Deborah Lee Kerstetter, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Deborah Lee Kerstetter, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Keywords:
authenticity
Abstract:
Older adults‘ search for authenticity was examined through verbal descriptions of their pleasure travel experiences as well as their response to scenarios built around object authenticity (Belhassen & Caton, 2006); constructed/staged authenticity (Boorstin, 1964; MacCannell, 1973); and existential authenticity (Wang, 1999; Yeoman, Brass, & McMahon-Beattie, 2007). Older adults‘ verbal descriptions of their pleasure travel experiences did not include references to authenticity. However, when exposed to scenarios about authenticity, evidence suggested that older adults seek object authenticity, others engage in existential authenticity, and still others accept and even expect constructed events to be part of their pleasure travel experiences. The findings illuminate the way in which older adults think about authenticity, ultimately extending and enriching the literature on the topic.
