I chose
to review Chapter Two on stereotypes and images. This chapter was
extremely interesting; especially to learn the effects of holding a negative
attitude towards the elderly may face increased risk of heart-related ailments
later in life (Bower). It never occurred to me there was a link between
how young and middle-aged adults who hold negative stereotypes about the
elderly could cause heart problems for them as they grow older. The study
conducted by psychologist Becca Levy showing the connection between a person's
attitude towards the aging and heart problems was fascinating.
It is easy to understand how easily or common it is to hold
negative stereotypes towards the elderly. It has developed over many years
as our society as a whole has put a greater value on youth than on aging. It is something that is instilled or learned
at a very young age. Children's storybooks are filled with characters
depicting feeble old men, such as Rip Van Winkle; or evil, ugly witches, as in
the story of Hansel and Gretel. According to (Hillier and Barrow) “studies
have been conducted since the 1960’s geared towards the attitudes of children
and adolescents towards the aging. The
findings from these studies were varied and contradictory but uniformly shows
that children do tend to stereotype older adults, but those stereotypes have become incrementally
less overtly negative over the past 30 years” (39). Children are influenced by
other factors as well. They may learn
negative stereotypes through family members, peers, or largely through the
media.
The media
tends to strengthen the idea that young is “good” and old is “bad. There are endless
magazine ads and television commercials geared towards preserving one’s
youthful appearance and makes growing old seem unappealing with advertisements for
incontinence, denture creams, or bone and joint pain. With
the media playing such a large part on how a person may think towards the aging,
being old should be portrayed as something to celebrate.
Hillier, S., & Barrow, G. (2011). Aging, the individual, and society. (9th ed., pp. 3-28). California: WADSWORTH.
I found it very interesting as well that bad attitudes towards aging can lead to heart problems. This surprises me deeply because this is not a topic that I would believe would lead to health problems. I also like how you mentioned the media because this to me is a large problem as well. It is sad to see how they are being portrayed as senile and grouchy when we should be seeing the good in them, such as the wisdom and knowledge that they posses. It says in the book that we need to focus more on the positives of the elderly and this needs to be put into affect as soon as possible. The babyboomers are getting older and soon there will be a large increase in elderly.
ReplyDeleteBefore I read this chapter I had never really thought of how cartoons and kid movies could suggest stereotyping but they really do. We are the only people that are responsible of how a child sees someone from an older generation. The shows we watch in front of them and even their own friends could be crucial. I also agree with you in that media focuses mostly on younger generations rather then older generations even though you tend to watch more television as you age.
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