The Early Signs of Aging and The Performative Nature of Old Age

Abstract

This study focuses on how individuals perceive aging and the social contexts in which this awareness emerges. Although aging has a biological context, this study examines aging awareness in the context of encounters and interactions in the intersubjective field. A qualitative research method was used in this study. A total of 2043 entries under the heading “Awareness of Aging [Yaşlandığını Farkına Varmak]” on Ekşi Sözlük were analyzed. Data were collected using the “VeriVeren” tool and thematic analysis was conducted using “MAXQDA”. The theoretical basis of the study consists of the views of theorists such as Mead, Goffman, Giddens, Bauman, and Raud. According to these theories, it is understood how aging is constructed at the personal and social stages. The analysis of the data resulted in three main themes. The first relates to individuals' awareness of aging in the context of changes in their bodies. The second relates to the awareness of aging in terms of their reactions, decisions, and emotions in their subjective fields and worlds of meaning. Finally, the third relates to the contexts in which the awareness of aging occurs in the intersubjective field. When considering Mead and Goffman's theories on the construction and presentation of the self, aging has meaning for individuals from the perspective of others. It is perceived and becomes visible at the relational stage. However, individuals also rethink its meaning in their daily lives. Thus, while aging is a fluid phenomenon, it also has a performative nature. Individuals reconstruct aging by performing it on the social stage.

Keywords

• Yaşam Seyrinin Sosyolojisi

Files

Only the metadata of this record is published.

