Postmodernist perspectives on ageing and old age

Positive aspects of old age in postmodern views

Postmodernists present old age as a positive time, where individuals can enjoy greater freedom and challenges, as retirement allows more time for personal pursuits and redefining life beyond traditional roles.

For example, The University of the Third Age is an organisation brings together elderly people to exchange knowledge, share life stories, and participate in enjoyable educational experiences, demonstrating how retirement can foster community and intellectual stimulation.

Key study: Blaikie's views on age in the 21st century

• Background - Blaikie (1999) argues that factors like chronological age, ageism, and inequalities tied to age are becoming less central to people's lives in contemporary society.

• Results - Society has shifted from identities rooted in collective factors, such as social class and generation, to more personalised lifestyles driven by consumerism.

• Conclusions - People can delay or avoid the traditional markers of old age by adopting youth-oriented practices, like fitness regimes or fashion choices.

Reinvention through technology and lifestyle

Powell and Biggs note that innovations like cosmetic surgery and new technologies allow individuals to continually reshape their self-image.

The shift to individualised identities in modern society

Definition and features of individualisation

Individualisation refers to the process where people become liberated from collective social obligations, such as family duties or community expectations, allowing them to shape their own paths.

Key features of individualisation:

• Consumerist culture - Identities are built through consumption, where individuals select from a wide array of products and lifestyles to express themselves.
• Avoiding traditional ageing - By investing in anti-ageing methods, such as skincare or wellness programmes, people can resist societal labels associated with getting older.

Postmodern views on youth identities

Polhemus suggests that youth in the 21st century is not a single, uniform group; instead, young people draw from a 'global supermarket of style' – a vast, worldwide range of cultural influences – to create unique identities. This leads to fragmented and personalised styles, blending elements from different sources without adhering to one dominant youth culture.

The influence of globalisation on experiences of age

Postmodernists see globalisation as a driver of social change that diversifies age-related experiences, making them less uniform.

How globalisation affects childhood and old age

• Cultural and religious diversity - In a globalised Britain, influences from different cultures alter expectations of childhood and old age, such as varying family roles or retirement practices.
• Less predictable life stages - This diversity means that being a child or elderly person no longer follows a single, predictable pattern, as global flows introduce new values and lifestyles.

Criticisms of postmodernist views on age inequality

• Background - Vincent (2001) challenges postmodern ideas by emphasising that economic systems still dominate how age is experienced.

• Results - Global capitalism creates instability in jobs, with rapid changes in employment patterns reinforcing inequalities.

• Conclusions - Age groups remain divided by social class, as economic pressures like job insecurity affect lower classes more, maintaining traditional inequalities rather than allowing universal individualisation.