Title: How Culture and Society Impact the Elderly
Headings: How Culture and Society Impact the Elderly
How Culture and Society Impact the Elderly
Depending on culture, aging can be seen as an undesirable phenomenon or as an accumulation of wisdom and status.
Learning Objective
Key Points
Terms
Full Text
Cultural views on aging
Aging and Ageism
Eldercare
Cultural Views on Aging and Death

Content: In his study Aging and Old Age, Posner (1997) discovered “resentment and disdain of older people” in American society. The stereotypes, discrimination, and devaluing of the elderly seen in ageism can have significant effects on the elderly, affecting their self-esteem, emotional well-being, and behavior. After repeatedly hearing the stereotype that older people are useless, older people may begin to feel like dependent, non-contributing members of society. They may start to perceive themselves in the same ways that others in society see them. Studies have also specifically shown that when older people hear these stereotypes about their supposed incompetence and uselessness, they perform worse on measures of competence and memory; in effect, these stereotypes become a self-fulfilling prophecy . According to Cox, Abramson, Devine, and Hollon (2012), old age is a risk factor for depression caused by such prejudice. When people are prejudiced against the elderly and then become old themselves, their anti-elderly prejudice turns inward, causing depression. Research has found that people who hold more ageist attitudes or negative age-related stereotypes are more likely to face higher rates of depression as they get older. Old-age depression results in the over-65 population having one of the highest rates of suicide.