1. Cultural narratives about later life from
the perspective of self-realization
July 3, 2014
Key-symposium ‘Positive aging’
Hanne Laceulle
University of Humanistic Studies
Utrecht, Netherlands
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2. Presentation outlook
-Narrative in gerontology
-Problematizing cultural narratives on aging
-Narrative repair through counter narratives
-Self-realization as foundational concept for counter
narrative on aging
-Conclusion
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3. Narrative in gerontology
-Psychological narrative gerontology => personal meaning
oriented
-Critical/feminist narrative gerontology => cultural
meaning oriented
-Cross-fertilization remains underdeveloped
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4. Cultural narratives: the case of aging
-Observed lack of meaning-generating cultural narratives
about aging
-Problematizing existing cultural narratives
-Searching for alternatives: self-realization discourse
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5. Cultural (master) narratives
Cultural narratives
Narrative
Identity
Meaning
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‘The stories (or story fragments) “told”
by a culture to communicate the values,
expectations and attitudes of that
culture’ (De Medeiros 2005, 2)
6. Aged by culture: decline narratives or age-
defying narratives
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7. Positive aging?
Merits of positive psychology-based views of aging:
- Human potential for excellence, growth and
development
- Creation of favorable conditions
Problems:
- Positive aging may become an oppressive and
excluding ideology itself
- Insufficiently capable of acknowledging existential
vulnerability
- Lacks potential for cultural criticism
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8. Repair through counter narratives
- Damages of oppressive or marginalizing cultural master
narratives (Nelson 2001):
- Deprivation of opportunity
- Infiltrated consciousness
- Resisting stereotypes on three levels:
- Refusal
- Repudiation
- Contestation
- Successful counter narrative requires strong moral
agency
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9. Self-realization
Gewirth (1998:3) defines classical conception of self-
realization as
‘a bringing of oneself to flourishing completion, an
unfolding of what is strongest or best in oneself, so that it
represents the successful culmination of one’s aspirations
or potentialities’
Re-interpretation in late modern terms:
The endeavor to shape one’s individual life, by means of
the development of a moral identity, according to one’s
own authentic value orientations, in the context of the
complexities and uncertainties of the late modern world
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11. Conclusion: merits of self-realization
– Antithetical towards decline
narratives
• Emphasis on growth and development
– Antithetical towards age defying
narratives
• Acknowledging and integrating
existential vulnerability
– Emphasis on development moral
agency/identity
• Important condition for creation counter
narratives
– Connects personal and cultural
meaning-level
– Acknowledges late modern diversity
of living and aging trajectories
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12. Thank you for your attention…
Looking forward
to any questions or comments!
hl@uvh.nl
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Contact: hl@uvh.nl
