Gendered Perceptions of Aging: An Examination of College Students

2008 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 359-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E. Barrett ◽  
Carmen Von Rohr
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Attitudes Toward Elderly ◽  
Life Attitudes ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Aging Anxiety

Few studies examine how the gendered nature of aging impacts young adults—shaping their images of later life, attitudes toward elderly persons, aging anxieties, and conceptions of the start of “old age.” We examine gender differences in young adults' views of elders and the aging process using a survey of college students and content analysis of student-drawn sketches of elders ( N = 391). Results indicate that both genders hold more positive images of elderly women than men; however, they view “old age” as beginning at a younger age for women. In addition, we find that, compared with men, women report later starts of “old age” for both genders and more favorable attitudes toward elders, but also greater aging anxiety.

Escape from the Rocking Chair: Young Adults' Changing Perceptions of Elderly Persons as a Function of Intergenerational Contact

1981 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Chris Downs ◽  
Patricia J. Walz
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Attitudes Toward Elderly ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Regular Contact

Attitudes toward elderly persons were assessed among 79 undergraduates who maintained frequent, regular contact with one or both elderly grandparents. The results suggested that these young adults were more likely to hold positive attitudes than those who lack such contact. Sex differences in attitudes as well as suggestions for additional study are discussed.

Attitudes toward Embodied Old Age among Swedes

2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Öberg ◽  
Lars Tornstam
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Consumer Culture ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Biological Aging ◽  
Old People ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes Toward Elderly ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Old Men ◽  
Age Studies

Messages in the consumer culture are often youth oriented, aiming at the prevention of the bodily decay associated with biological aging. In gerontological discourses, this has been hypothesized to generate negative attitudes toward embodied aging and old age. Studies about general attitudes toward old age show that younger respondents have more negative attitudes than do older respondents, and gerontological discourses also hypothesize a gendered ageism, with especially negative attitudes toward elderly women. The empirical study of embodied aging among 1,250 Swedes aged 20–85 years contradicts these hypotheses. The results show rather positive attitudes toward embodied old age, especially among young and middle-aged respondents. Neither do the results unequivocally confirm the hypothesis of gendered ageism, which predicts considerably more negative attitudes toward old women than toward old men. One interpretation of the results is that, counter to many hypotheses, the consumer culture, with its new opportunities and roles for old people, may positively affect these attitudes.

Motivational Goal Objects in Later Life

1993 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Lapierre ◽  
Léandre Bouffard ◽  
Etienne Bastin
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Sentence Completion ◽  
Personal Goals ◽  
Elderly Individuals ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Self Development ◽  
Very Old Age ◽  
Physical Autonomy

With a sentence completion technique, 708 elderly participants (64 to 90 years of age) expressed 15,020 personal aspirations. These goals were classified according to their motivational content in ten major categories and their relationships with different sociodemographic variables were studied. Two goal profiles emerge from this analysis. Aspirations centered on self-preservation are associated with very old age, functional impairment, lower S.E.S. and education, being alone or institutionalized. Aspirations of self-development and interpersonal relationships are associated with younger age, physical autonomy, higher S.E.S. and education, being married or living at home. Development of meaningful personal goals are discussed as a mean of intervention with elderly individuals.

scholarly journals Predictors of subjective age and emotional health in the elderly

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.I. Melehin ◽  
E.A. Sergienko
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The Self ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Subjective Age ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Age Estimates

This article describes the importance of the subjective age in understanding mental health in middle and old age. This phenomenon of positive illusions age estimates. Concretized the concept of emotional health. Presents the factors influencing the self-perception of age in later life. Within the framework of empirical research shows that elderly persons multikomorbidnost diseases, changes in emotional health are all factors influencing the subjective age and its components.

