| Chapter 2: | Theory |
In addition to its use in many studies conducted in the U.S., the life satisfaction scale has been employed, as well, in studies of older Chinese (e.g., in a study of a Beijing sample; see Zhang & Yu, 1998), although there has been variation in the number of items used from the scale.
Identity
The second type of variable concerns issues of identity10 and the closely related concept of self, which has been important in social-constructionist approaches to aging studies (Gubrium & Holstein, 1999). Our use of identity derives more specifically from symbolic-interactionist thinking, especially the work of Stryker (1980). He clearly ties issues of identity to social-network analysis by asserting that an individual’s selfconception is created and sustained by relationships with significant others—the people who are closest and most important (see also Hendricks, 1999). Understanding this dialectic between the individual and the social environment remains an unresolved issue in aging studies: “Forging linkages between meaningmaking activities of the self and surrounding social structural influences is a key future challenge that fundamentally requires reaching across disciplinary boundaries” (Ryff, Marshall, & Clark, 1999, p. 16).
Only a limited range of concerns that fall under the concept of identity are covered in the analysis that follows. We do not deal with the more encompassing quest for identity that has been of concern, for example, in Taiwan where intellectuals are exploring the unique nature of Taiwanese society as distinct from the Chinese version on the mainland (Dittmer, 2004). Although an issue of considerable contemporary importance, it falls beyond the scope of our data. We deal specifically with that part of overall identity concerned with personal issues of selfefficacy, in this case locus of control, and feelings of self-esteem. Both of these are of particular interest in aging research.