[Senior students at the University of Vienna (author's transl)]

In connection with an attempt to open universities for elderly people a special counselling service was instituted at the University of Vienna in the year 1978. Older people who made use of this counselling service were mainly interested in introducing courses in arts and the humanities. Intensive unstructured interviews of about one hour were carried out with some of the participants. The interviews focussed mainly on schooling, occupational training, their past occupational preferences, occupational careers as well as social contacts. In a first analysis a distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations was made. An example for intrinsic motivation is the retire for further education whereas extrinsic motivation is characterized by influences within the social environment like the attitude of the family toward the university attendance of the respondent and the gain in prestige which is very likely connected with this.