Fourth Age Identity : An Ambiguous Field
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The Fourth Age (4A) is not addressed as a standard life stage, but as a final stage of some older people that is substantially influenced by their care-reliance. The definition of 4A in terms of decline and dependency has helped to focus on the experience of those who do not fall into the category of “active agers”, but it has also challenged the notion of autonomy and positive Self-identity in advanced old age. The prevalent image of 4A is based on the conceptualization by Gilleard and Higgs, who define 4A as a “social imaginary”, a “black hole” from which there is no way back. Other researchers have discussed their view as limiting the possibilities of research on the agency of those living in this liminal grey zone. Even if there might be a state of full dependency, people mostly live through very diverse experiences of receiving and rejecting care; that is, some space for negotiation and agency is almost always present. In our paper, we aim to discuss various perceptions of identity among fourth-agers receiving care in their homes and in institutions. On the basis of the results of qualitative research (using repeated in-depth interviews and ethnography) conducted in the Czech Republic between 2015 and 2016, we would like to present the heterogeneity of people in 4A. We will focus on how they engage in (or withdraw from) various forms of decision making in everyday life and on how they build their own social identity in relation to practices of care and to their ageing Selves and bodies. |
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