In Defiance of the Stereotypes of Old Age

Paper Summary:

The author of the paper makes a study of the stereotypes associated with old age. Through an interview with an elderly woman, the writer attempts to show how these stereotypes are reflected in the subject of his interview. The writer attempts to show that making assumptions regarding a particular person on the basis of stereotypes or pre-formed conclusions can often lead us to make unjustified assumptions regarding individuals and categories of people.

From the Paper:

"Mrs. N--defied a number of stereotypes about the elderly during the interview, and also one research study which noted: "Gerontologists have long noted that people tend to disassociate themselves from the category of being old" (Jones 2006: 79). Mrs. N--did refer to herself as old, saying that she had experienced a loss, mainly because of her accident, and she blamed herself to some degree for the accident, saying that if she had been as sharp as she had been in her youth she would never have been caught by surprise. However, her refusal to go to an assisted living community because she did not want to only be around old people all of the time, or told when to eat and sleep--'being around a mix of old and young, children and people my age is natural, which you don't get in one of those senior places'--did show some defiance of the aging process. Overall, while her positive memories and portrayal of her struggles as a young woman could be read as a positivity bias, typical of older adults who want or need to remember the past as 'better' or fulfilling when gazing upon the next life stage, Mrs. N-- seemed to have a strongly realistic yet positive view of the world and her future years as an 'older person' that might be comforting to many people facing old age (Quinn, Mather, & Carstensen 2004:208)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Akhtar, Salman & Lois Wonsun Choi. (2004). When evening falls: The immigrant'sencounter with middle and old age. American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 64(2), 183-191. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from ProQuest Medical Library database. (Document ID: 642260381).
• Jones, Rebecca L. (2006). 'Older people' talking as if they are not older people:Positioning theory as an explanation. Journal of Aging Studies, 20(1), 79-91. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from ProQuest Information and Learning, Ann Arbor, Mi. Accessed April 18, 2008, Document ID: 1037872581
• Kennedy, Quinn, Mara Mather, & Laura L Carstensen. (2004). The role of motivation in the age-related positivity effect in autobiographical memory. Psychological Science, 15(3), 208-214. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from ProQuest Information and Learning, Ann Arbor, Mi. Accessed April 18, 2008, Document ID: 653090661

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