References

1. Adams-Price, C. E., Henley, T. B. ve Hale, M. (1998). Phenomenology and the meaning of aging for young and old Adults. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 47(4), 263-277. https://doi.org/10.2190/BM9Q-XKN5-4N3L-PP9W
2. Baert, S., Norga, J., Thuy, Y. ve Van Hecke, M. (2016). Getting grey hairs in the labour market. An alternative experiment on age discrimination. Journal of Economic Psychology, 57, 86-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2016.10.002
3. Bauman, Z., ve Raud, R. (2018). Benlik pratikleri (M. Ekinci, Çev.). Ayrıntı Yayınları.
4. Bordone, V., Arpino, B. ve Rosina, A. (2020). Forever young? An analysis of the factors influencing perceptions of ageing. Ageing and Society, 40(8), 1669-1693. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X19000084
5. Braun, V., and Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis, a practical guide. SAGE Publications.
6. Carcary, M. (2020). The research audit trail: Methodological guidance for application in practice. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.34190/JBRM.18.2.008
7. Charles, S. T. ve Carstensen, L. L. (2010). Social and emotional aging. Annual Review of Psychology, 61(1), 383-409. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100448
8. Con Wright, G. (2025). Ageist stereotypes and attitudes towards older people in Türkiye. OPUS Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 22(3), 354-367. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1663043 Constantinou, C. S., Georgiou, M. ve Perdikogianni, M. (2017). A comparative method for themes saturation (CoMeTS) in qualitative interviews. Qualitative Research, 17(5), 571-588. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794116686650
9. Creswell, J. W. ve Miller, D. L. (2000). Determining Validity in Qualitative Inquiry. Theory into Practice, 39(3), 124-130.
10. Ekşi Sözlük. (t.y.). Yaşlandığının Farkına Varmak. https://eksisozluk.com/yaslandiginin-farkina-varmak--203620?p=1
11. Farage, M. A., Miller, K. W., Elsner, P. ve Maibach, H. I. (2013). Characteristics of the aging skin. Advances in Wound Care, 2(1), 5-10. https://doi.org/10.1089/wound.2011.0356
12. Galvin, R. (2015). How many interviews are enough? Do qualitative interviews in building energy consumption research produce reliable knowledge? Journal of Building Engineering, 1, 2-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2014.12.001
13. Giddens, A. (2010). Modernite ve bireysel kimlik (Ü. Tatlıcan, Çev.). Say Yayınları.
14. Gillespie, A. ve Cornish, F. (2010). Intersubjectivity: Towards a dialogical analysis. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 40(1), 19-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5914.2009.00419.x
15. Goffman, E. (2009). Günlük yaşamda benliğin sunumu (B. Cezar, Çev.). Metis Yayınları.
16. Görgün Baran, A., Koçak Kurt, Ş. ve Serdar Tekeli, E. (2017). Yaşlıların dijital teknolojileri kullanım düzeyleri üzerine bir araştırma. İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi, 45.
17. Görgün-Baran, A. ve Kurnaz, Z. (2019). Yaşlıların sosyo-ekonomik düzeylerine göre sosyal ilişkilerinin aktif yaşlanma açısından analizi. N. Akdemir (Yay. haz.), Geriatri ve gerontolojiye disiplinlerarası yaklaşım içinde (ss. 39-47). Türkiye Klinikleri.
18. Guest, G., Bunce, A. ve Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough?: An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59-82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903
19. Hennink, M. ve Kaiser, B. N. (2022). Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests. Social Science and Medicine, 292, 114523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523
20. Hennink, M. M., Kaiser, B. N. ve Marconi, V. C. (2017). Code saturation versus meaning saturation: How many interviews are enough? Qualitative Health Research, 27(4), 591-608. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732316665344
21. Holland, C. ve Ward, R. (2012). On going grey. V. Ylänne (Yay. haz.), Representing Ageing: Images and Identities içinde (ss. 115-131). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
22. Kalınkara, V. ve Sarı, İ. (2023). Yaşlı bireylerin sosyal medya kullanımı ve yaşlanma algısı. Türkiye Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 27(1), 87-102.
23. Kurnaz, Z. (2016). Yaşlılıkta çalışma yaşamı ve sosyal dışlanma. V. Kalınkara (Yay. haz.), Yaşlılık: Disiplinlerarası yaklaşım, sorunlar, çözümler 2 içinde (ss. 387-398). Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
24. Lebedko, M. (2013). Theory and practice of stereotypes in intercultural communication. Y. Furumura, M. Lebedko, and S. Li (Yay. haz.), Critical cultural awareness içinde (ss.4-23). Cambridge Scholars Publishing
25. Lemoine, M. (2021). The evolution of the hallmarks of aging. Frontiers in Genetics, 12, 693071. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2021.693071
26. Lincoln, Y. S. ve Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE Publications.
27. López-Otín, C., Blasco, M. A., Partridge, L., Serrano, M. ve Kroemer, G. (2023). Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe. Cell, 186(2), 243-278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.001 Maxqda. (t.y.). [Yazılım]. https://maxqda.com
28. May, V. (2017). Belonging from afar: Nostalgia, time and memory. The Sociological Review, 65(2), 401-415. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-954X.12402
29. McGarty, C., Yzerbyt, V. Y. ve Spears, R. (2002). Social, cultural and cognitive factors in stereotype formation. C. McGarty, V. Y. Yzerbyt, and R. Spears (Yay. haz.), Stereotypes as Explanations içinde (ss. 1-15). Cambridge University Press.
30. Mead, G. H. (2017). Zihin, benlik ve toplum (Y. Erdem, Çev.). Heretik Yayıncılık.
31. Msaad, S., Zoetgnandé, Y. W. K., Dillenseger, J.-L. ve Carrault, G. (2022). Detecting change in the routine of the elderly. Measurement: Sensors, 24(100418), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measen.2022.100418
32. Priel, B. (1997). Time and self on the intersubjective construction of time. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 7(4), 431-450. https://doi.org/10.1080/10481889709539195
33. Rexbye, H. ve Povlsen, J. (2007). Visual signs of ageing: What are we looking at? International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 2(1), 61-83. https://doi.org/10.3384/ijal.1652-8670.072161
34. Rubin, D. C. ve Berntsen, D. (2006). People over forty feel 20% younger than their age: Subjective age across the lifespan. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 13(5), 776-780. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03193996
35. Saldana, J. (2019). Nitel araştırmacılar için kodlama el kitabı (A. Tüfekçi ve S. N. Şad, Çev.). Pegem Akademi.
36. Sedikides, C. ve Wildschut, T. (2018). Finding meaning in nostalgia. Review of General Psychology, 22(1), 48-61. https://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000109
37. Stanier, J. (2024). Nostalgia, ageing and older age. T. Becker and D. Trigg (Yay. haz.), The Routledge handbook of nostalgia içinde (ss. 213-223). Routledge.
38. Strauss, A. L. ve Corbin, J. M. (2003). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. SAGE Publications.
39. Suda, P. (2009, Kasım 16). Yaşının insanı olmak. Haber Türk. https://www.haberturk.com/yazarlar/pakize-suda/223110-yasinin-insani-olmak
40. Ulus, T. (2020). Kuşaklararası çatışma bağlamında gençlerin yaşlılara eleştirel bakışı: Bir örneklem, sorunlar ve çözüm önerileri. OPUS Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 16(28), 1154-1182. https://doi.org/10.26466/opus.677142
41. Varışlı, B. ve Gültekin, T. (2025). Akışkan yaşlılık: Post-modern toplumda yaşlılığı yeniden düşünmek. Beykoz Akademi Dergisi, 13(1), 262-276. https://doi.org/10.14514/beykozad.1553542 VeriVeren. (t.y.). [Yazılım]. https://veriveren.net
42. Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C. ve Robertson, S. (2018). Sociality and intergenerational transfer of older adults’ nostalgia. Memory, 26(8), 1030-1041. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2018.1470645
43. Yin, R. K. (2017). Durum çalışması araştırması uygulamaları (İ. Günbayı, Çev.). Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.

