Perspective Based Diagnosis Through the Lens of Age Stratification Theory in Joe Penhall’s Blue\Orange

Abstract

This study examines the generational conflict in the workplace through the lens of the sociology of age stratification theory developed by Matilda White Riley and her association. the in Blue\Orange by Joe Penhall, the researcher explores the conflict between two psychiatrists, one is a senior consultant and the other is a young trainee. While many studies have tackled different themes in the play; like for example race and mental illness, this study focuses mainly of the conflict of generations in the working place as the driving force of institutional decay. Utilizing the sociology of age stratification as a grounded theory to explore the conflict, this study emphasizes the difference age as a key factor in social hierarchy and the workplace. Furthermore, it concentrates on the age gap and the tension between age groups. To highlight these tensions, Penhall uses the title “Blue\Orange” as a symbol to show the two sides of the same coin. This paper will focus on the problem that goes beyond just a disagreement on whose diagnosis is right, and it sheds light on the age-based value conflict which eventually exposes the institutional decay.