2. The situation of emargination in which many of the elderly find themselves can be traced to three causes: the rigid burocratic organization of the work force, the culture or mentality of refusal, and the consequental self-emargination of the elderly themselves. The industrial society, in the first place, has been constructed on the rigid fracturing of human life in three sectors: formation, work, retirement. The existential cycle has been segmented arbitrarily in this way and has not anymore had a progressive and continuous development; it has been diacronically broken. The work force has been found to be in total contrast with the hours after 5:00 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday, with life after 60 years old. The industrial society, in the name of efficiency, has in this way made of man a piece of production gear, accurately prepared and then substituted when economic interests suggest it. The first age has become, consequently, construction of pieces waiting to be used and the third age used pieces which are no longer "statistically" useful. Without denying the usefulness of division in the work force, which has brought evident benefits, we must ask if this waste of human resources can be permitted in the future and if the society must be reduced to productivity, or if a reconsideration of the person, according to constitutional rights, shouldn't demand a reflection on the organization of the work force. Not less alienating, in the second place, is the culture or social mentality, dominated by the mass media, which has only efficiency, the ephemeral and the supremacy of youth culture as protagonists. The consciousness of human rights has perhaps put old discriminations in crisis, such as race and ethnic differences, but it has not blocked the spreading of other cultural prejudices such as the equivalence of old and out-of-date moralism, of young and progress, of activity of the work force and efficiency. In this situation the senior citizen proves to be a loser, declassed from the current mentality to a passive role, unappreciated in the specific contributions that his age can offer to society. The most delicate point of emargination, in the third place, has effect when the person interested takes it to heart and becomes cause of self-emargination, psychologically and physically regressing. Many sad images of the elderly closed within themselves, closed in their own memories stand before us, refused and considered useless, convinced not to have anything to give, gathered before the television which occupies their time and which further emarginates them making them feel different from the others. At best, that is when the elderly come to accept themselves, prejudice stirs up a desire to revenge or develops an attitude of victimization. In social relationships, such situations are cause of states of anxiety which go from the uncertainty of being accepted by others to the suspect of refusal when confronted with the slightest fault of others, to the fear of becoming objects of pity.
3. Cfr. DAL FERRO G., the Universities for Senior Citizens. Goals, Organization, Results, Rezzara, Vicenza, 1992.
4. The theory of uncommitment was sustained by functionalist sociologists E. Cumming and W.E. Henry, while that of activity was proposed by R. Tartler (cfr. Lehr U., Psychology of the Elderly, SEI, Torino, 1979, pg. 243-246). An author who deals with development consequent to external provocations is: NUTTIN, J., Behavior and Personality, Pas Verlag, Zurich, 1964, pg. 49-60 and passim.
5. The University for Adults/Senior Citizens of Vicenza offers in its program a reflection on various areas: scientific-medical updating, anthropological science, social sciences, historical science, literary history, artistic expressions. Seminaries and laboratories will be added to these courses. The enrolled will be asked to take part in the whole program. Those who have attended the three-year study program will continue as graduate students. (cfr. DAL FERRO, G., The Universities for Senior Citizens, pg. 85-108).
6. The term "university" comes from the French experience, characterized with opening up the universities to senior citizens. These initiatives can also be called such in the fact that they draw on the experience of medieval universities where knowledge was searched for in its globality (sciences, philosophy, theology) and where students and professors searched together for universal "knowledge".
7. Cfr. ROSOW, I., Status and Role Change Through the Life Sciences, Van Nostrand Reinhold Comp., New York, 1976.
8. Cfr. DAL FERRO, G., The Elderly and Cultural Codification, in "Talis", Toulouse, (France), 1/1991, pg. 47-60.
9. The "right to work" must be granted even to senior citizens who, precisely because they have time at hand, can dedicate themselves more to the quality than to the quantity, becoming "masters of art and trade."
10. Cfr. GECCHELE, M. DANZA, G., Grandparents and Grandchildren: An Educational Relationship?, Rezzara, Vicenza, 1993.
11. Cfr. JUNG, C.G., Works, vol. VIII, The Dynamics of the Unconscious, Boringhieri, Torino, 1976, pg. 145-432.
12. Cfr. DAL FERRO, G., The Role of the Senior Citizen, Psycho-Social Pedagogical Research on the Life of the Elderly, Rezzara, Vicenza 1985, pg. 75-103.
