Abstract
This report is based on life history case studies with former caregivers in Vienna. Three mechanisms of social exchange are reported in retrospective accounts of the caregiving experience: gratitude from those cared for, material compensations, and mutuality in relationship. Caregivers were motivated by a sense of obligation based on reciprocity and at the same time expressed distinct feelings of a lack of alternatives. Caregiving as a way to enhance status is discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bartlett, F. C. 1932 Remembering. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Befu, H. 1980 Structural and Motivational Approaches to Social Exchange. In Social Exchange.K. J. Gergen, M. S. Greenberg, and R. H. Willis, eds. New York: Plenum Press.
Bertaux, D. and I. Bertaux-Wiame 1981 Artisanal Bakers in France. In The Petit Bourgeoisie. F. Bechhofer and B. Elliott, eds. London: Macmillan.
Bruder, J., D. Klusmann, H. Lauter, and L. L\:ders 1981 Beziehungen zwischen Patienten und ihren Familienangehörigen bei chronischen Erkrankungen im höheren Lebensalter. Hamburg: Bericht an die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.
Cantor, M. and V. Little 1985 Aging and Social Care. In Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences. R.H. Binstock and E. Shanas, eds. Pp. 745–781. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Cicirelli, V. G. 1981 Helping Elderly Parents: the Role of Adult Children. Boston: Auburn House.
Clausen, J. 1972 The Life Course of Individuals. In Aging and Society: A Sociology of Age Stratification., M.W. Riley, M. Johnson, and A. Foner, eds. Pp. 457–514. New York: Russell Sage.
Daatland, S. O. 1983 Care Systems. Ageing and Society 3:1–21.
Dowd, J. 1975 Aging as Exchange: A Preface to Theory. Journal of Gerontology 30:584–594.
Elder, G. H., Jr. 1974 Children of the Great Depression. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Fuchs, W. 1984 Biographische Forschung. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag.
Geiger, Th. 1931 Zur Kritik der arbeiterpsychologischen Forschung. Die Gesellschaft 8:237–254.
Gouldner, A. W. 1960 The Norm of Reciprocity. American Sociological Review 25:161–178.
Gubrium, J. F. and R. J. Lynott 1985 Alzheimer's Disease as Biographical Work, In Social Bonds in Later Life. W.A. Peterson and J. Quadagno, eds. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Halbwachs, M. 1952/1925 Les cadres sociaux de la mémoire. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.
Hirschfeld, M. 1983 Caring for the Caregivers of the Elderly. In Aging in the Eighties and Beyond. M. Bergeneret al., eds. New York: Springer.
Hörl, J. and L. Rosenmayr 1982 Assistance to the Elderly as a Common Task of the Family and Social Service Organizations. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 1:75–95.
Horowitz, A. 1985 Family Caregiving to the Frail Elderly. In Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, vol. 5. M.P. Lawton and G.L. Maddox, eds. Pp. 194–246. New York: Springer.
Johnson, M. 1976 That was your Life: A Biographical Approach to Later Life. In Dependency or Interdependency in Old Age. J. M. A. Munnichs and W. J. A. van den Heuvel, eds. Pp. 147–161. The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff.
Kárpáti, Z. 1981 The Methodological Use of the Life History Approach in a Hungarian Survey on Mobility and Urbanization. In Biography and Society. D. Bertaux, ed. Pp. 133–148. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Kohli, M. 1981 Biography: Account, Text, Method. In Biography and Society. D. Bertaux, ed. Pp. 61–76. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Levin, E., I. Sinclair, and P. Gorbach 1983 The Supporters of Confused Elderly Persons at Home. London: National Institute for Social Work.
Lowy, L. 1983 The Older Generation: What Is Due, What Is Owed. Social Casework 64:371–376.
Nye, F. I. 1982 The Basic Theory. In Family Relationships. F.I. Nye, ed. Pp. 13–32. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Rosenmayr, L. 1985 Changing Values and Positions of Aging in Western Culture. In Handbook of the Psychology of Aging. I.E. Birren and K.W. Schaie, eds. Pp. 190–215. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Rosenmayr, L. 1987 Sociological Dimensions of Gerontology. In Psychogeriatrics: An International Handbook. M. Bergener, ed. Pp. 43–74. New York: Springer.
Socialdata 1980 Anzahl und Situation zu Hause lebender Pflegebedürftiger. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer.
Steinbach, L. 1985 Lebenslauf, Sozialisation und “erinnerte Geschichte”. In Lebenserfahrung und kollektives Gedächtnis. L. Niethammer, ed. Pp. 393–435. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.
Troll, L., S. J. Miller, and R. C. Atchley 1979 Families in Later Life. Belmont: Wadsworth.
Vierter Familienbericht 1986 Die Situation der älteren Menschen in der Familie. Bonn: Bundesminister für Jugend, Frauen und Gesundheit.
Weakland, J. H. and J. J. Herr 1979 Counseling Elders and Their Families. New York: Springer.
Additional information
Institute of Sociology, University of Vienna & Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Social Gerontology and Life Span Research
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hörl, J. Looking back to caregiving:Findings from case studies in Vienna, Austria. J Cross-Cultural Gerontol 4, 245–256 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00119708
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00119708