Combating Ageism: How Successful Is Successful Aging?
Abstract
Purpose To explore the extent to which the successful aging discourse has accomplished Rowe and Kahn's (1998) goal of combating ageism by (a) eradicating the narrative of decline and burden, and highlighting the positive aspects of aging; and (b) emphasizing individuals' ability to age successfully. To investigate this, I first situate ageism in a framework of age relations. Design and methods Using a qualitative approach, I analyze data generated from semistructured, in-depth interviews conducted among a diverse sample of 19 middle-aged men and women. Respondents were asked about what successful aging means to them, as well as their perceptions of their own aging, and old age. Results Respondents are familiar with the notion of successful aging, and they believe that they can and should achieve this. However, rather than easing ageism, they experience the mandate to age successfully as a source of tension as they simultaneously realize that it is outside their control. They express continued fears of aging; and they implicitly blame themselves or others who fail to age successfully. Their comments suggest that, rather than supplanting the discourse of decline, the successful aging narrative coexists with it. Implications By not challenging the age relations that denigrate differences, the successful aging framework does not eliminate ageism and might even increase it.
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Ageism is found in gerontological research.
“Ageism is even found in gerontological research-a surprising observation given the field's sensitivity to older adults' experiences.”
From Centering Age Inequality: Developing a Sociology-of-Age Framework (2022) · cites this paper as Calasanti 2016
The field's dominant view of what it means to age successfully is ageist in its treatment of middle age as the standard and its failure to challenge the devaluation of later life stages.
“For example, the field's dominant view of what it means to age successfully is ageist in its treatment of middle age as the standard and its failure to challenge the devaluation of later life stages (e.g., Calasanti 2016, Dillaway & Byrnes 2009, Katz & Calasanti 2015).”
From Centering Age Inequality: Developing a Sociology-of-Age Framework (2022) · cites this paper as Calasanti 2016
Age relations' theoretical utility is evidenced by its application to critical examinations of various phenomena.
“Age relations' theoretical utility is evidenced by its application to critical examinations of various phenomena.”
From Centering Age Inequality: Developing a Sociology-of-Age Framework (2022) · cites this paper as Calasanti 2016
The successful aging discourse buttresses the neoliberal agenda.
“By constructing aging as an ongoing struggle by the individual to stave off age-related declines and maintain high levels of productivity, the successful aging discourse buttresses the neoliberal agenda.”
From Centering Age Inequality: Developing a Sociology-of-Age Framework (2022) · cites this paper as Calasanti 2016
Age performances are propelled in contemporary Western contexts by a neoliberal rationality demanding individuals' body management as the key to reducing all later life risks.
“Moreover, these performances are propelled in contemporary Western contexts by a neoliberal rationality demanding individuals' body management as the key to reducing all later life risks, including poverty, illness, disability, and isolation”
From Centering Age Inequality: Developing a Sociology-of-Age Framework (2022) · cites this paper as Calasanti 2016
Cites
Age-Ism: Another Form of Bigotry
Butler, R. N. (1969) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/9.4_part_1.243 · Cited by 2,291 · see citing works
Critical Perspectives on Successful Aging: Does It “Appeal More Than It Illuminates”?
Katz, S., & Calasanti, T. (2015) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/gnu027 · Cited by 542 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Their 1998 book was especially influential in light of the media attention it received (Holstein & Minkler, 2003), and various iterations of this medical framework have since been adopted broadly, in a multitude of scholarly and public writings (Katz & Calasanti, 2015).”
Self-citationSelf, Society, and the "New Gerontology"
Holstein, M. B., & Minkler, M. (2003) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/43.6.787 · Cited by 503 · cited 5× · see citing works
“Indeed, some have argued that their depiction of successful aging reinforces a middle-aged standard of little change that is ultimately ageist (Dillaway & Byrnes, 2009; Holstein & Minkler, 2003; Liang & Luo, 2012; Strawbridge, Wallhagen & Cohen, 2002), but this has not been examined empirically.”
InfluentialCorrelates of Self-Rated Successful Aging Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Montross, L. P., Depp, C., Daly, J., Reichstadt, J., Golshan, S., Moore, D., Sitzer, D., & Jeste, D. V. (2006) · The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/01.jgp.0000192489.43179.31 · Cited by 433 · see citing works
"Successful Aging:": A Disability Perspective
Minkler, M., & Fadem, P. (2002) · Journal of Disability Policy Studies · doi:10.1177/104420730201200402 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Van Wagenen, A., Driskell, J., & Bradford, J. (2013) · Journal of Aging Studies · doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2012.09.001 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Ageism in the American Workplace
Roscigno, V. J. (2010) · Contexts · doi:10.1525/ctx.2010.9.1.16 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
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Centering Age Inequality: Developing a Sociology-of-Age Framework
Barrett, A. E. (2022) · Annual Review of Sociology · doi:10.1146/annurev-soc-083121-043741 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
- Authors
- Calasanti, T.
- Affiliations
- Virginia Tech (US)
- Corresponding author
- Calasanti, Toni
- ORCID
- Calasanti, Toni
- Venue
- The Gerontologist
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2015-07-16
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1093-1101
- ISSN
- 0016-9013 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-5341
- OpenAlex
- W2256544160
- Cited by
- 144
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 16.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Gerontologist (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Demography › Retirement, Disability, and Employment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Keywords
- successful aging, ageism, age relations, fear of aging, middle-aged adults, perceptions of aging, self-blame
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aging, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Qualitative Research, Ageism
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