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Negative effect of media on our attitudes
Reflection on ageism
Negative effect of media on our attitudes
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Society’s perception on ageism is a major contributor to the well-being of both the elderly and the young which therefore, directly affects the relationships within the family unit. Research has proven the way in which the elderly our treated by the community and the family unit is associated with the overall feelings of society toward being antiquated. “How people view and perceive the aging process varies greatly from culture to culture. Depending on cultural norms, beliefs, and standards, aging can be seen as undesirable phenomena, reducing beauty and bringing one closer to death, or as an accumulation of wisdom and status worthy of respect. In some cases, numerical age is important (whether good or bad), whereas in other cases the stage …show more content…
It is evident how it has affected the elderly and therefore the relationships involved. The United States put tremendous emphasis on youth, looks, and performance; therefore the aged are viewed as useless. 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 can have significant effects on the aged which affects their self-esteem, emotional well-being, and behavior. When this attitude is repeatedly reflected upon them, they begin to feel useless. Older people may begin to feel like dependent, noncontributing members of society. They may start to perceive themselves the way others in society see them.” Studies have also specifically shown that when older people hear, though stereotypes about their supposed incompetence and uselessness, they performed worse on a measure of competency and memory; in effect, though stereotypes become self-fulfilling prophecy” In modern societies of America, the elderly care is being provided by the state or private institutions and death is viewed as a loss and something to be feared. As long as this attitude continues the cycle it produces will as well. The aging process has become a shameful experience and youth has become an explosive obsession. This produces great depression within our elderly and therefore a negative effect on parents and grandchildren. Constant verbal and nonverbal devaluing messages from youthful society spoken by way of media, family systems, and commerce breaks down the self-esteem, emotional well-being, and behavior of the aged. Research has found that cultures that practice negative attitudes toward the aged are more likely to face higher rates of depression and suicide rates in the over 65 age population. The Western culture society will miss out on the relationships that could be cultivated and the celebration of
Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence most people over the age of 65 are not Senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994). This change in perspective led the investigation of the other side of the coin. Ageing is seen as health, maturity and personal Royal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generatively, coping and acceptance of age-related constraints (Birren & Fisher, 1995). Psychological und...
Aging is inevitable. The process looks different on all of us and is dependent upon certain factors including; how well we take care of our health regarding exercise, diet, and the support we get from others. In society aging has a negative connotation because we are led to believe we are less likely to be able to be independent, self-sufficient, and have less social support. Pixar’s UP is a great movie that exemplifies the aging process and two key concepts; ageism and chronological age vs. functional age as it relates to societal beliefs, pressures, and effects.
Nelson argues that ageism exists in America due to the cultural bias of American society towards the youth. According to Nelson, American culture encourages the youth to emulate a very individualistic and dominative personality, thereby promoting the idea that the life of the youth is in their own hands. Aging and death are factors that are not in our control, so lack of control causes youthful individuals to lash out in fear towards aging, death, and the elderly. This argument is made stronger by the comparison between modern, westernized culture and a more conventional, eastern culture. Nelson compares the idea eastern cultures promote a sort of reverence towards elders due to their long life and wisdom. In eastern culture, the youth look up to their elders with respect and dignity, while the modernized, western culture promotes a more individualistic viewpoint. By presenting this comparison, as well as the
Everyone will grow old, as the aging process of the human body is inevitable. However, each day in our life can bring on new adventures, new friends, and knowledge of the world a round us. Yet, many people have negative views towards those who are considered older adults and thus, have a negative belief on the aging process as a whole. Throughout the quarter, COMM 119 has taught us why there is this negative stigma around the aging process and specially, on older adults as a group. This paper will address my stereotypical views of the aging process before COMM 119, the effect of improperly discussing death and dying, as well as what it means to be a successful ager. Understanding these topics have helped me realize that my viewpoints of elder
With healthcare in the United States advancing so rapidly, there are new ways to treat just about any kind of illness every day. With being able to treat illnesses in new ways, and also the advancement of medical equipment, comes the possibility of a lot more people living up into their 90’s, and maybe even getting to reach 100. The aging population, which keeps growing every so rapidly, will be using up a lot more sources as the years go by. This means, that we need to educate more doctors and nurses, etc., and also make more living facilities for older adults. The question that comes up in my mind, is when is “old” actually”. Most people stereotypically consider ages 75 and older old, but that doesn’t mean they are actually “old”, does it?
