STEREOTYPES OF THE ELDERLY

1
STEREOTYPES OF THE ELDERLY

• in
• Handbook of Communication
• Aging Research
• chapter 4

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Defining Stereotypes

• Sociocultural perspective
• generalized beliefs about a group that are
  widely held within a particular culture
• This perspective believes that stereotypes are
  bad
• Stereotypes are unconsciously adopted
• Stereotypes reinforce discrimination and prejudice

3
Defining Stereotypes

• Psychodynamic perspective
• Stereotypes serve a psychological defense
  function for the individual
• Research findings on this theory are equivocal to
  date (p. 107)

4
Defining Stereotypes

• Cognitive perspective
• Person perception schemas based on a particular
  categorization principle, e.g., race, sex, age,
  and so on.

5
Cognitive Perspective

• Acknowledges that stereotypes have a basis in
  cultural beliefs, but argues that they exist only
  in the cognitive representations of individuals.
• Two people may hold similar stereotypes but the
  traits that constitute the stereotypes may not
  match exactly.
• Unlike the other perspectives, the cognitive
  perspective does not see stereotypes as
  inherently negative or used for psychological
  defense.

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Knowledge Structures

• According to the cognitive perspective,
  stereotypes are knowledge structures that people
  use to help them process the mass of information
  in a typical social interaction.

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SomeTraits of the ElderlyRepresented in
Stereotypes

• Memory decline
• Intellectual abilities decline
• frugal
• ill-tempered
• sick
• wrinkled skin

• Increase in being wise
• Increase in being dignified
• well read
• friendly
• honest
• mellow

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Multiple Stereotypes

• Adults of different ages may have different
  stereotypes of the elderly, some positive, some
  negative stereotypes, some made of more and some
  less traits
• E.g., Golden Ager, Perfect Grandparent, Recluse,
  Impaired
• The complexity of the stereotypes increased with
  subjects age. (p. 115)

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Three Conclusions

• 1 People have multiple stereotypes of the
  elderly, some of which are positive and some of
  which are negative.
• 2 Individuals in our culture have many of the
  same stereotypes of older adults, even though
  their cognitive representations of those
  stereotypes may vary at the trait level.
• 3 Elderly adults have more complex stereotype
  sets than do middle-aged and younger adults, and
• middle-aged adults have more complex stereotype
  sets than do young.