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Who Are You Calling Old? Negotiating Old Age Identity in the Elderly Consumption Ensemble

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  • Michelle Barnhart
  • Lisa Peñaloza

Abstract

As the elderly population increases, more family, friends, and paid service providers assist them with consumption activities in a group that the authors conceptualize as the elderly consumption ensemble (ECE). Interviews with members of eight ECEs demonstrate consumption in advanced age as a group phenomenon rather than an individual one, provide an account of how the practices and discourses of the ECE's division of consumption serve as a means of knowing someone is old and positioning him/her as an old subject, and detail strategies through which older consumers negotiate their age identity when it conflicts with this positioning. This research (1) illuminates ways in which consumer agency in identity construction is constrained in interpersonal interactions, (2) demonstrates old identity as implicated in consumption in relation to and distinction from physiological ability and old subject position, and (3) updates the final stages of the Family Life Cycle model.

Suggested Citation

  • Michelle Barnhart & Lisa Peñaloza, 2013. "Who Are You Calling Old? Negotiating Old Age Identity in the Elderly Consumption Ensemble," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(6), pages 1133-1153.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/668536
    DOI: 10.1086/668536
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    Cited by:

    1. Castilhos, Rodrigo B. & Fonseca, Marcelo J., 2016. "Pursuing upward transformation: The construction of a progressing self among dominated consumers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 6-17.
    2. Ryan P. Burge & Brittany H. Bramlett, 2021. "The new older adult participant in American politics," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(6), pages 2972-2984, November.
    3. Berezan, Orie & Krishen, Anjala S. & Agarwal, Shaurya & Kachroo, Pushkin, 2018. "The pursuit of virtual happiness: Exploring the social media experience across generations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 455-461.
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    5. Yamen Koubaa & Rym Srarfi Tabbane & Manel Hamouda, 2017. "Segmentation of the senior market: how do different variable sets discriminate between senior segments?," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(3), pages 99-110, December.
    6. Hajer Bachouche & Ouidade Sabri, 2019. "Empowerment in marketing: synthesis, critical review, and agenda for future research," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 9(3), pages 304-323, December.
    7. Abdelmajid Amine & Audrey Bonnemaizon & Margaret Josion-Portail, 2017. "Tailoring Elderly Patients’ Identities through Healthcare Service Relationships: Toward a Guardian Conception of Vulnerable Publics’ Identities," Post-Print hal-01684147, HAL.
    8. Sassonko, Benjamin, 2020. "The Reciprocal Connection Between Identity and Consumption: A Literature Review," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 5(2), pages 246-261.
    9. Lee, Chu-Heng & Hsieh, Ming-Huei, 2023. "Market innovation as an institutional reconciliation process: Two individual-level case studies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    10. Jenna Drenten & Robert L Harrison & Nicholas J Pendarvis, 2023. "More Gamer, Less Girl: Gendered Boundaries, Tokenism, and the Cultural Persistence of Masculine Dominance," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 50(1), pages 2-24.
    11. Septianto, Felix & Kemper, Joya A., 2021. "The effects of age cues on preferences for organic food: The moderating role of message claim," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    12. Samuel Guillemot & Margot Dyen & Annick Tamaro, 2022. "Vital Service Captivity: Coping Strategies and Identity Negotiation," Post-Print hal-03567883, HAL.
    13. Sigitas Urbonavicius & Tomas Palaima & Indre Radaviciene & Joseph Cherian, 2017. "Push and Pull Factors of Senior Travelers: The Lingering Influence of Past Restrictions," Tržište/Market, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 29(1), pages 93-108.
    14. Arindam Das & Himadri Roy Chaudhuri & Paromita Goswami, 2023. "The catharsis of male consumption: Reimagining masculinity in India," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 4-35, January.
    15. Paolo Franco, 2023. "Older consumers and technology: A critical systematic literature review," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 13(1), pages 92-121, June.
    16. Hajer Bachouche & Ouidade Sabri, 2019. "Empowerment in Marketing: Synthesis, Critical Review, and Agenda for Future Research," Working Papers 2019-001, Department of Research, Ipag Business School.
    17. James W. Gentry & Robert A. Mittelstaedt, 2017. "The Rapidly Aging World: Implications For Marketing," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 18(3_suppl), pages 1-18, June.
    18. Ye, Zihan & Zou, Xiaopeng & Post, Thomas & Mo, Weiqiao & Yang, Qianqian, 2022. "Too old to plan? Age identity and financial planning among the older population of China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    19. Lydia Ottlewski & Joonas Rokka & John Schouten, 2024. "How consumer-initiated platforms shape family and consumption," Post-Print hal-04325754, HAL.
    20. Torgeir Aleti & Bernardo Figueiredo & Diane M. Martin & Mike Reid, 2023. "Socialisation Agents’ Use(fulness) for Older Consumers Learning ICT," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-11, January.
    21. Gummerus, Johanna & O'Loughlin, Deirdre & Kelleher, Carol & Peñaloza, Lisa, 2021. "Shifting sands: Actor role and identity reconfigurations in service systems," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 162-169.
    22. Mahardika, Harryadin & French, Juliana & Sembada, Agung, 2018. "Keep calm and eat satay: Indonesia's consumption-themed signals of defiance against terrorism," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 231-238.
    23. Davis, Andrew, 2017. "It wasn't me, it was my festival me: The effect of event stimuli on attendee identity formation," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 484-500.
    24. Julia Rötzmeier-Keuper & Nancy V. Wünderlich, 2020. "Establishing Life Meaningfulness Through Meaning-Making Activities And Practices Related To The Consumption Of Elderly Care Services," Working Papers Dissertations 66, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    25. Thomas, Tandy Chalmers & Epp, Amber M. & Price, Linda L., 2020. "Journeying Together: Aligning Retailer and Service Provider Roles with Collective Consumer Practices," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 9-24.

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