In social interactions, people tend to base their first initial judgements to help group individuals together and to help guide their social interactions amongst these individuals. These actions can occur unconsciously, without even knowing the individual, and even when judgement is inaccurate. These concepts form what we know as stereotypes: a composite set of ideas and beliefs that establish a foundation on how we view a set group people. Ageism is the stereotyping and discrimination against the older population simply because they are just old (Morgan & Kunkel, 2016). Ageism has often been compared to other forms of “isms”, such as sexism or racism, because it isolates a group of people from the rest of society. These misconceptions (i.e.
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What are some practical measures and steps we can take towards establishing a more positive view on the elderly population? While this may appear to be a tedious task, it certainly is not an impossible task, however it will take time to change the majority’s beliefs. It appears that cultivating a strong relationship between and older adult and young child at a young age can help reduce the likelihood of ageism within the younger population. In addition, age identity, how one views themselves, is an important factor in reducing ageism. Social support and intervening are another two factors that play a strong role in the reducing of …show more content…
One study found that when mindfulness is experimentally induced, it can prevent “automatic stereotype-activated behavior”. Therefore, increasing mindfulness can directly impact behavior and potentially provide a natural interruption in stereotyped behavior (Djikic & Langer, 2008). When mindfulness occurs, group cohesion can take place as well. Establishing group identification or connectedness, is an important factor when considering ageism. There appears to be a naturally occurring theme of disconnect between the younger and older population. This may be due to the younger population not being able to imagine what being “old” looks like. When there is a psychological distance between to age-groups, it can activate an abstract mindset, which can hinders people from developing a visceral and concrete understand of their future self as well as elderly people (Trope & Liberman, 2010). Group cohesion will be discussed further in the following
What are some practical measures and steps we can take towards establishing a more positive view on the elderly population? While this may appear to be a tedious task, it certainly is not an impossible task, however it will take time to change the majority’s beliefs. It appears that cultivating a strong relationship between and older adult and young child at a young age can help reduce the likelihood of ageism within the younger population. In addition, age identity, how one views themselves, is an important factor in reducing ageism. Social support and intervening are another two factors that play a strong role in the reducing of …show more content…
One study found that when mindfulness is experimentally induced, it can prevent “automatic stereotype-activated behavior”. Therefore, increasing mindfulness can directly impact behavior and potentially provide a natural interruption in stereotyped behavior (Djikic & Langer, 2008). When mindfulness occurs, group cohesion can take place as well. Establishing group identification or connectedness, is an important factor when considering ageism. There appears to be a naturally occurring theme of disconnect between the younger and older population. This may be due to the younger population not being able to imagine what being “old” looks like. When there is a psychological distance between to age-groups, it can activate an abstract mindset, which can hinders people from developing a visceral and concrete understand of their future self as well as elderly people (Trope & Liberman, 2010). Group cohesion will be discussed further in the following