Sense of Identity and Social Identity in Ageing: Expulsion and Resilience

This paper seeks to investigate the many meanings of the sense of identity, attachment and roots in old people, and attempts to offer a review of different perspectives on the issue, including whether or not these factors stimulate the sense of expulsion or the sense of citizenship and resilience. As we develop further on, we believe that depending on the circumstances, old people person oscillates between two opposite poles: a sense of Home that gives them strength and helps form their identity, roots and attachment and a sense of Orphanhood, which makes them feel vulnerable and socially abandoned. The paper also explores how it is possible to build and maintain the concept and sense of home whilst considering old people age implies loss and mourning, and challenges and opportunities of new ways of living. The concept of life course may help advance our understanding of the relationship between home, self and meaning, which are all embedded in cultural factors which must also be considered, such as the stereotypes of older people as inefficient, weak, and sick.