Aging is unavoidable in life yet their are so many stereotypes surrounding it. Stereotypes about the aging population play a huge role in how we think and interact with the individuals in the aging population. Stereotypes of aging are mostly myths or misrepresented beliefs about how people of that certain age should act or what their reality is meant to look like without regards for individual differences or circumstances. Negative stereotypes of aging is a life time of ill health, dependency, loneliness and bad physical or mental functioning. However, with age come wisdom, wealthy, peace and fulfillment. This stereotypes makes older adults being force into early retirement, not being considered for job opportunities and sometimes being overlooked
Stereotypes of aging greatly affect older adult’s. Although, stereotypes can be both positive and negative, there is a negative stigma associated with aging. Many associate old age with forgetfulness, ill health and poor mental and physical function. According to Berke (2013), “Stereotype threat—the fear of being judged on the basis of a negative stereotype—can trigger anxiety that interferes with performance” (p.314). For example, people judge, the elderly’s failure in memory. If an older person can’t find their cell phone, one may think they are becoming senile. However, if a younger person can’t remember where they placed their cell phone it isn’t a big deal, they don’t have a serious memory problem. Berek (2013) also states, “In a survey
Some people stereotype people who are older. In the UK, 1in 20 people over 65 have been refused treatment by the NHS; with 1 in 10 people over 50 believe that this was because of their age.
These stereotypes, however, are very far from the truth about what occurs during the late adulthood stage. They stem from a form of prejudice referred to as ageism (Berger, 2008). Gerontologists define ageism as “A form of prejudice used to categorize and judge individual based on their chronological age only” (Berger, 2008, p. 615). The issue of ageism can promote patronizing treatment toward persons in the late adulthood stage and even foster discrimination. For example, people in the West unconsciously process
People may have different reactions to how the media portrays older adults however it’s apparent that many times these stereotypes are not all fun and games and can actually be detrimental for the ageing population. Society may not realize that by continuing to generalize and stereotype older adults in the media it’s creating larger issues. A major issue I notice is that the media is also a form of education and for those who did not already have preconceived ideas about the ageing population; the media can then sway them to view older adults as such.
One important aspect of ageism is that the stereotypes created are often undeserving of the older population’s actual capabilities.
As people continue to live life and grow older, it is inevitable that they will age. Aging has many effects on an individual’s physical health, emotional well-being, and cognition. Key developmental changes occur in vision and hearing; both begin declining as people age (Weiten, 2014). The deterioration of these senses can be seen in Young@Heart during the scene where a few members are joking around in a car. The driver was Lenny, an ex-World War II pilot, because he was the only one out of the group who could still see properly (Walker, 2008). The vision of every other member in the car had worsened to a point where it impacted their functioning in daily life by limiting their ways of transportation.
After giving thought to the subject of ageism as it is directed against the elderly in American society, I find that although I generally have a great deal of respect for those older than me, I like most am guilty of some degree of stereotyping.
When I was reading the article Myths of Aging, I found it very interesting. Almost all of the stereotypes that our society has on elderly is basically covered in this article. The first myth that was covered is my favorite, and this myth states, “All old people are the same.” Reality is there is more variety among older people than among any other age group. I think that this makes a great statement for the elderly because it shows that they are not afraid to be themselves, and that they probably don’t worry about what other people think of them. Also, this article goes on to talk about the myth of the elderly being incompetent, but the reality is that many elderly people, even in the early stages of dementia,
Ageism is becoming a major problem. The elderly population is predicted to double in the next eight years, having the effect of older people in the workforce, medical patients, and community members. This causes younger people to be around older people more often causing them to make generalizations. There has been an increased effort to stop age discrimination. Ageing is a natural occurring thing so most people in their lives will be affected by ageism. For one to fully understand ageism, one must know the definition, stereotypes, and the effect of those stereotypes.
The aging population is the fastest growing population in our nation. By the year 2030, it is estimated that approximately 61 million people will be between the ages 65 -85 and 9 million individuals will be ages 85 and older (Ouchida &Lachs, 2015). Perceptions of the elderly have slightly changed for the better in recent years, but biases and discrimination are still very widespread in our society today. “Ageism” is a phrase coined by Robert Butler in 1969 and implies a preconception, prejudice, and discrimination against older adults and can come in many forms.
Stereotypes have an overwhelming effect especially on the people they are directed towards. Studying stereotypes helps in understanding the factors leading to discrimination of certain people and not others. This is because stereotypes are depictive of opinions that are often passed from one generation to another within a particular culture. Mass media such as television and newspapers form a common source of opinions in the contemporary society (Kotter & Hess, 2012). The media presents messages in steady, repetitive, and compelling manner, making them believable to almost everybody. Stereotyping opinion and depictions from the media can thus have detrimental effects on the
Myths and stereotypes about aging are illness, impotency, ugliness, mental decline, uselessness. The myth about illness is when you get old you are sick and disabled. Impotency has
Ageism and stereotypes of older people can have an important impact on their physical health, mental health and overall wellbeing. Negative stereotypes of older people being dependent and decrepit can be internalized and become self-fulfilling. These ageist thoughts and stereotypes can lead to older people not seeking health care in general and to not get treatment appropriate for their illness or medical condition due to their age and not based on any other factor.
Aging is presented in various different ways in the news, but it typically has a negative stereotype associated with it. The media is known for its glorification of being young, making the thought of becoming older repulsive to many. This negative association with aging can have a harmful impact on individuals as the years go by. For example, there could be a possible link between Alzheimer’s and changes occurring in the brain as a result of this negative stereotyping. On the other hand however, the media will also show aging in a positive light and how aging not just associated with decreasing health and quality of life. In doing so, the media will portray elderly individuals who defy the odds by doing remarkable feats, such as Georgina Harwood who went skydiving and cage diving with sharks at the age of 100.
When most people envision an elderly person, their minds go to the iconic little old lady or man. They automatically think about them having psychological ailments such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. With this assumption comes many unfair prejudices in the work place or other