Interview Assignment
Presently young people do not tend to think about the distant future, but someday everyone will undeniably become a representative of elderly. We always ask our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles about their childhood, school years and life in general, and at the same time we cannot imagine ourselves at that age and how our answers would look like. That is why it is important to discover in-depth thoughts of people of the particular stage of life.
In order to complete this task I have chosen two people, a man and a woman, who are older than 65 to conduct the interviews. I talked to them in an informal surrounding to create a positive atmosphere and to make interviewees feel comfortable. Moreover, I restrained myself from talking about myself and focused on hearing the answers and keeping the conversation in a positive tone. Furthermore, it was necessary to observe the reaction to the questions of the respondents. If the question evoked negative emotions, I was trying to change the question and to move on to another one.
The first interviewee was an American man who is 67 years old at the moment. He is married and has three children. He used to work as a mail carrier in Davenport, Iowa, the United States which is also his birthplace. My interlocutor appeared to be very open and talkative and it was unnecessary to specify or frame questions.
A former Davenport citizen told me about the earliest years of his life which actually were very happy and careless. Then, he informed me about his parents and their ways of raising children which were “the best for children and their needs”. As an explanation of that he told me that he had 2 brothers and a sister. Afterwards, he emphasized that he was growing up with an idea in his head that “the family is the one and only thing that worth everything”. Such life conception justifies his tender and delicate attitude to the word family. His school years went as quiet as they could be.
Do you consider yourself old? At what life stage did you notice that you were getting older?
What is the biggest change you have seen in how people live their everyday lives today compared to when you were younger?
It took him a while to think over the answer. He claimed that his generation was more private. It was emphasized that now more and more youngsters showed their personal life in public. The essential point of which, he paused, is that such sociable behavior can lead to deplorable consequences.
What are your plans for the future?
My interlocutor was surprised when I have asked that question. He said that it was obvious that he would spend the rest of his life carrying about his children and grandchildren. He also stated that he hoped to see great grandchildren. “I am willing to spend more and more time with my children and grandchildren. I adore them and cannot wait when they will come visit me again”.
Do you fear dying? Why or why not?
He immediately responded: “No, I am not”. To his point of view, death is a natural process that everyone will face and there is no reason to be worried about it. The only thing he cares about is that his relatives would feel sorrow. He mentioned that he had never thought about death seriously because he did not feel it coming.
In the end of our meeting I thanked my male respondent and he did the same. In addition, he wished me best for the future and we shook hands.
The second interviewee was a 65 year old woman who currently lives in the UAE. She is married and has one child. She used to work as a lawyer and retired 6 years ago. She behaved freely and was ready to answer my questions.
What have been the best years of your life so far?
“To be honest, I really loved my job and the last years of working were incredibly productive and pleasant for me”. She told me the story of her working experience and how she got promoted for the last time. She also mentioned that she would love to go back to work, but she decided to quit because she wanted to give younger generation a working place. She is concerned that older people should give an opportunity for youth to work. Then, she suddenly remembered her wedding which occurred in 1974 and the birth of her son in 1976. Such sweet memories aroused a smile on her face.
What advice would you give younger people to help them prepare for their older age?
Obviously, she was ready for that question. The main point she wanted to emphasize is that nobody should ever stop studying. That is one of the elements of getting older. She insisted that her advice was common not only for younger people, but also for adults. Additionally, she said that you would never prepare for older age. “It is just impossible. You never know what will happen next.”
Have you ever experienced any negative attitudes or discrimination because of your age?
My respondent took some time to think and strictly answered: “No, for sure”. People never changed their attitude to her. She assumed that she did not notice negative attitudes or discrimination that might have been directed to her. So, she excluded the possibility of any negative prejudice against her.
It is appropriate to define which theory of aging reflects various biological, social, historical or cultural factors that are common for my second interviewee. Thus, the disengagement theory is to be applied to my second interlocutor (Oxfordreference.com 1). In the UAE people are encouraged to retire providing free working places to let a younger generation to have jobs. Older people are seen disengaging from social roles and relationships. In its turn, it means that the disengagement theory describes the pattern of behavior when the elderly and society become involved in the reciprocal separation.
Works Cited
Oxfordreference.com. "Theories Of Ageing - Oxford Reference". N.p., 2016. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
