Representations Of Old Age Research Articles

Gerotranscendence: an explanatory variable for the boomer generation’s perception of senior models in advertising

The effectiveness of brand advertising targeted at seniors relies on their perception of representations of old age. For the boomer generation, being old is characterized by identity tensions in a society where negative stereotypes of old age and ambient youthism still prevail, but also gerotranscendence which leads to a better acceptance of one’s own aging image. Gerotranscendence is tested here as a potential explanatory variable for the perception of senior mannequins and attitude towards the ads. Findings from a large data collection involving varying model representations (age, gender, and the service advertised) and respondents’ profiles (age, gender) reveal that gerotranscendence positively impacts the model’s attractiveness and relevancy and the attitude towards the ad (Aad). Results also show gender differences in the gerotranscendence effects on Aad. This paper opens avenues for research integrating new identity ingredients such as spirituality to improve the knowledge of the persuasive process among the boomer’s generation. It also offers varied practical managerial and societal recommendations.

Thinking Madame Raquin: Consciousness and Cognition in Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin (1867)

Abstract: An immersive reading of the elderly matriarch figure in Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin (1867) demonstrates how representations of old age in nineteenth-century French fiction can benefit from cognitive literary-critical approaches. Putting to work key concepts from this fast-developing field (affordances, propinquity, cognitive adaptability, and embedded thinking) allows us to reveal the complex trajectory of consciousness and the inverse correlation of Madame Raquin's physical incapacity and her mental and imaginative adaptation. Literary cognitive approaches can thus enable a fuller problematization of Naturalism, while Zola's fiction offers a situational understanding of consciousness in old age that challenges clichés of cognitive rigidity and depreciation.

Is Aging a Disease? A Critical Review Within the Framework of Ageism.

Ageism is a type of discrimination characterized by negative social representations of old age and aging, with prejudices and stereotypes that cause rejection and marginalization of older adults, generally considering them as fragile and unproductive. For this reason, it is recognized as one of the main enemies of healthy aging, especially when it arises from the scientific and professional fields. In this sense, the proposals promoted by some researchers regarding the World Health Organization (WHO) classifying aging as a disease goes against the healthy aging approach. In this sense, we consider that there is no theoretical or scientific support to classify aging as a disease, so we must advocate before the WHO so that aging is eliminated within its disease classification codes. In this framework, this review proposes the concept of "hallmarks of ageism" defined as the characteristics, representations and attitudes of rejection and discrimination towards aging, old age and older people, at the political and institutional, scientific or professional, technological and digital, social, family and personal levels, which are presented in an articulated and structured manner. For this reason, it is essential to comprehensively identify and analyze the "hallmarks of ageism", in order to propose programs that include strategies and public policies that promote "anti-ageism" as a counterproposal to the "hallmarks of aging", whose biological changes related to aging are intended to be comparable to chronic non-communicable diseases.

Including drawings in future dementia research: identification and modification of negative stereotyping

AbstractBackgroundMost countries in Western civilization are segregated societies with little or no contact between generations. Elementary schools and nursing homes are separated worlds in proximity. Children alienate further from the elderly and rely on indirect experiences with old age and dementia. The elderly can embody negative stereotypes from media and society leading to disparities in health care, social isolation and loss of functional ability.MethodIn this study we collected 796 drawings from 98 children in 4 elementary schools in Belgium and The Netherlands. The 10‐y‐old pupils made portraits of grandparents and the elderly in neutral, happy and unhappy conditions. The standardized drawing assignments were repeated after a psychosocial intervention program of 16 weeks to connect generations. The effects of non‐pharmacological interventions in Alzheimer’s research are mostly studied with classical questionnaires. These tools are insufficient to detect unconscious motives and subtle mental representations of old age and dementia. Before and after drawings are an added value to the field of research. The implicit measurements circumvent social desirability, go beyond the level of awareness and give a clearer picture of negative stereotypes of old age and dementia.ResultThe content analysis of the drawings demonstrated that children represent ‘happy elderly people’ as: outdoors, active, and surrounded by others, while ‘unhappy elderly people’ are generally portrayed indoors, sedentary and lonely.ConclusionChildren’s drawings as implicit measurement are an added value for non‐pharmacological interventions. The act of drawing is pleasant, easy and effective for the identification and modification negative stereotyping of old age and dementia.

