Changes in age identity: Self perceptions in middle and late life

Abstract Sixty-seven women and 34 men, aged 41 to 96, ranging from blue collar workers to professionals, were interviewed about changes that led to their feeling older, and to note special events or birthdays that held particular significance. Four themes were used in the analysis to describe the ways respondents perceived their own aging: the comparative self, reflected self, retrospective self, and mature self. The resulting framework, relying heavily on symbolic interactionist theory, was useful for the entire age range of six decades, despite the fact that age identity is usually studied over attenuated age ranges.

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