Cite this publication

@article{kurnaz2025early,
  author = {Kurnaz, Zeynep},
  title = {{The Early Signs of Aging and The Performative Nature of Old Age}},
  journal = {Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters},
  volume = {43},
  number = {1},
  pages = {158--182},
  publisher = {Hacettepe {\"U}niversitesi},
  year = {2025},
  month = {8},
  issn = {1301-5737},
  doi = {10.32600/huefd.1760844},
  url = {https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/yaslanmanin-ilk-sinyalleri-ve-yasliligin-performatif-dogasi},
  language = {tr},
  keywords = {Ya{\c{s}}am Seyrinin Sosyolojisi},
  abstract = {This study focuses on how individuals perceive aging and the social contexts in which this awareness emerges. Although aging has a biological context, this study examines aging awareness in the context of encounters and interactions in the intersubjective field. A qualitative research method was used in this study. A total of 2043 entries under the heading ``Awareness of Aging [Ya{\c{s}}land{\i}{\u{g}}{\i}n{\i} Fark{\i}na Varmak]'' on Ek{\c{s}}i S{\"o}zl{\"u}k were analyzed. Data were collected using the ``VeriVeren'' tool and thematic analysis was conducted using ``MAXQDA''. The theoretical basis of the study consists of the views of theorists such as Mead, Goffman, Giddens, Bauman, and Raud. According to these theories, it is understood how aging is constructed at the personal and social stages. The analysis of the data resulted in three main themes. The first relates to individuals' awareness of aging in the context of changes in their bodies. The second relates to the awareness of aging in terms of their reactions, decisions, and emotions in their subjective fields and worlds of meaning. Finally, the third relates to the contexts in which the awareness of aging occurs in the intersubjective field. When considering Mead and Goffman's theories on the construction and presentation of the self, aging has meaning for individuals from the perspective of others. It is perceived and becomes visible at the relational stage. However, individuals also rethink its meaning in their daily lives. Thus, while aging is a fluid phenomenon, it also has a performative nature. Individuals reconstruct aging by performing it on the social stage.},
  affiliation = {KARAB{\"U}K {\"U}N{\.I}VERS{\.I}TES{\.I}}
}

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Kurnaz, Zeynep
TI  - The Early Signs of Aging and The Performative Nature of Old Age
T2  - Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters
VL  - 43
IS  - 1
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/08/10/
SP  - 158
EP  - 182
PB  - Hacettepe Üniversitesi
SN  - 1301-5737
DO  - 10.32600/huefd.1760844
UR  - https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/yaslanmanin-ilk-sinyalleri-ve-yasliligin-performatif-dogasi
AB  - This study focuses on how individuals perceive aging and the social contexts in which this awareness emerges. Although aging has a biological context, this study examines aging awareness in the context of encounters and interactions in the intersubjective field. A qualitative research method was used in this study. A total of 2043 entries under the heading “Awareness of Aging [Yaşlandığını Farkına Varmak]” on Ekşi Sözlük were analyzed. Data were collected using the “VeriVeren” tool and thematic analysis was conducted using “MAXQDA”. The theoretical basis of the study consists of the views of theorists such as Mead, Goffman, Giddens, Bauman, and Raud. According to these theories, it is understood how aging is constructed at the personal and social stages. The analysis of the data resulted in three main themes. The first relates to individuals' awareness of aging in the context of changes in their bodies. The second relates to the awareness of aging in terms of their reactions, decisions, and emotions in their subjective fields and worlds of meaning. Finally, the third relates to the contexts in which the awareness of aging occurs in the intersubjective field. When considering Mead and Goffman's theories on the construction and presentation of the self, aging has meaning for individuals from the perspective of others. It is perceived and becomes visible at the relational stage. However, individuals also rethink its meaning in their daily lives. Thus, while aging is a fluid phenomenon, it also has a performative nature. Individuals reconstruct aging by performing it on the social stage.
KW  - Yaşam Seyrinin Sosyolojisi
LA  - tr
AD  - KARABÜK ÜNİVERSİTESİ
ER  -