Agents of Socialisation - Age identity Flashcards
1
Q
How does the family affect age identity?
A
- The stereotypes of old people as a social problem comes from the family.
- A common theme within different sociological studies is that the family members assume the older relative will need and want more care than they actually do.
- Younger members of the family learn that they lack status in the family due to their age, they learn that they must respect older family members.
- This reinforces their age identity and they begin to learn that with age comes status.
2
Q
How does education affect age identity?
A
- The hidden curriculum will contribute to age identity.
- Age as a social category is reinforced through references to old age by teachers and also due to the fact that we learn our position and status in the hierarchy is due to age.
- We learn that as children, we must follow the orders and respect people who are older than us.
3
Q
How does the peer group affect age identity?
A
- Peer group is particularly influential during the period of youth.
- Studies show how peer group pressure is a key factor influencing the norms, values and culture of young people.
- People often associate with others from a similar age group because they share the same norms and values; this supports the concept of cultural comfort zones.
4
Q
How does religion affect age identity?
A
- Evidence suggests that religion is declining and this is the case for all age groups.
- However, evidence shows that the elderly are more religious than younger groups.
- This is because religion may have been more important in the years when they grew up and also many elderly may turn to religion as a way of coping with loss.
5
Q
What does Muncie say about the way the media affects age identity?
A
- Argues that youths are represented as troublesome and deviant.
- Middle age is represented as a time of crisis and old age is seen as a time of dependency and loneliness.
6
Q
What does Thornton say about the way the media affects age identity?
A
- Argues that the media is responsible for the creation of youth culture and the range of youth identities in the UK.
- Youths are often targeted by advertisers and are more likely to become conspicuous consumers where they try to gain status through style and designer items.
7
Q
How are the elderly represented in the media?
A
- Media representations of the elderly show that the elderly are largely invisible and when they do appear, they are often negatively stereotyped.
- In 2000, 21% of the population was over 65, yet only 7% of representations on television were of that age group.
- The majority of these were elderly men, despite the population being mainly female.
8
Q
What does Landis say about how the elderly are represented in the media?
A
- Shows that when the elderly do appear in the media, they tend to be portrayed in one-dimensional ways e.g. grumpy, dependent.
9
Q
What does Woodward say about how the elderly are represented in the media?
A
- Age is devalued by the media; this is shown throughput the advertising industry.
- Argues that the media offer advice on how to combat age through beauty products, which are aimed at slowing down the ageing process and magazine articles which give advice on diets, fitness and cosmetic surgery.
10
Q
How does the workplace affect age identity?
A
- Most young workers earn relatively little and are given less status and responsibility.
- Young workers often experience the worse pay and conditions, and they are required to be the most flexible in terms of working hours for example.
11
Q
What does Vincent say about how the workplace affects age identity?
A
- Vincent (a Marxist) argues that in a capitalist society, your status is determined by how far you can participate in the workplace.
- This means the elderly and the young have a distinct identity which is based around having a lower status because they are less likely to be working.
