Unacknowledged distinctions: Corporeality versus embodiment in later life

Area of Science:

• Social gerontology
• Sociology of the body

Background:

• The social sciences increasingly focus on the body in aging studies.
• Terms like 'corporeality' and 'embodiment' are central but often conflated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To differentiate between corporeality and embodiment in social and cultural gerontology.
• To clarify the implications of this distinction for aging research.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of the terms 'corporeality' and 'embodiment'.
• Examination of social agency's role in defining these concepts.

Main Results:

• Corporeality: The body as a culturally and socially mediated structure.
• Embodiment: The body as a medium for realizing identity, distinction, and lifestyle through social agency.
• This distinction separates studies on reactions to age-related physical changes from those on the performance of aging and identity.

Conclusions:

• Distinguishing corporeality and embodiment offers a sharper lens for aging research.
• Corporeality aligns with 'fourth age' studies (physical changes), while embodiment aligns with 'third age' studies (identity performance).