Week 9 Flashcards
ageism
more tolerated form of social discrimination in Canada
negative expectations for old age
- smelly
- demanding
- useless
- boring
- loss of autonomy
- dependent
- senile
what is a stereotype?
“how we think”
age-related sterotypes
cognitive structures embedding beliefs and expectations that people hold about different age stages
what do stereotypes of aging include?
assumptions and generalizations about how people at or over a certain age should behave
how do stereotypes exist?
- explicit attitudes
- implicit priming
explicit attitudes
- previously learned information
- what people consciously endorse or believe
- direct and deliberate
- can be acknowledged
implicit priming
- associations that are outside of the conscious awareness
- unconscious and effortless
- indirect and automatic
- involuntarily active
the stereotype content model (SCM)
- first proposed in 2002
- believed that all group stereotypes and interpersonal impressions form along two dimensions: warmth and competence
what is the notion that the stereotype content model is based on (SCM)?
- people are evolutionarily predisposed to first assess a stranger’s intent to either harm or help themn(warmth) 2. to judge the stranger’s capacity to act on that perceived intention (competence)
high warmth, low competence
paternalistic prejudice
1. low status, not competitive pity, sympathy
2. elderly people, disabled people, housewives
Barber et al. (2020)
- stereotype threat can impair older adult’s physical performance
- dependent on tasks objective difficulty and participants subjective evaluations of their own resources
what is ageism?
how we think (stereotypes), feel (prejudice) and act (discrimination) towards other or ourselves based on age
everyday ageism
occurs in day-to-day lives through interpersonal interactions and exposure to ageist beliefs, assumptions and stereotypes
***most common type
everyday ageism for adults aged 50-80
- 82% experience one or more forms of everyday
- 65% exposure to ageist meddages
- 45% ageism in interpersonal interaction
- 36% internalized ageism
ageism breakdown
- cognitive (stereotypes)
- emotional (prejudice)
- behavioural (discrimination)
WHO and ageism prevalance
50% of people worldwide are ageist against older people
workplace ageism
ageism can affect financial security and mental health
- 78% of older workers experiences or witnessed age discrimination at work
healthcare ageism
ageism is prevalent in healthcare through communication, diagnosis and treatment decisions
media ageism
ageism is present in the media with negative portrayals, underrepresentation, and framing aging as the program
legal system ageism
ageism is present in the legal system with ageism language, age restrictions, and accessibility
health effects of ageism
- shortens older adults lives
- poor physical health
- decreased mental health
- delay in injury or illness recovery
- increased social isolation and loneliness
- lower quality of life
other effects of ageism
- costs society billions of dollars
- causes conflict between generations
- causes loss of productivity in the workplace
- causes elder abuse
portrayal of older adults in the media
- 96% positive portrayal for individuals under 50 years old
- 72% positive portrayal for individuals 50+ years old
- 15% of images in news are of individuals over 50+ years old
disney roles for older adults
- 39% of older adults had major role
- 80% were male
- many were portrayed at negative
categories of everyday ageism
- exposure to ageist messages
- ageism in interpersonal interactions
- internalized ageism
how is it all related?
stereotypes impact well-being which leads to poorer mental and physical health
hedonic well-being
- satisfaction with life
- positive effects
eudaemonic well-being
- purpose in life
- autonomy
- personal growth
- environmental mastery
- positive relationships
- self-acceptance
combatting ageism
- policy and law
- education
- intergeneration
policy and law
policy and law can address discrimination and inequity based on age and protect the human rights of everyone, everywhere
education
educational activities can transmit knowledge and skills and enhance empathy
intergeneration
intergenerational interventions can contribute to the mutual understanding and cooperation of different generations
combatting ageism with research
- investing resources in research activities
- important for campaigns to foster a learning environment
- ensure research findings are responded to in an appropriate and timely manner
- include research through entire campaign
- know when to measure, what to measure and how best to measure
combatting ageism with community work
- engage: incorporate voices of the community (participatory action research) - include older adults in research process
- involve: range of government structures and work alongside various partners to enable effective use of resources (middle-out approach) -ensure OA are represented in a meaningful way
- include: reps from affected communities (create co-researchers)
- directly related to older adults
countering ageism
importance of shifting perceptions to promote healthy, positive aging
cognitive (stereotypes)
MICRO
- “how we think” in relation to aging and older adults
emotional (prejudice)
MESO
- “how we feel” in relation to aging and older adults
behavioural (discrimination)
MACRO
- “how we act” in relation to aging and older adults
ageism in the media
lack or representation of older adults in the media and typically are negatively portrayed
- villan
ageism and the beauty industry
direct link between body image and ageism
- grey hair = “not beautiful”
- defeating aging beauty products can be offensive
exposure to ageist messages
- social media
- movies
- marketing
ageism in interpersonal reactions
people close - around you
internalized ageism
your own views
what are the 3 most common perceptions of aging?
- I see, hear and/or read jokes about old age, aging or older people
- I hear, see, and/or read things suggesting that older adults and aging are unattractive or undesirable
- feeling lonely is part of getting older
what does age stereotypes effect?
- affects well-being
- affects core cognitive components
- directly affects physical and mental health
age stereotypes impact on physical and mental health
makes individuals more likely to experience injury, longer recovery time, etc.
age stereotypes and cognitive health
individuals with poor cognitive health are more likely to experience ageism but don’t know because they cant comprehend
example of an intergenerational intervention to combat ageism?
grandpals
