Alzheimer's Disease Victims: The “Unbecoming” of Self and the Normalization of Competence

Abstract

This study examines the importance of routinized practices for the self Alzheimer's disease victims are observed in their daily lives. The deterioration of self is discussed, followed by a discussion of routinized actions and normalization practices by caregivers that allow the patients to be seen as competent selves. Finally, the last remnants of the self in Alzhiemer's patients are discussed. The authors conclude that when the individual self undergoes an “unbecoming” process, due to the mental deterioration caused by the disease, it is largely social practices that allow the self to continue to exist in the eyes of others.