The construction of elderly identity through conversational narrative

Abstract

Drawing on data from authentic Greek conversations and using tools of ethnomethodological Conversation Analysis and Membership Categorization Ana­lysis, this paper examines the construction of identity through naturally occurring stories told by older people. Such stories recount recent events that took place in the narrator's everyday life as well as events from the nar­rator's distant past. It is argued that storytelling gives people a chance to cast themselves in a positive light and project positive self-images. The paper explores some of the ways this self-enhancement is responded to both in peer elderly and intergenerational contexts and, consequently, investigates the identity-construction functions of these responses, too.