Man in decline: aging, anger and finding catharsis in music

Abstract

ABSTRACT There are few studies that have explored music as an interpretive framework, or as a moderator of emotions, both positive and negative, for late-life individuals outside of dementia-related depression. Further understanding of negative emotions that may arise during the aging process, be those emotions self-imposed or because of one’s social environment, is warranted, particularly if those negative emotions can be dealt with constructively through leisure instead of leaving them to fester in a self-destructive manner. To do so, this manuscript explores the life of one man in his 70s, Joseph, as he navigates getting older, the demise of his third marriage, falling out with lifelong friends, and ongoing troubles with his neighbours related to noise from his musicmaking. We employ a non-traditional approach to storytelling that draws from interviews over the course of two months with Joseph filtered through a methodological and stylistic approach to writing we call ‘gonzo ethnography