SOC 107 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Fourth Age, Midlife Crisis, Compulsory Education
Document Summary
Popular in the late 19th century and 20th century, posited that development of human beings from children to adults, mirrors the evolution of the race (raby, p. 137) Who is considered an adult is ideological. Adulthood is a reflection of patriarchal and white-supremacist ideals. Privilege youthful women; appreciate older men for their minds. Idea of being an adult: is a reflection of how we privilege economic relativity; wealth and masculinity. Aging is subjective, and the result of symbolic interactions (experiential age (how you make sense of this) vs. chronological age (how old you are)) The life course: refers to our lives, from infancy to death, and includes consideration of the way in which social institutions shape and institutionalize individual lives" (settersten and mayer, 1997 in raby, p. 133) Emerged with industrialization and the growth of a middle class. Value placed on children and childhood affected by economic means of production. Dominant understanding of childhood is to protect the vulnerable child.