Improving our knowledge of the experience of getting old Which method is best suited for this purpose?

This thesis is a contribution to the knowledge about the way French people, at the beginning of the XXI first century, live once they have retired, the main events, transitions and crisis they have to face, the difficulties they encounter, how it changes their perception of life and their relationships with their environment. Based on the results of a research project conducted between 2001 and 2010, its objective is to bring comprehensive answers to the following questions: What representations of old age French people have, once they have retired? How do they face the consequences of getting old? What is of importance to them during the third part of their life? What are their wishes, their apprehensions, the new paths they explore?