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Civic Socialising: a revealing new theory about older people's social relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2014

JOAN STEWART ,
COLETTE BROWNING  and
JANE SIMS
JOAN STEWART*
Affiliation:
Healthy Ageing Research Unit, School of Primary Health Care, Monash University, Notting Hill, Victoria, Australia.
COLETTE BROWNING
Affiliation:
Healthy Ageing Research Unit, School of Primary Health Care, Monash University, Notting Hill, Victoria, Australia.
JANE SIMS
Affiliation:
Healthy Ageing Research Unit, School of Primary Health Care, Monash University, Notting Hill, Victoria, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Joan Stewart, Healthy Ageing Research Unit, School of Primary Health Care, Monash University, Building 1, 270 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, Victoria 3168, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The research reported in this article investigated the nature and the purpose of older people's social interactions in their local neighbourhood shops. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with and observation of 11 shoppers, aged 67 years and older, and six shopkeepers. Classic grounded theory analysis method revealed a previously uncharted psycho-social process associated with these interactions entitled by the authors as Civic Socialising; it highlights that older people's interactions in their local neighbourhood shops embody authentication of themselves as individuals and as community members, and their co-construction and co-preservation of the milieu of their local neighbourhood shopping precinct with a view to sustaining their ongoing autonomy. The new conceptual theory Civic Socialising highlights that older people can be proactive, resilient and capable, dimensions integral to human fulfilment, and demonstrates that older people can play an active role in their communities where the environment is enabling. The new conceptual theory Civic Socialising has significance for the way we determine and view older people's social relationships. Crucially, in light of a burgeoning older population world-wide, it is clear that policy makers and social planners must ensure that older people can continue to interact in their communities if ageing in place is to be a satisfying and cost-effective experience. Without such consideration, ageing in place could well create dependency and despondency.

Keywords

classic grounded theoryolder peoplesocial interactionssocial relationshipslocal neighbourhood shopslocal environmentperson-centred environmentageing in place
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 35 , Issue 4 , April 2015 , pp. 750 - 764
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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