'So forget how old i am!' Examining age identities in the face of chronic conditions

Abstract

This study examines the construction of age identity among older people with chronic conditions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 participants from two senior centres. Applying symbolic interactionism and the concept of stigma to participants' narratives, we identified three categories of age identities: definitely old; definitely not old; and ambivalent about their age identity. Further, we examined the metaphors of agelessness and the mask of ageing, the relationship between chronological age and age identity as well as the age-related stereotypes that older people offered in their narratives of their experience of old age. Ideas about the meaning of old age itself varied, with some focusing on predominantly negative descriptors, while others saw it positively, i.e. as a time allowing for more freedom and self-exploration. The influence of chronic conditions on older adults' age identities is more complex and nuanced than the characterisations promoted by ageist stereotypes. © 2009 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.