Ageism in brazilian universities

Elderly people in our country have been victims of the most varied forms of violence, including ageism, which consists of discriminatory or prejudiced practices based on age. In this context, this article addresses the problem of ageism in universities, in order to point out the challenges and possible mechanisms for tackling it. A qualitative bibliographical study was carried out in books, periodicals, scientific journals, university thesis and dissertation databases, newspapers and on the internet. A brief history of the origin and concept of the term ageism is presented; the need to understand the diversity of the elderly population and the complexity of social representations of old age in order to build public actions and policies is highlighted; the problem of ageism and the challenges of tackling it in higher education institutions are discussed. Finally, the importance of implementing public policies to encourage a culture of inclusion of elderly students in undergraduate and postgraduate courses is highlighted.

The Representations of Ageing (Old Age) in German-Language Literature

The relevance to study the representations of ageing is conditioned by the necessity to understand the variety between generations, differences in age psychological attitudes and increased life expectancy, in particular in European countries. All this is reflected in fiction. The aim of this work is to outline the main features of artistic representations (indirect, «secondary» prototypes and images) of ageing (old age) in German-language literature of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, especially during modernism, postmodernism and the formation of modern society. The twentieth century in the literature is characterized by the development of such directions as modernism and postmodernism. The last one was originated as an ideological signpost associated with a certain unity of philosophical, theoretical, and methodological approaches. The concept of a human in these theories was marked by skepticism on the world caused by The First and The Second World Wars, sarcasm, irony, despair and hopelessness about the absurdity of the world. In the hieratic works of the twentieth-century German-language literature, representations of old age and gerontological motives were very rarely central. Therefore, in social, physical and psychological dimensions, the ageing process has become richer over time. Artistic representations of the elderly were mostly stereotyped. Since the early twentieth century the problem of depicting the elderly has acquired existential sense, postmodern view on human life, the search for human sense of life, human loneliness in society, the role of an individual in the periods before, during and after the two World Wars.

The Intergenerational Representation of Old Age in the Transition to Frailty: An Empirical Analysis in Italy

The results presented here are part of the outcome of a research project titled Redesign—Frail Elderly, Intergenerational Solidarity and Age-Friendly Communities (https://redesignanziani.com) funded by Fondazione Cariplo and coordinated by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, in collaboration with Università degli studi di Verona and Università degli studi del Molise (2019–2022). The research aims to co-acquire knowledge of the transition to old age in vulnerable situations, to develop and implement new community networks of care, and thus promote health and well-being, active ageing, and intergenerational solidarity in eight Italian municipalities. The analysis of the dyadic interviews, conducted with the NVivo software, will provide the image of ageing and old age emerging from an intergenerational dialogue. By analysing results, it will therefore be possible to identify some specific types of representation of old age in relation to the dyad, the stressful events that occurred to the interviewees and in relation to the ways of living the transition. The representation of old age seems closely connected with the quality and intensity of relationships, the environment of associative and local life that the interviewees relate to, and the stressful events that have recently occurred to them.

Representations of aging around the world: influence of culture and Covid-19 pandemic

This article provides a synthesis about the representations of aging around the world. The population of the elderly is increasing from year to year and the support of elder people is becoming a major challenge. Understanding the representations of aging is an essential element to catch how societies take care of their elderly. Beyond presenting the influence of the cultural variable on the representations of old age, this article also proposes to highlight the impact of the Covid-19 on these perceptions. Indeed, the crisis emphasized the way seniors are thought and treated when ethical questions arise.

Eradicating ageism through social campaigns: An Israeli case study in the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study examined three social campaigns for the eradication of ageism that were undertaken in Israel during the COVID‐19 pandemic (April, 2020–May, 2021). The documentation and analysis of the campaigns were undertaken via the lens of the Theory of Change and Five Key Principles for social campaigns: planning strategically, communicating effectively, fostering community engagement, implementing key activities, and using research. We conducted desk reviews and qualitative interviews with the campaigns’ organizers. The Theory of Change implemented by the campaigns targeted self‐ageism among independent older people and/or employers of older adults. All campaigns emphasized “active aging” and “successful aging,” to decrease (self)‐ageism. The focus on one dimension of active and positive aging may result in ageism and exclusion of older people who do not fit into the category of independent and active people. The complex timing of the campaigns had influenced the degree of implementation of the five key principles. The joining of forces of different organizations and the employment of more diverse representations of old age, may facilitate the achievement of campaign goals. Finally, an empirical evaluation of social campaigns’ efforts is still necessary to gather evidence about the effectiveness of social campaigns.

