Age and Identity

• Age identity


  The only aspect of identity for which we will all experience changing effects
• Major stages of age identity in the UK

  • Childhood
  • Adolescence
  • Young adulthood
  • Middle age
  • Old age
• In these five phases of life we experience varying statuses and these shape other people's behaviour towards us
• These major chronological stages of our lives are socially constructed
• The ages at the stages start and end vary, for example when does childhood end? When does middle age start?
• Childhood


  • In the UK, it can be seen as a time of innocence, dependence and vulnerability in which the youngest members of society are protected
  • In other cultures, it may not be viewed as a time of innocence (e.g. children work long hours, can be soldiers, marriage happens at 12-13)
• Postman's argument


  • Childhood emerged only when the spread of literacy enabled adults to shield their children from adult life
  • The spread of the media in 20th century has brought a decline in childhood
• Youth


  • Tends to be associated with those between 12 and 25
  • In our culture, it is socially constructed (e.g. 50's saw the emergence of youth culture based on fashion and hairstyles, spending power in the 50s meant there was a new market in targeting young people)
• Margaret Mead's argument


  The storm and stress isn't found in all cultures, which indicates youth is a social construction
• Old age


  • Debated to start at retirement, during the ages of 65-85
  • There is a huge difference between those years
  • The UK admires youthful bodies, but sees old ageing bodies as representing ugliness
• Corner's study


  • Old aged people described themselves with negative words, reflecting what is used by the media and popular culture
  • Old age was considered a burden for the ageing population
• Hockey and James' argument


  Old age and childhood are socially constructed in similar ways (e.g. society suggests them to infantilisation, the elderly live in care homes since they're labelled as 'dependent', which takes away all aspects of their identity by controlling their lives)
• Postmodernists' argument


  Trends such as living and working longer, anti ageing products and procedures show how age is fluid and is becoming less significant today
• Pilcher's argument


  • The stages of life are based on the relationships around family, work and the economy
  • In a postmodern world, things are changing and fragmenting (e.g. fertility treatment means having children later, age for having children is no longer a milestone, music and fashion are less associated with certain generations because of streaming and easy access)
• Featherstone and Hepworth's argument

  • Media's image of ageing can lead to positive and negative stereotypes
  • It can also create new identities because when the population ages, more positive images can emerge (e.g. the popularity of retro fashion and sampling music from 60's bands, show that trends help dissolve the boundaries of age)
• Blaikre's argument


  Many media role models who are successful and attractive in older years are prevalent in today's society (e.g. the rolling stones, Madonna and Mariah Carey)
• Perspectives on how age identities are not changing

  • Interactionists (labelling of the elderly, self fulfilling prophecy, infantilisation)
  • Marxists (the elderly are used as a reserve army of labour, with young and old)
  • Media (representation of age groups still differ, for example young people are still seen as deviant, through explanations such as moral panics, and old people are still seen as grumpy and senile)