Social aspects of ageing

Chapter 8 Social aspects of ageing


There is a widespread view that ageing is an inevitable process of physical and psychological decline produced by biological change. In this biomedical view (see pp. 2–4), ageing is seen rather mechanistically as a result of the increase in life expectancy. The solutions proposed to the ‘problem of ageing’ tend, therefore, to be medical. Ageing, however, is a lifelong process involving an interaction between biological, psychological and social factors. Therefore care for older people must involve these three dimensions.


Social scientists acknowledge biological ageing, but highlight it must be understood in terms of the social environment. Thus, ageing can be described as a relational experience: that is, changes taking place in the body alter our relationships with other people. For example, a statutory retirement age changes people’s status in personal and public spheres, but there is no biological reason for retirement at 65. Ageing into old age is a gradual process that varies from individual to individual. There is no single or universal answer to the question: when does old age begin?



Ageism


Ageism, or prejudice against people simply because they are old, may be indicative of fear of old age in contemporary society (Bytheway, 1995). This fear is associated with the belief that chronological age inevitably results in mental and physical decline. Jerrome (1992) studied old people’s clubs and concluded that old age should be defined as a ‘state of feeling and behaving’ (p. 130) rather than a chronological state. She observed that older people work hard to cope with the ageing of their bodies and often turn physical ageing into a personal challenge. Involvement in club activities helps them explore the meaning of growing older and negotiate the point at which it is socially acceptable to acknowledge frailty or illness and withdraw from social activities. Talking about illness is not, therefore, a self-pitying preoccupation, but a social process through which older people come to understand changes in their roles and decide how they should behave: ‘One cannot be ill by oneself and know that one is ill’ (p. 101) – feelings and experiences have to be tested out with others.



The ageing body and the self


A better understanding of ageing as a personal experience grounded in social relationships requires more information about the relationships that older people experience in everyday life. Language, for example, has an important part to play. Coupland and colleagues (1991) show how age identities are shaped in sequences of talk. References to ageing and old age by both younger and older women do not necessarily indicate the older women’s experience of ageing, but reflects assumptions that older people are preoccupied with old age. Aspects of age-related speech include the disclosure of chronological age, references to time passing, and a self-association with the past and recognition of social change over time. Age identity is a fluid process that varies according to time, place and the people involved.


Older people may retain an image of themselves as younger. This leads to a disjunction between how people experience themselves and their body, so that the self may be experienced as a kind of ‘ageless’ or youthful prisoner inside an ageing body. The ageing body and face act as a kind of mask disguising the inner sense of personal selfhood or identity (Hepworth, 1995; Biggs, 1999). The relationship between the body and the self is therefore complicated by perceptions of the body and the value placed upon it. People who value their youth and beauty may be much unhappier with their bodies as they grow older than those who value the inner self more. The latter may find physical ageing less burdensome and an opportunity for personal development. It is therefore important to find out how people perceive their bodies as they grow older as well as looking for information about biological change.

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Jun 10, 2016 | Posted by in PSYCHOLOGY | Comments Off on Social aspects of ageing

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