Contradictions of hegemonic masculinity and the (hopeful) potential of old age and caring masculinity in Estonian society and in films A Friend of Mine (2011) and Tangerines (2013)

Despite having a significant impact on how we perceive ageing, cultural representations of old age, particularly depictions of old men, have received little attention. This is especially true regarding the cinemas of small nations and Eastern European film. Some authors claim that this gap in knowledge unintentionally repeats a widespread cultural assumption of associating masculinity with young and middle age men (Saxton & Cole, 2012, pp. 97–98). Old age has a complex relationship with the hegemonic variant of masculinity, which, as defined by R. W. Connell and James W. Messerschmidt, opposes itself to femininities and oppresses alternative forms of masculinities (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005, p. 832). As hegemonic masculinity presupposes that one is physically and/or socioeconomically in their prime, old age appears to be inversely correlated with it, offering an opportunity to rethink masculinities. At the same time, as the films analysed in this article will show, becoming marginalised in old age, often due to hegemonic masculinity, does not necessarily lead one to abandon its principles.Caring masculinity has recently been discussed as a non-hierarchical alternative to hegemonic masculinity (Hanlon, 2012; Elliott, 2016; Ruby & Scholz, 2018; Chatzidakis et al., 2020; Hyvönen, 2021). So far, caring is socially constructed as feminine (see also Reskin, 1988). Despite the growing labour market participation of females, the gender care gap is not closing at the same speed and remains the chief source of the ‘patriarchal dividend’ (Connell, 1995). Men's changing relation to care, at least regarding one's own children, has been the focus of policy reform, but less so men's relation to care more broadly. Theories that aim to explain the gender inequality in care work usually do not engage with critical studies of men and masculinity along with the concept of hegemonic masculinity (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). Care's intersectionality with ageing and masculinities especially merits further study. This article will frame caring masculinity as well as the social context regarding care and old age in Estonia. Following this, the representation of these topics will be analysed in two Estonian films: A Friend of Mine (Kivastik, 2011) and Tangerines (Urushadze, 2013), in which such concerns are central.

‘I am not who I was’: Old age and masculinity in Maximianus Etruscus' elegies

The Elegies of Maximianus Etruscus (sixth century CE) are first-person narratives in which the poet writes about the life cycle, making love and sex the building blocks of the story. Through his failed relationships with different women, Maximianus talks about the perception of his aging, especially the changes in his body and his eroticism, and the progressive loss of masculinity that to him comes with old age. The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between old age and gender in Maximianus' elegies from a double perspective: the perception of old age itself as a unique and personal fact, and age and masculinity as interacting social constructions that are historically constructed. We will address issues such as the emotions linked to aging, the representation of old age as a living death, the relationship of masculinity with sexuality and the importance of erection. Finally, we will place Maximianus' poems within their historical context, analyzing how they can be interpreted as a metaphor for the period in which its author lived, in which old age and loss of power symbolized the disappearance of the Ostrogothic kingdom of Italy and, in general, the end of the Roman Empire. A literary exercise but also a life story, this set of six elegies allows us to approach the social construction of gender and age in Late Antiquity.

Old Ageing

Aging, Duration, and the English Novel examines the intimate bind that exists between duration and the conventions of realism in the English (primarily Victorian) novel. It explores this through representations of old age, although the title reveals a fascination with the process of ageing as a verb, rather than old age as a static phase of life. Jewusiak argues that the ‘Victorian novel … constructs a modern sense of duration by grafting the biological process of aging onto the era’s most elongated form’ (p. 1). Simply put, it recognises the novel as a potentially embodied form which readers mine for its replication of the experience of biological ageing. The study challenges accounts of narrative duration by theorists such as Gérard Genette and Nicholas Dames, which conceptualise it as a deep, background rhythm. Instead, Jewusiak attends to the ways ageing is represented as a surface detail, with writers tending to represent it in shorthand – for example years of ageing are compressed in a wrinkle or a grey hair. The novel’s ‘temporal realism’, as Jewusiak defines it, demands a sense of correspondence between narrative and real time – thus we have to see characters age. But in a politicised reading of the abasement of old age in an increasingly industrialised society, Jewusiak argues that a formal disappearance of ageing from the novel parallels the ideological pressure to identify as young (p. 3) and the emergence of a class of elderly men and women as a social problem (p. 5).

Double discrimination of elderly women in the media

The topic of this article is the phenomenon of double, namely cross or additive discrimination against senior women in the media sphere. Many studies and articles are devoted to ageism, discrimination against the elderly and gender inequality as discrimination against women. Rarely and hardly ever in Serbia, research is focused on the topic of gender differences that determine the quality of life in old age. While some believe that gender inequality and stereotypes end with age, which is in itself a basis for discrimination, and that gender differences are equalized, others believe that gender differences are particularly pronounced in old age, especially when considering marginalized elderly populations such as elderly people belonging to the Roma nationality, people with disabilities, LGBT people and HIV-positive people. This article is a comprehensive literature review article. The authors applied theoretical and interpretative methods of research, discursive and critical thematic analysis. The interpretative method is based on the meanings and representation of different aspects of the issue. The main finding of this article is the existence and prevalence of a gap and contradiction between the reality of longer and better quality of life and outdated media representation of old age, especially of elderly women.

