Frailty and Strength: The Dialectic in Aging
- 1 April 1983
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Gerontologist
- Vol. 23 (2) , 144-147
- https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/23.2.144
Abstract
Frailty typically is a devalued phenomenon particularly identified with aging. Its negative value reflects a rationalist metaphysic in which body and self are adversaries. An alternative meaning of frailty reflects the existentialist acceptance of the body without predetermined values regarding strength and vulnerability. The practical difference between these views is expressed in the contrasting ways in which individuals experience and interpret their frailty, whether as tragic and alienating or as the opportunity for intensity.Keywords
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