Macleod, Shannon C. (2021) Older Male Ballroom Dancers: Dancing to The Beat of Their Own Drum. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Erikson’s (1963) psychosocial theory of human lifespan development is based on the principle of epigenesis. With roots in psychoanalysis, it considers the complex interplay of the body “soma”, ego “psyche” and social world “ethos” in shaping personality. In all nine stages these competing processes result in an existential crisis which must be resolved before psychosocial strengths emerge. The crisis most pertinent to persons aged over 65 years is ego integrity. To achieve the coveted virtue of wisdom one must avoid feeling dissatisfied with their experience of life. A review of extant literature relating to this theory yielded little regarding the experiences of older male ballroom dancers. Hence the research question for this qualitative study addressing this gap. Using a purposive sampling methodology, complemented by snowball sampling, ten male social ballroom dancers, aged 65-83 years (M=71) were recruited. All resided in an Eastern state of Australia and participated in semistructured interviews which were recorded and transcribed verbatim. A reflexive thematic analysis of the data yielded preliminary codes, representing the experiences of social significance, physical practice, cognitive capacity and a ‘life well-lived’. Further analysis suggests older male ballroom dancers may embody Erikson’s ego integrity. This acceptance of life in the face of death, regardless of the extent of loss, may help society to reconstruct what it means to be “olderly”. This study fills a gap in the literature which may contribute to changing current societal stereotypes and impact future policy regarding the health and wellbeing of Australia’s ageing population.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Jan du Preez |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Aug 2025 23:34 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Aug 2025 23:34 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Erikson ; thematic analysis ; older males ; ballroom dancing ; elderly |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52523 |
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