CHANGES IN STATUS AND AGE IDENTIFICATION.

The conceptions individuals have of themselves as young, middle-aged, or old are, of course, related to their actual age. People in their sixties are certainly more likely than people in their thirties to think of themselves as old. But the variations in age identification between persons in the same age group and the similarities between those whose actual age differs indicate that chronological age is only a limiting condition and does not fully explain the changes in age identification that occur in the course of the individual's life span. In this paper, two topics will be discussed: first, the relative influence of chronological age and age identification on other aspects of the self-image of older persons, and second, some of the social factors that hasten or forestall changes in age identification among older people. Of course, the likelihood that people consider themselves old rather than middle-aged steadily increases as they grow older. Under 65, only 18 per cent define themselves as old, between 65 and 70, 37 per cent do so, but in the age group of 70 and over this proportion rises to 59 per cent.