De gamla och psykologin: att göra åldrandet hanterbart
(2009)Department of Psychology
- Abstract
- Based upon social constructionism and Foucauldian accounts of how psychology as a discipline takes part in constituting and governing subjects, this study presents a critical view on the role of psychology in defining and constructing old age and old persons. The analysis was carried out in two parts: First, psychological theories of aging were deconstructed, with respect to the conditions that made their emergence possible. This analysis showed how management of old age was constructed as an individual project, in which old persons were made responsible for their own wellbeing. Aging was constructed as a question of "mind over matter", the ability of the soul to counter material circumstances. Second, the study addressed the relation... (More)
- Based upon social constructionism and Foucauldian accounts of how psychology as a discipline takes part in constituting and governing subjects, this study presents a critical view on the role of psychology in defining and constructing old age and old persons. The analysis was carried out in two parts: First, psychological theories of aging were deconstructed, with respect to the conditions that made their emergence possible. This analysis showed how management of old age was constructed as an individual project, in which old persons were made responsible for their own wellbeing. Aging was constructed as a question of "mind over matter", the ability of the soul to counter material circumstances. Second, the study addressed the relation between theory and practice by analysing texts, written by psychology students, after having interviewed an older person. In these texts three major discourses were drawn upon; biological, social and psychological. Ways of relating to and challenge subjectpositions offered by these discourses were discussed. The constructions, in the texts as well as in the theories, were discussed concerning the effects they may have for the subjectivity of older persons. Implications for psychological research and psychologists working with older people were discussed. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1366605
- author
- Ericson, Ingrid and Gedenryd, Joakim
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2009
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- subjectivity, social constructionism, psy-complex, aging, Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, Psychology, Psykologi
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 1366605
- date added to LUP
- 2009-03-17 00:00:00
- date last changed
- 2009-11-17 12:51:54
@misc{1366605,
abstract = {{Based upon social constructionism and Foucauldian accounts of how psychology as a discipline takes part in constituting and governing subjects, this study presents a critical view on the role of psychology in defining and constructing old age and old persons. The analysis was carried out in two parts: First, psychological theories of aging were deconstructed, with respect to the conditions that made their emergence possible. This analysis showed how management of old age was constructed as an individual project, in which old persons were made responsible for their own wellbeing. Aging was constructed as a question of "mind over matter", the ability of the soul to counter material circumstances. Second, the study addressed the relation between theory and practice by analysing texts, written by psychology students, after having interviewed an older person. In these texts three major discourses were drawn upon; biological, social and psychological. Ways of relating to and challenge subjectpositions offered by these discourses were discussed. The constructions, in the texts as well as in the theories, were discussed concerning the effects they may have for the subjectivity of older persons. Implications for psychological research and psychologists working with older people were discussed.}},
author = {{Ericson, Ingrid and Gedenryd, Joakim}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{De gamla och psykologin: att göra åldrandet hanterbart}},
year = {{2009}},
}