in eight private residential homes. Residents were asked to complete a personal activity profile of areas designated as private social spaces, that is, entry hall, formal living room, formal dining room, kitchen, breakfast area, family room/porch/sunroom. Bathrooms and bedrooms were excluded. A territorial intrusion questionnaire developed by Allekian (1973) was adapted and administered regarding the residents' feelings about intrusion into spaces. The general area of concern in the study focused on the questions: (1) Which interior social spaces were used by the retired? (2) What were older couples' perceptions of use of social space? (3) What were the emotions concerning potential territorial intrusions into space? Data indicated that informal interior social spaces were used so frequently that couples established individual territories and marked out specific furniture/areas. Males used less space, established more territory, but perceived that females had more territory. Females used slightly more space, established less territory, and perceived that males established less territory. Formal interior social spaces were rarely used. Females were slightly more anxious about intrusion into their potential territory than males.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology|Architecture|Home economics education
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Marion Marguerette, "Interior design: An exploratory study about the use of residential social space by older couples" (1988). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8904492.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8904492