我們的未來：年輕運動員之老化想像

Abstract

2023年的臺灣，大約每5個人中就有1名老年人。社會的風貌急速改變，但對老年人的負面刻板印象固存。年齡歧視之主因之一，為社會對青春、健美身體的推崇，而年輕運動員正是一群擁有最健美體能的人。本研究透過質性研究法，訪談12名平均年齡約20歲的從事高強度競技之大學運動員，並輔以發給一般大學運動學系運動員之問卷，了解年輕運動員透過家庭、學校及當地社會等各種社會機制互動而獲得之老化敘事地圖，及他們如何帶著這份地圖，預期自己的未來。本研究發現，年輕運動員父母與祖父母是他們取得老化敘事地圖時的主要來源。他們眼中的中年人，工作重、經濟壓力大、生活無趣但成熟且經驗豐富；老年人身體智力衰退、生活悠閑但孤單、慈祥但也固執囉嗦。根據這樣的觀察後反思，他們對自己的期許是未來能夠維持良好身體狀況、經濟穩定、追求成長。相對的，他們恐懼老後身體失能衰弱、生活不穩定、固執囉嗦、情緒失控。運動員對身體有更敏銳的覺察，亦更有終身運動的意願與動機，相對而言，對失去體能的恐懼似乎亦更高。希望能夠透過對他們的研究，更了解身體在老化中之意義、現代社會對青春的執著與老化的負面刻板印象 ，使所有年齡層的人皆能更安心地接受年齡的增長，描繪每個當下與前方都有好風景的人生地圖。

In Taiwan, around 1 of 5 people will be of or over 65 years old in 2023. The society is changing with a fast pace, but stereotype of old age stays put. Among significant factors contributing to ageism is the society’s worship for youth and fitness. Young athletes are undoubtedly in the fittest group of individuals in a society. This qualitative research draws upon interviews of 12 university athletes in highly competitive sport fields aged around 20 years old, along with responses to questionnaires from athletes of sports departments, to examine how young athletes acquire narrative map of aging through interactions with social institutions including family, school and local community, and to understand how they anticipate their own future with such map. It is found in this research that young athletes mostly receive their unique narrative maps from parents and grandparents. Under such guidance, Middle aged adults are perceived with heavy workload and economic pressure, mature and experienced. Their lives tend to be boring. Elders, on the hand, suffer decline both in body and mind. They have more leisure but are lonely. Elders are kind but could be stubborn and long-winded. Based on such observations, athletes have aimed to maintain good physical condition and stable economy during aging. They have also expressed hopes for intellectual and mental growth. Their biggest fears on aging are incapacity and decline of body, and an unstable state of living. They are also reluctant to become stubborn, long-winded, or emotionally lost. Athletes have a keen observation on their physical condition and are more willing and motivated to exercise throughout lifetime. Meanwhile, they also seem to be wearier of losing fit bodies. The research aims to understand more on the meaning of body in the context of aging, and on the resistance against aging and negative stereotypes of old people, which hindering people of all ages from accepting aging, so that people of all ages could have peace of mind with the fact that we all age. Hopefully, we may draw our own map of life that is with a good view both now and in the future.