Identity-Age Flashcards
What is the difference between chronological age and social age?
•Chronological age=amount of time that has elapsed since someone was born
•Social age=the norms, values and roles that are culturally associated w/ particular chronological ages (these differ between and within societies over time)
What are the different generational stages in the ‘life course’?
1) childhood
2) youth
3) young adulthood and middle age
4) old age
(Problem is that it is hard to define the ages that these stages start/end)
Describe the generational stage ‘childhood’
A period of innocence, dependence and vulnerability, naive to the harms/dangers of the world
What does Postman say about childhood ?
The emergence and spread of media and visual culture in the 21st century has brought about the risk of disappearance of childhood; premature exposure to sexual abuse and violence has meant that children lose their ‘innocence’ earlier
Describe the generational stage ‘youth’
A period of transition from childhood to adulthood and a time of rebellion/ resistance, finding out who they are and what they like
What does Mead say about youth?
‘Storm and stress’ experienced during adolescence-drastic emotional and behavioural changes, decreased levels of self control and increased sensitivity- usually as a result of going through puberty
Describe the generational stage ‘young adulthood’
A period of financial independence and prioritisation of career and family; no longer dependent on parents to survive
Describe the generational stage ‘Middle age’
A period of financial stability and work, but marked by gradual physical, cognitive and social decline as they age
What does Bradley say about middle age?
They have higher status than youth or old age as they are the people that run the country and hold power at work due to their level of experience; however also seen as negative time as ‘youth’ is lost and ‘old age’ is nearing i.e mid-life crisis
Describe generational stage ‘old age’
A period of decreased mobility, health and social interaction, after retirement; in a culture, such as that in the UK, which admires the youthfulness of bodies, it often leads to older people being viewed as ugly and degenerate
What does Corner and Hockey & James say about old age?
•Corner= study of language used by older people to describe their identity found it was mostly negative and this was reflected by the media too- being a ‘burden’ w/ later life being a time of ill health and dependency
•Hockey and James= a link between childhood and old age- losing ‘personhood’ status- infantilisation of the elderly via use of care homes, just like nurseries, where daily routines are decided for them, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of dependency
What does Featherstone and Hepworth say about age?
Age is now a ‘fluid’ concept, with trends such as working and living for longer, anti-ageing products and procedures to maintain youthfulness emerging; media images of ageing, which have been a source of negative stereotypes, may allow more positive stereotypes to arise and create new identities e.g comeback tours, retro fashions, embracing signs of ageing