Representations of old age in chilhood

Background. The relevance of the study is determined by the limited and sometimes contradictory studies of the views of preschoolers about the elderly. Stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination against older people can manifest themselves in children at an early age. However, the nature of the formation and the factors influencing this phenomenon are not well known. Objective. The aim of the study was to study the features of the image of an old person in a children’s sample, depending on the (in) ability to communicate with their grandparents. Research hypothesis: preschoolers with a lack of communication with the older generation will demonstrate a rather neutral image of an old person, and the presence of an emotional component will be expressed in the constructor of the image of children with a sufficient level of communication with their grandparents. Design. The research involved 67 child-parent dyads: 67 preschoolers aged 5 to 6.8 years (56.7% girls and 43.3% boys); 67 parents (85.1% of mothers and 14.9% of fathers) aged 23 to 59. As research methods to study the representations (image) of an old person in the children’s sample, the projective method of the drawing test was used. “Directed associative experiment “ method and questioning were used in the parental sample. The questionnaire included questions aimed at studying the relationship of the grandparents with the child and the opinions of parents about the problem and (non) participation of grandparents in raising grandchildren. Results. In the children’s sample, the image of an old person is rather stereotypically neutral, but at the same time has certain specific features. The importance of the quality of communication between a child and his grandparents was shown, which determines the emotional coloring of the perception of the forming image of old people and old age in general. For children who experienced “lack of communication” with their ancestors, the image of an old person is personalized with “strangers” or “nobody’s old men.” In the parental sample the presented associations demonstrate a view of the “negative and positive” image of an old person through the prism of (non) preservation of vital competence, functional well-being, and a dynamic health / illness system. A neutral image is represented by respondents as a variant of entering the new status of a retiree and grandparent. No mutual influence was found between parental and childish views. Conclusions. A child of preschool age can demonstrate his own unique view of an old person, which is not at all identical to the views of his parents, those around him and social stereotypes. The experience of a constructive relationship between grandparents and grandchildren can serve as a reliable basis for constructing a positive image of an old person and old age in general by young children. The prospect of further research can be the study of the problem of psychological culture and the readiness of an elderly person to dialogue with a child; problems of organizing effective “combining old and small” programs, mutually enriching the dialogue of generations.

Sie werden nur entsorgt!: gender options of aging in Sibille Berg``` s play "Ladies are waiting"

This work continues the initiative launched in the study "Anti-Utopia Konstanz Dennig" Extasy Rave ": Representations of old age." In the light of literary gerontology, the article analyzes the manifestations of stereotyping of characters of pre-retirement age, aging processes, manifestations of ageism and misogyny with political coloration and problematic and semantic aspects of corporality and tolerance in Sibylle Berg's play "Ladies Are Waiting" (2012). The sarcastic dialogues present in the play demonstrate the stereotypical thought patterns inherent in modern society regarding the social roles of older women. They portray aging as a physical and moral decline and a burden on society. Discriminatory practices against women over the age of 50 are not only verbal but also physical (forced relocation to the dungeons), which echoes K. Dennig's drama. Age discourse is manifested through the coverage of aspects of corporeality with a misogynistic and sexist coloration. In the images of the female geronto group, Sibille Berg exposes the stigma of late maturity in negative stereotypes associated with female attractiveness, aging, gender. Attention is also paid to the current trends of German-language theater, which plays an important role in covering social issues such as ageism, stereotyping, misogyny. The analysis of theatrical productions and challenges, realized by the author herself, allows to attribute her work to the post-dramatic theater, which, according to Lehmann, is aimed at maintaining the internal unity of society. Conclusions are made about the possibilities of the author's restructuring of discriminatory stereotypes of aging and prejudice against women. In the final act of the work, Sibylle Berg reveals the unexpectedly negative consequences that ageism and self-stereotyping can lead to in the aging process, which threaten to maintain the moral and ethical qualities of modern German society, which focuses on tolerance in its political and cultural directions.

