Abstract:

Examines images of old age as a second childhood. The shared experiences of frailty & dependency often provide the foundations for comparisons between the elderly & young. Although the image of a second childhood may be acceptable to some, this image is often symptomatic of harmful infantilization practices imposed by outsiders, & thus, is generally resisted by elderly individuals through continuation of careers & economic independence. Those dependent on outside care in advanced old age utilize various strategies to subvert infantilization: (1) deliberate exploitation of childish strategies for personal gain, (2) development & accentuation of adult skills, & (3) references to their own age & mortality.