The present study, conducted in a Southwestern community, surveyed 257 adults varying in ethnicity, age, and sex on several measures of attitudes toward aging. Contrary to most previous research, the attitudes were positive in all groups, with persons aged sixty years or older giving the most positive responses on a number of items. American Indians and Hispanics were more likely to enjoy spending time with old people than Anglo-Americans, who, in turn, were more likely to disagree that people do not do much when they are old. Men were more likely to look forward to growing old than women and wished to reach an older age. In general, subjects from all ethnic, sex, and age groups reported being satisfied with their lives. The results suggest that the stereotypes of the elderly today are no longer primarily negative.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AchenbaumW. A. (1979) The obsolescence of old age. In HendricksJ.HendricksC. D. (Eds.), Dimensions of aging: readings. Cambridge, MA: Winthrop. Pp. 21–37.
2.
AguirreB. E.BigelowA. (1983) The aged in Hispanic groups: a review. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 17, 177–201.
3.
AmossP. T. (1981) Cultural centrality and prestige for the elderly: the Coast Salish case. In FryC. L. (Ed.), Dimensions: aging, culture, and health. New York: Praeger. Pp. 47–63.
4.
AustinD. R. (1985) Attitudes toward old age: a hierarchical study. The Gerontologist, 25, 431–434.
5.
BaumS. K. (1983–84) Age identification in the elderly: some theoretical considerations. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 18, 25–29.
6.
BengstonV. L.CuellarJ. B.RaganP. K. (1977) Stratum contrasts and similarities in attitudes toward death. Journal of Gerontology, 32, 76–88.
7.
BennettR. (1976) Can the young believe they'll get old? Attitudes of the young toward the old: a review of the research. Personnel and Guidance Journal, 55, 136–139.
8.
DowdJ. J.BengstonV. L. (1978) Aging in minority populations: an examination of the double jeopardy hypothesis. Journal of Gerontology, 33, 427–436.
9.
FillmerH. T. (1984) Children's descriptions of and attitudes toward the elderly. Educational Gerontology, 10, 99–107.
10.
FonerN. (1984) Ages in conflict: a cross-cultural perspective on inequality between old and young. New York: Columbia Univer. Press.
11.
GelfandD. E. (1979–80) Ethnicity, aging, and mental health. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 10, 289–297.
12.
HolmesL. D. (1980) Anthropology and age: an assessment. In FryC. L. (Ed.), Aging in culture and society. New York: Praeger. Pp. 272–284.
13.
JensenG. D.OakleyF. B. (1982–83) Ageism across cultures and in perspective of sociobiologic and psychodynamic theories. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 15, 17–26.
14.
LuszczM. A.FitzgeraldK. M. (1986) Understanding cohort differences in cross-generational, self, and peer perceptions. Journal of Gerontology, 41, 234–240.
15.
MaldonadoD.Jr. (1975) The Chicano aged. Social Work, 20, 213–216.
16.
MansonS. M.PambrunA. M. (1979) Social and psychological status of the American Indian elderly: past research, current advocacy, and future inquiry. White Cloud Journal, 1(3), 18–25.
17.
MarkidesK. S. (1980) Ethnic differences in age identification: a study of older Mexican-Americans and Anglos. Social Science Quarterly, 60, 659–666.
18.
MarkidesK.BoldtJ. S.RayL. (1986) Sources of helping and intergenerational solidarity: a three-generations study of Mexican-Americans. Journal of Gerontology, 41, 506–511.
19.
MaxwellE. K.MaxwellR. J. (1980) Contempt for the elderly: a cross-cultural analysis. Current Anthropology, 21, 569–570.
20.
McTavishD. G. (1971) Perceptions of old people: a review of research methodologies and findings. The Gerontologist, 11, 90–102.
21.
MitchellJ.WilsonK.RevickiD.ParkerL. (1985) Children's perceptions of aging: a multidimensional approach to differences by age, sex, and race. The Gerontologist, 25, 182–187.
22.
Murphy-RussellS.DieA. H.WalkerJ. L. (1986) Changing attitudes toward the elderly: the impact of three methods of attitude changeEducational Gerontology, 12, 241–251.
23.
National Indian Council on Aging. (1980) May the circle be unbroken: a new decade. Final report on the third national Indian conference on aging, National Indian Council on Aging, Albuquerque.
24.
NeugartenB.HallE. (1980) Acting one's age: new rules for old. Psychology Today, 14(4), 66–80.
25.
NeugartenB. L.HavighurstR. J. (1977) Aging and the future. In NeugartenB. L.HavighurstR. J. (Eds.), Social policy, social ethics, and the aging society. Washington, DC: National Science Foundation. Pp. 3–8.
26.
NeugartenB. L.NeugartenD. A. (1986) Changing meanings of age in the aging society. In PiferA.BronteL. (Eds.), Our aging society: paradox and promise. New York: Norton. Pp. 33–51.
27.
PalmoreE. (1971) Attitudes toward aging as shown by humor. The Gerontologist, 11, 181–186.
28.
PanekP. E. (1984) A classroom technique for demonstrating negative attitudes toward aging. The Gerontologist, 11, 173–174.
29.
PhilibertM. (1979) Philosophical approach to gerontology. In HendricksJ.HendricksC. D. (Eds.), Dimensions of aging: readings. Cambridge, MA: Winthrop. Pp. 374–379.
30.
RogersC. J.GallionT. E. (1978) Characteristics of elderly Pueblo Indians in New Mexico. The Gerontologist, 18, 482–487.
31.
StearnsP. N. (1976) The evolution of traditional culture toward aging. In Old age in European society: the case of France. New York: Holmes & Meier. Pp. 18–41.
32.
WilliamsG. C. (1980) Warriors no more: a study of the American Indian elderly. In FryC. L. (Ed.). Aging in culture and society. New York: Praeger. Pp. 101–111.
33.
WingardJ. A.HeathR.HimelsteinS. A. (1982) The effects of contextual variations on attitudes toward the elderly. Journal of Gerontology, 37, 475–482.
