Abstract

OLESIAK, LUÍSA DA ROSA; COLOME, CAROLINA SCHMITT; MUNCHEN, MIKAELA ALINE BADE  and  QUINTANA, ALBERTO MANUEL. THE OLD AND THE OTHER: IDENTIFICATION AND SELF-RECONSTRUCTION. Arq. bras. psicol. [online]. 2022, vol.74, e012.  Epub Sep 09, 2024. ISSN 1809-5267.  https://doi.org/10.36482/1809-5267.arbp-2022v74.18448.

This article proposes to approach the meanings attributed to old age and its identity in subjects aged 70 years or older. The exploratory and descriptive clinical-qualitative method was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 4 men and 6 women, with an average age of 76.3 years, which were observed by the content analysis. The participants report that they do not identify themselves as “old”; however, they agree with the expression “being elderly”, which is based on the body marks that come from aging, as well as through the society judgment. Still, they portray the link with the past and memory as a factor that sustains their identity and the feeling of belonging to a place recognized by them. In this way, they highlight a world and a present in which they do not recognize themselves, as well as a future of difficult self-projections. However, it can still be seen, at this stage, the subject’s restructuring himself through gains and new relationships.

Keywords : Social construction of identity; Self-Identity; Elderly; Perception of time.

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