Abstract
A description of the social construction of dementia among elderly residents of a nursing ward is offered, based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in an Israeli geriatric centre. This account focuses on the construction of positive social identities and the ascription of roles for residents labelled as 'demented'. The findings illustrate the split between personal and social identity in dementia. The applicability of conventional socio-psychological constructs such as 'I' and 'me' regarding dementia is questioned, as the spoken manifestations of these constructs is critically examined from a symbolic interactionist perspective.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 269-285 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Ageing and Society |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 1996 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Dementia
- Nursing ward
- Social construction
- Social/personal identities
- Symbolic interaction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Health(social science)
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
