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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: Int Psychogeriatr. 2019 Apr 11;31(12):1809–1821. doi: 10.1017/S104161021900022X

Table 3. Formal Categories.

Formal Category N Definition Examples
List 50 Buzz phrases and sayings about relationships, without explaining these words mean to the participant personally, even after a prompt by the interviewer asking if they can think about anything else. The category Lists refers to the whole response, so it can be coded even if only one or two points are listed, as long as there is no deeper explanation. „A good relationship: respect for one another, acceptance, trying to do a lot of things together, listening, talking, acting in concert but still granting personal freedom.”
Personal Experiences Only 35 This category is coded if a participant talks only about his or her personal experiences, without any abstraction or generalization. It is not coded if a personal narrative is used to explain or illustrate a point. “A good relationship, yes, I have to say that I don’t have such a thing anymore. I really have to say that my husband is unable to listen, he has become selfish…”