On the Semantic of Ageing: from Successful Ageing to Dynamic and Developmental Model of Ageing

PETRETTO, DONATELLA RITA;Pili, L.;Gaviano, L.;Pili, R.

2017-01-01

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Abstract

During the second part of Twentieth Century worldwide there has been an important process of conceptualization on active ageing and healthy ageing, related to the progressive ageing of population in most of the countries, the so called “Demographic revolution” or “Demographic transition” (Rowe e Kahn, 1987, 1988, 1998, Bates and Bates, 1990, 1993, Kahn, 2002, 2004, Pruchno et al., 2010, Petretto et al., 2016a). We can divide the conceptualization in different groups: American conceptual models, European conceptual models and other conceptual models related to different points of view on ageing (Fernandez-Ballesteros et al., 2011a e b, . The conceptualization of ageing is strictly related to the anthropological framework at the bottom of it and to the interest to all phases of the life, but it is also strictly related to semantical choices at the bottom of the conceptual models (Petretto et al., 2016). In the semantic of ageing we found different words, like active ageing, healthy ageing, and successful ageing and so on. There are different variables that make the difference: a focus on subject and subjectivity, a focus on well-being and quality of life as central outcomes, and on the sociocultural influences that make some variables more important than others and define the role of oldest people in the society. The aim of paper is to discuss different variables related to different semantical choices and to propose some critical hints of analysis in this field.