Subjective age in the academic development of Algerian students

• Author: S. Merabet/L. Rioux
• Position: Université Constantine 2, Algérie/Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France
• Pages: 47-52

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 10 (59) No. 1 - 2017

SUBJECTIVE AGE IN THE ACADEMIC

DEVELOPMENT OF ALGERIAN

STUDENTS

S. MERABET1 L. RIOUX 2

Abstract: Subjective age has been studied in various domains (health,

consumption, work), but the works which investigated the subjective age that

the students give themselves during their academic development are rare

(Pavalache & Rioux, 2014). One-hundred-and-twenty-two Alge rian students

answered a questionnaire comprising (a) an identification part (b) the

subjective age questionnaire by Gana, Alaphilippe and Bailly, (2002) and (c)

the questionnaire of subjective age in academic development (Pavalache &

Rioux, 2014). The results show that the Algerian students have a tendency to

rejuvenate themselves, all the more so if they are of male gender. They show

the impact of the societal and cultural factors on subjective age in academic

development of university students.

Key words: Subjective age in academic development, general subjective

age, Algerian society.

1. Introduction

Various researches have shown that subjective age, different from the one we attribute

to ouselves, is still different from the chronological age (for example, Barak & Stern,

1986; Kaufman & Elder, 2003). It is defined by Kastenbaum, et al., 1972 as a social

construct which comprises the age that the individual feels he has deep inside, the age

that we attribute to our general appearance, the age which corresponds to our interests and

the age which we attribute to our behaviours and means of acting, and it varies depending

on the context in which the individual finds himself (Pavalache & Rioux, 2014).

The researches generally admit that the majority of people register a difference between

their subjective and their chronological age, in that the people who are less than 25 years

old tend to feel older, while those who are over 30-35 tend to feel younger (Öberg &

Tornstam, 2001; Galambos, Turner, & Tilton-Weaver, 2005).

This age bias is therefore a phenomenon which affects the individuals, irrespective of

their age (Galambos et al., 2005; Montepare & Lachman, 1989). In fact, Shanahan,

Porfeli, Mortimer & Erickson (2005), suggest that our subjective age varies during our

lifetime depending on the way in which we experience our life transitions. In other words,

the age that we give ourselves allows our personality and our social roles to be congruent

(Shanahan et al., 2005).

1 Université Constantine 2, Algérie, sam.mer25@yahoo.fr

2 Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France