stereotype Flashcards
Age stereotypes
cognitive schemas or organized knowledge structures that influence perceptions of older adults; reflect beliefs about the shared characteristics of individuals of distinct age groups
may be pos, neg, or neutral
schemas= “inferential prisons”
Schemas influence what we attend to in our environment, impact how we process information; lock us into predetermined assumptions
Implicit stereotypes
unconscious and automatically activated
Implicit stereotypes tends to be uncorrelated with explicit stereotypes bc implicit stereotypes are unconscious
Explicit stereotypes
are conscious and self-declared
seven common stereotype subtypes:
4 negative stereotypes and 3 positive stereotypes
Negative stereotypes include:
1)Severely impaired: slow thinking, feeble
2)Despondent:depressed sad
3)shrew/curmudgeon:complaining, ill-tempered, prejudiced
4)Recluse: quiet, timid
Positive stereotypes include:
1)Golden ager: alert, active, sociable
2)Perfect grandparent: kind, loving
3)John wayne conservative: patriotic, religious, nostalgic
4 conclusions can be drawn:
1)social category of older person constitutes a superordinate category that encompasses multiple stereotypes of older individuals
2)some age stereotypes reflect neg beliefs about older adults, some positive beliefs, but there are more negative stereotypes
3)age stereotypes include beliefs about physical characteristics, personality traits, social status, behavioral tendencies
4)will vary across individuals as a function of experience, life span developments, and so on
research based on the stereotype content model indicates that stereotypes beliefs about older adults are
ambivalent
participants rate older adults as warm and incompetent
Stereotype content model:
Researcher found we place stereotype groups (ie elderly, rich, feminists) on a continuum (low or high) of warmth and competence
Elderly and disabled are seen as
high in warmth and low in competence
Warmth is seen as the opposite of
competitiveness
Competence is equal to
status
There are 4 motivational forces associated with the content model:
Low competence,low warmth: contempt
Low competence, high warmth: pity
High competence, low warmth: envy
High competence, high warmth: admiration
What are the consequences of common stereotypes of older adults?
Ageism (butler): refers to negative attitudes toward older adults, old age, and the aging process; discriminatory behavior against older adults, and institutional practices and policies that perpetuate stereotypes about older adults
research
52% of canadians believe that ageism is the most tolerated form of social bias in our society
60% of canadians over 65 years report that they have been treated unfairly because of their age
The most common forms of discrimination reported by older canadians are being treated as incompetent, invisible, and without value (females>males)
Elder abuse
a single, repeated act, or lack of appropriate actions, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to and older person
forms of elder abuse
financial (ie: forging signatures on checks)
neglect (ie: failure to fulfill obligations such as food, shelter),
physical
psychological
sexual
Elder abuse is associated with increased morbidity among victims:
alcohol abuse
aggressiveness, anger, anxiety, dementia, disappointment, grief, depression, loneliness, poorer perceived health, PTSD, psychoactive drug use, reduced self-efficacy, reduced happiness, somatic complaints
3 leading consequences with psychological abuse
anxiety, depression, and ptsd
elder abuse is associated with
increased mortality among victims (3x higher)
cardiovascular-related mortality, shorter telomere length
Bodily injury sustained from stress or physical harm =
greater cellular division/replication->shorter telomere length-> higher mortality rates
—% experience elder abuse (canadian stats)
4-10%
