Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. The project was carried out between 1991 and 1993 to establish sources of self-identity and relate this to prospective ageing, and to consider how earlier life experiences contributed to adaptability to ageing. In-depth life history interviews were carried out with individuals aged 55 to 59 and this collection comprises transcriptions and documentation from this work. The original audio recordings have been deposited seperately with the National Sound Archive of the British Library. The sample was drawn from participants in the pilot study for the British Household Panel Study. This collection is not currently digitised and is available as a hard copy only. If you are interested in a project which involves the digitisation of this collection, please contact our Collections team at collections@ukdataservice.ac.uk. We'd be delighted to work with you in enhancing this collection. Main Topics: Old age; ageing; retirement; death; bereavement; children; grandchildren; grandparents; parents; education; personal relationships; work; leisure; health; personal appearance; sex.

This cross-sectional (one-time) study used face-to-face interviews. Data includes in-depth/unstructured interview transcripts. Quota sample was used to select 50 respondents from the pilot study of the British Household Panel Study (BHPS). Sample included men and women aged 55-59.