Old age as a new class or an outdated social category? Objective and symbolic representations of later life

AbstractAge has become an increasingly contested form of division within contemporary society, with some writers suggesting age has become ‘the new class’ while others point to increasing ‘ageism’ in society. In exploring such competing claims, this paper examines the basis for considering age as a social class, category or group. Drawing upon Bourdieu's writings on classification and the criteria for what constitutes a social class or category and the ‘objective’ and ‘symbolic’ criteria defining it, the paper argues that the material criteria for distinguishing between ‘retired’ and ‘working-age’ households have almost disappeared. At the same time, the symbolic representation of age is no longer confined to the parameters of poverty. Shorn of its objective distinction, the symbolic representation of old age seems to have bifurcated, between a generational identity where older people are represented as an advantaged group and an aged identity still essentialised as old and weak. The dissolution of an objective material basis for framing age has taken away much of the underlying basis for a coherent symbolic categorisation of age. Later life might better be seen as a contested symbolic space, framed by the dual axes of socio-historical generation and corporeal, chronological agedness.

Representações sociais da velhice e aposentadoria sob ótica do trabalhador de Enfermagem

Objetivo: apresentar as representações sociais do envelhecimento no mundo do trabalho para o profissional de enfermagem adulto e idoso. Método: pesquisa com abordagem qualitativa pautada nas representações sociais. Participaram 36 profissionais de enfermagem, com idade entre 27 e 67 anos, de ambos os sexos, de um hospital universitário localizado no Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Utilizou-se a entrevista semidiretiva para coleta de dados e o software Alceste 4.9 para processar o material transcrito para análise dos dados. Resultados: o programa apresentou uma categoria específica para a aposentadoria do profissional de enfermagem como representação social da velhice. Essa representação da velhice interfere na atitude ou decisão de se aposentar ou não. Conclusão: o profissional de enfermagem está pouco preparado para enfrentar o momento da aposentadoria e que os gestores precisam atentar para esta realidade.

“Grow Old Along With Me”: Robert Browning’s Conception of Jewish Old Age

Robert Browning often explored the concepts of old age and dying in his poems, and surprisingly enough, some of these most striking poems use Hebraic sources as intertexts. This article will explore Robert Browning’s idea of old age as it is conveyed in “Rabbi Ben Ezra,” “Pisgah Sights,” and “Jochanan Hakkadosh,” three poems in which Browning turns to Hebrew sources to explore philosophical and mystical narratives of aging. Written against the emerging Victorian conception of the elderly subject, these poems merge two forms of Victorian Otherness—Judaism and old age—so as to create an alternative and celebratory vision of the last stage of life. These representations of old age also reflect Robert Browning’s biographical old age, which introduced long-awaited popularity and critical acclaim, and the evolution of his favorite form, the dramatic monologue.

The "fight against death:" bodies, Brazilian modernity, and a history of old age, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, 1930s

The way old age was depicted during the 1930s, in Brazilian modernity, is investigated. A historical study was conducted using as its sources newspapers and magazines published in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as well as medical periodicals. It showed that the particularities and contradictions of Brazilian modernity contributed to a variety of representations of old age. The analysis of the documentary corpus failed to reveal a homogenous description of old age, but identified a considerable increase in the power of scientific and medical knowledge about behaviors considered adequate with regard to bodies in the 1930s.

Old age representations in Constanze Dennig’s dystopia “Exstasy Rave”

The paper tackles the representations of old age in Constanze Dennig's dystopia "Exstasy Rave". Modern theatrical tendencies and the role of drama as a mouthpiece of social ideas, in particular in matters of aging and old age, are related; ageist stereotypes in the text of Constanze Dennig are analyzed; problem-semantic aspects of corporeality are studied; the possibilities of author's remodeling of discriminatory stereotypes of old age are inferred. The challenges presented by the Austrian woman playwright in her drama allow us to attribute her work to the post-dramatic theater, which in Lehmann's sense is able to help restore the social continuum and support society's internal unity. Through the mouths of the protagonists and the nonverbal plane, Dennig's drama becomes a means of communication in society. The analyzed age stereotypes of the play reveal the author's reflection on the social challenges of modern Western society, including the attitude to the third age and the aging process. In the dystopia, old age is perceived as a physical and moral decline and a burden on society. In the future, discriminatory practices against the older generation are not only verbal, but also physical (forced euthanasia). There are manifestations of self-stereotyping by the aged dramatis personae themselves. Carefully read problem-semantic aspects of corporeality in a dramatic text are a segment of ageist discourse, sometimes with a political color. Yet, the woman playwright offers mechanisms for remodeling the ageist consciousness by means of the female characters (Eva, Michaela). Dennig constructs a sharply negative vision of the potential consequences of the ageist attitude towards the elderly because she observes their roots in the socio-economic and moral-ethical issues of today. Thus, old age is a litmus test for the social morality of Europeans, who set an example to the younger generation with their attitude to old age.