Taming the Subject: A Qualitative Study of the Experience of Aging

In this article research results are presented of an interview study using grounded theory methodology, in which the social experience of aging in contemporary Western societies was explored. Against the historical background of a new socio-political appreciation of aging, persons between 45 and 95...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inForum, qualitative social research Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 85 - 100
Main Author Graefe, Stefanie
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
German
Published Berlin Freie Universität Berlin 01.01.2013
Subjects
Ageing
Aging
Conceptualization
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
Interviews
Lifestyle
Modern Society
Qualitative analysis
Qualitative research
Research methods
Self Concept
Social Science Research
Social structure
Typological analysis
Typology
Western Society
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Summary:In this article research results are presented of an interview study using grounded theory methodology, in which the social experience of aging in contemporary Western societies was explored. Against the historical background of a new socio-political appreciation of aging, persons between 45 and 95 in Western Germany were asked about their subjective views and experiences of aging. The empirical work was accompanied by further methodological considerations in order to attain an adequate approach to age as a social category, which in contemporary modern societies is at the same time deeply individualized and strictly normalized. The key category of a "(subjective) relative agelessness" and a typology of aging-related self-concepts (the "transformative," "continuous," and "insecure" aging self) are presented. The results of the study indicate a certain social closeness of contemporary normative conceptions of aging with their focus on active, self-responsible, and productive lifestyles to specific social milieus. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1302114
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ISSN:1438-5627
1438-5627