PERSONALITY DOES NOT PREDICT STRESSFUL EVENT OCCURRENCE IN ELDERLY PERSONS

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albertine J. Oldehinkel ◽  
Johan Ormel ◽  
Els I. Brilman
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Community Survey ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Positive Events ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Event Occurrence

This study was aimed at investigating the associations between personality characteristics and event occurrence in old age. The sample included 83 individuals (mean age 71.9, SD = 7.1; 55.4% female), randomly selected from the participants of a community survey among elderly persons. Several personality measures, obtained during the survey, were used to predict the occurrence of stressful life events in later years later. None of the personality characteristics was significantly associated with later event occurrence, neither with respect to the overall number of negative or positive events, nor with respect to only interpersonal events. The results indicate lack of event production in old age, which may indicate that, compared to younger age groups, elderly persons are less actively involved in shaping their own experiences.

Intergenerational contact and mediators impact ambivalence towards future selves

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon E. Jarrott ◽  
Jyoti Savla
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Future Selves ◽  
Aging Anxiety ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Intergenerational contact can promote positive attitudes towards elders. However, contact with older adults often fosters multiple stereotypes, which may contribute to ambivalence about aging and poorer health in late life. Online survey data from 457 young adults ( M age = 19.4 years; 74% female) were used to explore the relationship between intergenerational contact and ambivalence about self as a future elder. Multiple mediator path analysis was used to test the hypothesis that anxiety, knowledge, and empathy would mediate the impact of intergenerational contact on aging self-ambivalence. Ratings of intergenerational contact predicted ambivalence, but anxiety and empathy mediated the relationship (knowledge did not). Higher ratings of intergenerational contact, lower aging anxiety, and higher empathy predicted lower aging self-ambivalence, which reflected positive expectations for late life in our sample. Intergenerational contact can influence expectations for old age; exchange that fosters empathy and reduces anxiety may encourage individuals to exercise strategies that positively impact health in late life.

Attitudes toward Elderly Persons among High School and College Students

1976 ◽  
Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1090-1090
Author(s):  
George G. Bear ◽  
Elizabeth C. Guy
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
High School ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Attitudes Toward Elderly

Age stereotypes and self-views in later life: Evaluating rival assumptions

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 549-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Rothermund ◽  
Jochen Brandtstädter
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Reference Standard ◽  
Age Stereotypes ◽  
Sequential Study ◽  
Age Range

Concerning the relation between age stereotypes and self-views in older people, three general assumptions can be distinguished: (1) age stereotypes contaminate the self-views of older people (“contamination hypothesis”), (2) age stereotypes serve as a reference standard for self-enhancing comparisons (“comparison hypothesis”), (3) individually held age stereotypes are a projection of elderly persons’ self-views (“externalisation hypothesis”). These hypotheses were evaluated in a cross-sequential study assessing self-ratings and ratings of the “typical old person” over a longitudinal interval of 8 years in a sample of 690 participants (initial age range 54–77 years). Conforming to the contamination hypothesis (but contrary to the comparison hypothesis), stereotyped expectations about elderly people predicted later self-appraisals. Conforming with the externalisation hypothesis, self-views had an influence on individually held age stereotypes. Findings also highlight the importance of differential factors: A disposition to flexibly disengage from blocked goals shields self-views from self-deprecating influences of negative age stereotypes in old age.

Images of Aging in the Psychotherapeutic Context

GeroPsych ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva-Marie Kessler ◽  
Catherine E. Bowen
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Mental Representations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Process ◽  
Images Of Aging ◽  
Client Communication

Both psychotherapists and their clients have mental representations of old age and the aging process. In this conceptual review, we draw on available research from gerontology, social and developmental psychology, and communication science to consider how these “images of aging” may affect the psychotherapeutic process with older clients. On the basis of selected empirical findings we hypothesize that such images may affect the pathways to psychotherapy in later life, therapist-client communication, client performance on diagnostic tests as well as how therapists select and apply a therapeutic method. We posit that interventions to help both older clients and therapists to reflect on their own images of aging may increase the likelihood of successful treatment. We conclude by making suggestions for future research.

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