Table 1.
“It’s Time” – Realms, Reasons and Temporalities of Downsizing
| Categories (quotes in italics) | Description |
|---|---|
| Now this is too much for me, At our age; Failing body over time | Failing physical body, portending actual or possible future health events that impact downsizing; the ’body’ unit conceptualized is one’s own, or spouse’s, or both with implications for the couple |
| At this stage in my life; Cultural life course stage | Culturally defined normative life course stages (e.g., childhood-adulthood-retirement) dictate and guide downsizing decisions |
| Hearth and home, family togetherness; Family time | Enduring family “hearth and home” as a place in spirit kept alive through time; but, also geographical closeness to provide tangible (or reciprocal aid) to family |
| I’m done with that, but I guess he isn’t; Couple time | Married couple’s life cycle as a team (marriage, family, shared decisions, including downsizing); consenting or dissenting about readiness to downsize |
| These changing times, at this point in time; Historical time | Societal-level historical, political and economic conditions and changes (e.g. formerly taken-for-granted national economy now stymies home sales needed to downsize) |
| This is the worst time to sell; Local community time | Neighbors or local family judgments about downsizing decisions reflect cultural ideals, values and expectations (e.g. selling home for a loss in bad economic conditions; or not just “throw away possessions” with value) |
| Time to leave or change; The physical built environment | Existing environment no longer accommodating as older person has less physical ability, propelling downsizing; or, decaying state of building / neighborhood requires repair |
| Ready for that step, Not yet; Stages in the downsizing process | Explicit stages, eras, readiness, and breaks in the steps and stages of doing the downsizing |