Age Indentity Flashcards
Abrams (1959) - youth
argued that young people were all part of the same youth culture, at the same transition stage.
Clarke (1976) - youth
considers youth to be based around the concepts of rebellion and resistance.
Polemus (1997) - youth POSTMODERNIST
says youth is a time of experimentation, where ‘anything goes’.
Victor (2005) - mid aged
described it as a distinctive way of life in 40s and 50s, preceding the onset of becoming old.
Bradley (1996) - mid aged
says middle aged bring with it a higher status than either youth or old age
McKingsley (2001) - old
says that those of the age of 85 are the fastest growing segment of the population, referred to as ‘oldest old’. suggests there should be a ‘young elderly’. No clear boundary anymore, considered a social category with new roles, assumptions, opportunities and barriers.
Victor (2005) - old
says old age is stereotyped as a period of loneliness, inability to learn, poor health and dependance. Homogenous category
Laslett (1991) - old
challenged the use of defined categories and suggests 3 ages of life approach:
- first age = socialisation
- second age = work and childrearing
- third age = time of independence
life expectancies increase, suggested possible fourth age.
Shain (2003) - Peers
studied how groups of Asian girls developed distinct identities in a secondary school - the Gang girls, the Rebels, the Survivors and the Faith girls, peers were crucial in who the girls identified with.
McKingsley (2001) - Religion
suggests religion is a coping strategy for his sample of those aged 85 and over
Muncie (2004) - Media
said youth = crime and deviance, middle age = crisis and old age = dependancy and looniness and theses representations influence popular culture.
Thornton (1996) - Media
media are responsible for the creation of youth culture and the range of youth identities in the contemporary UK
