Temporal Vertigo: The Perils of Ageing

The collective life of human beings, Freud wrote towards the end of his life, in Civilization and its Discontents (1930) is twofold: 'the compulsion to work, which was created by external necessity, and the power of love… ". (S.E. XXI.101) In a more popular rendition, usually attributed to Freud but actually expressed by the American ego psychologist, Erik Erikson, the meaning of life, or as Erikson put it, 'the attributes of a healthy personality' are 'the ability to love and the ability to work'. (Erikson, 1972, p.52) 1 Love, and the giving and receiving of it, most people would seem to agree, and we are everywhere incited to believe, is the key to happiness. If this is so, we know at once that one reasons many people are likely to fear ageing is that they may end up alone and lonely: neither the object of another's desire, nor feeling entitled to express any new desires of their own. Moreover, nowadays with the lengthening of the life--span, by as much as thirty years over the last century, the majority of people in old age will find themselves living alone, and often for quite some time.

International Perspectives on Aging, 2018

2017

A growing body of literature is challenging understanding of sexuality in later life. The dominance of a biomedical perspective on sexual (dys)functioning has led to significant knowledge gaps and contributed to the construction of the oppressive binary of ‘asexuality’ versus ‘the sexy oldie’. This has silenced the voice of older people, particularly older women, and in turn limited development of learning on sexualities in later life. Using a feminist gerontological perspective, this thesis aimed to explore older women’s experiences of sexuality within the context of ageing, focusing on changes in relation to sexuality, and their impact on sense of self. Subsequently,participants’ accounts of sexuality were used as a lens through which the age/gender intersection was examined. The two-phase research design was qualitative, inductive and participative. In Phase 1, 6 older women and 8 researchers were interviewed about methodological issues in researching ageing and sexuality, which ...

Kairos Revista Da Faculdade De Ciencias Humanas E Saude Issn 2176 901x, 2013

2014

The sexual aspects of intimacy in old age, in the public and private spheres The subject of sexuality as an aspect of quality of life in late adulthood or seniority is receiving more and more attention within the social sciences. The purpose of this article is to reflect upon sexual activity among senior citizens in the context of old age – understood biologically, individually and socially, based on objective factors (age, condition of the body), subjective (the feeling of ‘being old’), social and cultural ideas (stereotypes, social convictions, public opinion). The research segment plays a significant role in this article; it provides a qualitative description of the seemingly indescribable individual experience of intimacy and sexuality among elderly women and men.

Age and Ageing, 2001

Ageing and Society, 1999

In recent years, many researchers in the study of ageing have adopted a terminology of ' agelessness '. They argue that old age is nothing more than a social construct and that until it is eliminated as a conceptual category, ageism will continue to flourish. This article challenges this view, stating that the current tendency towards ' agelessness ' is itself a form of ageism, depriving the old of one of their most hard-earned resources : their age. Specific theories of ageing (successful ageing, mask of ageing, continuity theory) are assessed in this light, and original data are presented as evidence of old age as a unique phase of the lifecycle replete with continued developmental possibilities.

The Perils and Pleasures of Aging: How Women's Sexualities Change across the Life Course, 2018

Prior literature on aging and sexuality primarily portrays narratives of sexual decline, often leading to a pathologization of older adult sexuality. Further attention needs to be paid to the positive consequences of aging on people's romantic and sex lives. Using life story interview data with 39 single women ages 35-91, I examine how women's romantic and sex lives change over time. The major barriers that middle-aged and older adult women report are a small dating pool and caregiving responsibilities, but women also highlight improvements in their sex lives as they age. Notably, women report an increase in comfort with sex, sexual assertiveness, and sexual satisfaction. The findings further highlight the need for aging, gender, and sexuality scholars to supplement their discussions of aging as a problem with investigations of the advantages of the aging process.

Sexuality and Culture, 2004