13. Cfr. LEVINAS, E., Ethics and the Infinite, Dialogues with Philippe Nemo, Cittą Nuova, Roma, 1984.
14. We don't sustain, however, to be able to think of initiatives of the same entity anywhere. It is not possible to think, for example, that every country can have a University for Senior Citizens. Several institutions in the territory capable of verifying even small and simple initiatives would be necessary. Hypothetically, therefore, it could be imagined a centralized University for Senior Citizens, in accordance with the French model, able to perform, as well as didactic activities, research activity: if this doesn't exist, within a few years didactic activity will be exhausted, becoming repetitive and betraying its final goals. As well as this, however, minor initiatives are useful, not for quality but for planning, which give the possibility to people who cannot attend regularly the institutions the possibility to obtain the same results in a different way. If then a link between these minor and the central institution is established, an osmosis can be ensured which enables the peripheral activity, to have the same life and the same research activity of the central institution.
15. In the year 1990/1991 a survey done (722 questionnaires of 1,079) has given the following results: those attending have declared to have a more intense social life than before attending the university due to being better read (70%), following more information services on television (74.8%), going out and talking with others (84.4%). Furthermore, social participation has increased within themselves: after having initiated attendance at the university, they are more interested in the problems of the city and participate with more conviction to its cultural associations and initiatives (54.36%). The data of the survey of the years 1991/1992 have proved to be more interesting (766 questionnaires of 1,159). It was asked to reflect on the way one reads the newspaper and on some attitudes (own ideas, capacity to hold a dialogue, serenity in assuming one's responsibilities) before and after attending the university. In regard to the first argument, a decrease of interest for sports and fashion resulted (from 24.54% to 18.67%) and for the news (62.40% to 52.61%), and an increase of interest for the cultural pages (from 50.13% to 65.79%), the economy (from 15.53% to 25.58%), international politics (from 16.18% to 22.58&), national politics (from 44.25% to 50.13%). In regard to social attitudes, the results were even more interesting. The capacity for judgement and to develop one's own ideas before attending the university was practically inexistent for 2.08% or little for 3l.33%. After attending the university, the inexistent reduced to 0.65% and the little to 4.43%. The second question on the capacity to hold a dialogue has been specified in the questionnaire, defining dialogue as "knowing how to listen and then being able to express one's own opinion without obligation" and limiting the analysis to dialogue with young people on conflictual themes such as politics and religion. The results have confirmed the preceding: before the university, it was sustained that there was no capacity of dialogue 1.83% or little 3l.33%; after attending the university, the non-dialogue reduced itself to 0.39% and the little to 4.83%. The third question on serenity in assuming one's obligations with responsibility (to be noted the commitment involved) gave the following results: before attending the university non-commitment was 6.78% and little 27.28%; after attending the university, non-commitment was reduced to 2.35% and little to 10.44%. It would be interesting to analyze even the positive results, where "much" for the capacity of judgement passed from 7.18% to 22.32%, for the capacity of dialogue from 7.83% to 23.10%, for the serenity in assuming one's obligations from 7.05% to 15.93%. I believe that the given data indicate that the final goals of the university have been confirmed. One would say that there is a tendency to judge oneself positively. That, however, is valid for every psycho-social survey. In any case, it is already positive that the persons involved have improved their self-image, being that it is an indispensable premise for any social activity. (cfr. DAL FERRO, G., The University for Senior Citizens, pg. 75-84. The results of 1992/93 (883 questionnaires of 1,300) concern the use of mass media, beginning with the hypothesis of an existing unbalance in the society due to an inadequate reflected culture. From the survey we have deducted that the students enrolled have become demanding in their choices of television programs: they refuse soap operas, game shows and variety programs. They are attracted, on the other hand, to news programs and current event programs (89.69%) and to cultural documentaries (66.48%). They are undoubtedly different choices from the national average which registers a listening audience of 72.3% for the news and for cultural documentaries 26.6%. With regard to reading newspapers, only 6.68% don't read them while 85.38% read it daily or several times a week, and up to an hour (5l.08%) or even two (23.22%) is dedicated to it. In regard to the reading of literature, a consistent increase can be noted (cfr. DAL FERRO, G., The Use of Mass Media by Adults. Research Among Students at the University for Adults/Senior Citizens of Vicenza 1993, Rezzara, Vicenza 1993.).
16. Cfr. COLOMBO, G., The Senior Citizen, Bearer of Values and Civilization, in AA.VV. The Senior Citizen and Society, Nodari, M.V., Rezzara, Vicenza, 1982, pg. 9-10.