The Coming of Age

Methodology and Conclusions

In her monumental work, Simone de Beauvoir approaches old age not as an abstract concept but as a living, multifaceted experience permeating both private and public life. Her research methodology combines philosophical analysis, historical retrospection, and deep sociological observation: the author carefully studies texts from antiquity and the modern era, analyzes works of art, medical treatises, memoirs, letters, and the testimonies of aging people themselves. De Beauvoir does not limit herself to theoretical arguments—she weaves real voices into the fabric of her study to reveal the inner world of old age, its fears, hopes, and dignity. As a result of this multilayered analysis, she concludes: old age is not a biological inevitability but a socially constructed phenomenon in which society often denies the individual a full existence, turning them into "the other." De Beauvoir asserts that only by recognizing old age as an integral part of human destiny, through solidarity and respect for the experience of the elderly, can we overcome alienation and restore to old age its true human dimension.