Percival, John
(2000).
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link: | https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X0000773X |
|---|---|
| Google Scholar: | Look up in Google Scholar |
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present a descriptive account and analysis of ethnographic research which focuses on gossip as an important social interaction between older people in sheltered housing. Analysis reveals that gossip plays a prominent role in the daily life of older people in the schemes studied, reinforcing social norms and values that assume great significance in a close-knit, predominantly female environment. Conclusions are drawn that while gossip may serve a useful social purpose in sheltered housing, it may also have important and paradoxical consequences for the individual. In particular, gossip is understood to be a form of interaction that encourages the individual to strike a balance between their personal and social needs in this communal setting.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Copyright Holders: | 2000 Cambridge University Press |
| ISSN: | 1469-1779 |
| Academic Unit/School: | Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) > Health, Wellbeing and Social Care Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) |
| Item ID: | 19951 |
| Depositing User: | Katy Gagg |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Feb 2010 14:28 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Oct 2016 10:33 |
| URI: | http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/19951 |
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