Percival, John
(2000).
Gossip in sheltered housing: Its cultural importance and social implications.
Ageing and Society, 20(3) pp. 303–325.
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: |
Journal Article
|
| Copyright Holders: |
2000 Cambridge University Press |
| ISSN: |
1469-1779 |
| Academic Unit/Department: |
Health and Social Care |
| Item ID: |
19951 |
| Depositing User: |
Katy Gagg
|
| Date Deposited: |
16 Feb 2010 14:28 |
| Last Modified: |
09 Jan 2012 08:57 |
| URI: |
http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/19951 |
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