Personalism as a Component of Old Age Identity

Abstract

The purpose of this research was threefold: (1) to extend a previously introduced general methodology for studying role identities to the specific instance of age; (2) to present a causal framework in which to analyze the determinants and consequences of this identity; and (3) to explore the reciprocal relationship between age identity and health problems. The Burke-Tully procedure for measuring self-in-role was used to construct the variable of old age identity. Determinants of this component of the self included race, sex, age, education, income, retirement, widowhood, and health. Loneliness and life satisfaction were treated as consequences of identity. Subjective health was seen as a special case which in part is determined by one's identity and which may also have a reciprocal effect on the identity. The data are from a national probability sample of 1,522 adults. Results showed that an old age identity was one of personalism which contained positive as well as negative elements and was primarily influenced by poor health, chronological age, income, and retirement, though the effects of each of these differed between subsamples. The causal structures for the subsamples of white males, black males, and black females were not significantly different from each other. In these subsamples old age identity had no effect on health while health influenced identity only indirectly through retirement. For white females, old age identity directly influenced and was influenced by health.