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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2025

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

The Fourth Age in Prospect.

David J Ekerdt¹, Erin Adamson¹, Jaroslava HasmanováMarhánková²

¹Department of Sociology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.

The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences

|October 3, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The "fourth age" social imaginary, encompassing frailty and dependence, is widely recognized by healthy older adults globally. This perception influences even those in earlier life stages, highlighting the need for new narratives on aging.

Keywords:

Abjection Burden Frailty Social imaginary Theory

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Area of Science:

Gerontology
Social Sciences
Sociology of Aging

Background:

The concept of the
fourth age
as a social imaginary of deep old age, characterized by frailty, abjection, and care relations, has been theorized.
This study investigates the prevalence and understanding of this fourth-age imaginary among older adults who are currently in good health.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the coherence and reach of the fourth-age social imaginary.
To explore how older adults in good health perceive the concept of "not independent" in later life.

Main Methods:

Qualitative research design.
138 adults aged 70+ from 5 international sites (Czechia, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA) participated.
Participants discussed their understanding of "not independent" in later life.

Main Results:

Participants confirmed the theorized features of the fourth-age social imaginary.
Common themes included gateway infirmities, frailty, abjection, dread of dependence, and anxiety about nursing homes and burdening others.
These views were consistent across diverse international samples.

Conclusions:

The bleak reputation of the fourth age impacts even those in the "third age".
The findings support the claim that the fourth-age imaginary has a universal ontological quality.
Documenting the lived experience of frailty and dependence can challenge the current imaginary and foster new narratives for aging.