Ageing is something that everyone will eventually experience if they are fortunate to live a long life. The process of ageing comes with various negative and positive outlooks. In western culture, ageing for both genders is particularly condemned. In the media in particular, the process of ageing for men and women vary greatly. Where, women are condemned for ageing more than men are. Media greatly highlights on the stereotypical notion of ageing especially in the aspect of portraying men and women and their social roles through advertisement. I will be discussing
Hiller, S. M., & Barrow, G. M. (2011). Aging, the individual, and society. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
It is difficult at best to think positively when older people are viewed as “incompetent, boring, inactive, dependent, unproductive, weak, unhealthy, passive, ugly, dull, and sad” (Gething, 1999, p. 2). Essentially, a stereotype as such asphyxiates the wind from your sail early in one’s journey into old age. Then again, if the finish line is one of oppression, marginalization, and disempowerment, it’s a race best lost (Ranzijn, 2002). The most poignant negative affiliated with aging unquestionably centers on the end of life concerns. Although, our hope is for a peaceful demise there exists a chance of tremendous pain and suffering. The latter remains my biggest fear, which in and of itself sheds a negative light on aging. Subsequently, I turned to the article, Positive Psychology and Productive Aging in hopes it would provide
Aging occurs in every species. Over time a change occurs on a cellular level in a person’s body, which causes degenerative effects on the brain, muscles, organs, bones, hormones, and DNA. In 1991, the book Evolutionary Biology of Aging, offered the following definition of aging: a persistent decline in the age-specific fitness components of an organism due to internal physiological deterioration.1 Aging affects the body physically and mentally. Many people dread getting older due to the numerous changes the body goes through. The geriatric population experiences many pains and is inflicted with various diseases. There are a few who are lucky enough to not get diagnosed with a life altering disease, such as Alzheimer’s, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, macular degeneration, or some form of cancer. Studies have shown that genetics play a vital role in the aging process.
Everyone goes through a series of changes throughout life and is subject to stereotyping and discrimination. Society today typically stereotypes individuals either by their biological clock, social clock, and or by ageism. Television shows, media, and greeting cards have become influential sources on society’s perception of people and the process of stereotyping. The messages being presented are positive and negative in nature, but target normative age-graded influences. People often categorize “old people” by their age or by a person who shows physical attributes of old age (biological clock). For example, a person who becomes frail, grey haired, wrinkled, or forgetful could be considered an elder. In our culture, a “middle aged” person is essentially evaluated by their social clock. A series of experiences and or accomplishments can usually determine whether a person is middle aged. For example, marriage, college graduation, birth of a child, and or retirement all relate to occurrences that happen within the “middle ages.” Often, the timing and or sequence of events can usually def...
Aging and being old was dominated by negative characteristics and conditions such as illness, depression, and isolation for a long time (Eibach, Mock, & Courtney, 2010). At first glance the terms “success” and “aging” seem to be in conflict to each other. When asking people about aging, their answers have many facets that are also found in psychological definitions: successful aging is seen as health, maturity and personal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generativity, coping, and acceptance of age-related limitations. In the psychological sense successful aging is also often seen as the absence of age-associated characteristics (Strawbridge, Wallhagen, & Cohen, 2002). It seems that successful aging means is not aging.
Aging is universal and it is a process that everyone has to go through. The only difference is that everyone goes through this process at their own pace influenced by factors that will be discussed later on in this paper. When we think about factors that have an influence on older adults and how their life may be affected, we must consider the different social institutions while analyzing influences from social factors, cultural factors, and personal values. Abuse to older adults, stereotyping and informal care and technological advancements that affect older adults are the three topics that will be discussed in this reflection. Furthermore, will connect the three topics I have chosen to the knowledge that I have gained from my interaction
The issue of media stereotyping about the elderly can be addressed using the labeling theory, which argues that individual’s behaviors and self-image are shaped by the names and reputations accorded by others. Therefore, people are likely to align their behaviors with the society’s expectations or perceptions. In relation to media stereotyping, media plays a crucial role in shaping societal perceptions. Therefore, the tendency of media to symbolize the elderly as less capable physically or mentally leads to assimilation of certain behaviors by the elderly, which may destroy their self-image. Therefore, it is important that the media avoided misinformed or untruthful opinions about ageism to protect the welfare of the elderly in the society.
The media has greatly influenced the attitude of people towards the elderly. The portrayal of older people through media adverts, television programs, magazines, and newspapers greatly influence how people view older adults in the society. They not only reflect but also inform public attitude, thoughts, and feelings about older people. A larger percentage of the public views the elderly as frail, helpless, dependent, bothersome, and incompetent. Both the explicit and implicit messages presented by the media influence people’s perception of old age and the elderly.
The relation between culture and age has often been the subject of discourse in recent gerontological studies. It is argued that there is an inherent relation between the two. The difference marked by age or our perception of old age, in particular, is a cultural and social construction. Consequently, the meanings and value assigned to old age are also socially constructed. This in turn leads to a reshaping of identity or what Holstein and Gubrium term as ‘self-construction’(Randall and McKim 235). However, what we need to consider is whether it is only this construct that is solely responsible for determining our response to aging. Does our environment have complete agency in shaping our attitude or is it also dependent on how we, as