• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.485-515
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to explore bullying among senior women at a senior center. Using ethnographic research technique, we examined the process in which members of the senior center engaged in and responded to bullying. Purposive sampling method was used to choose a senior center as the subject of this study. Within the center, 16 senior women participated in the study. In-depth interviews and participatory research methods were used to collect data. We analyzed the transcripts of the interviews based on the ethnographic analysis method presented by Spradley (1979). Themes that emerged from these participatory research and interviews include: members of the senior center creating loners, people being bullied causing damages to the group, taking actions to respond to bullying, and failing to solve the bullying problems. First, the victims of bullying became loners with no one to rely on through other members' verbal attacks, discrimination, isolation, and stopping the victim to use the senior center. Second, the victims were under attack but also caused troubles at the senior center and harmed others at the same time. Third, while engaging in bullying, senior women attempted to deal with bullying problems in many ways. These attempts include: avoiding the conflict, withstanding, attempting to mediating, and so on. Finally, bullying remained to be a recurring phenomenon at the senior center. New victims of bullying continuously appeared and the influence of bullying was felt not only within the senior center but outside as well. Based on the findings of this study, we suggest that practitioners and researchers take into account factors that affect bullying among senior women.