Identity: Age Flashcards
Childhood
Can be seen as socially constructed. In some cultures, childhood’ is not seen as a period of innocence, dependence or vulnerability, like in the UK. Even in the UK children were working in factories until the mid-nineteenth century.
However, children today are either portrayed in the media as little angels and vulnerable victims or as little devils (delinquent or shocking).
Postman (1982)
Argues that childhood came about when adults began to shield children from various aspects of life, for example, sexuality, death and disease- so the ‘innocent’ child was created.
He suggests that the rise and spread of the media and visual culture has brought about a decline in childhood and threatens to bring about its disappearance.
Young adulthood/middle age
Young adulthood is normally branded by career and family. Most people form relationships, have children and establish their careers during this time, often moving into their own home and becoming independent from their parents. Middle age is seen as a negative time, as ‘youth’ is lost and old age comes closer. It is sometimes associated with negative ideas, such as a “mid-life crisis’.
Old age
When does old age start? Some say it starts at retirement age, but there is a lot of difference between a 65-year-old and an 85-year-old. UK culture admires youth and the beauty of youthful bodies, ageing bodies represent ugliness and deterioration.
Corner (1999)
The language used by older participants about their own identity was mostly negative, reflecting what the popular culture says. Participants described the ‘burden’ of the ageing population. Participants were concerned with becoming a ‘burden’ themselves and the stereotype they said of later life being a time of ill-health and dependency.
Youth
In our culture, youth is socially constructed as a period of changeover from childhood to adulthood and a time of rebellion/resistance. However, some cultures have no concept of “youth’ as a stage in the life course. Through initiation ceremonies, such as the one seen in the Hamar tribe childhood seems to end one day and adulthood begins the next.
Margaret Mead (1928)
Argued that the ‘storm and stress’ associated with youth is ‘culturally specific’, therefore not found in all cultures, though her findings have been questioned.
Featherstone & Hepworth
Retro fashion, music etc. is making a comeback, despite ageing having a negative portrayal in the media.
