Prejudice against Elderly People: a Bane to the Society - Research Paper Example

? Prejudice Against Elderly People: A Bane To The Society of the of the Depression and anxiety has become a common health problem of the elderly population. The cause of these psychological problems lies in the social perception of their identities. The prejudice and discrimination against the elderly people has led them to feel isolated, ignored and unwanted. The misconception that elderly people are negative in their attitude and are ‘irritants’ has created considerable distance between the young and elderly population. This psychological and emotional distance between the young and elderly population has created many problems on personal and social level, which can threaten the psychological, emotional and the physical health of the family structure and the society as a whole. Introduction Old age is a graceful phase of life as it makes people free from most of their responsibilities in life, and gives them a feeling of fulfillment, contentment and freedom. It also provides them with leisure, and opportunity to undertake those things that they were not able to do in their youth due to professional and personal responsibilities. However, instead of enjoying their old age in leisure and relaxation, elderly people are being indirectly forced to feel that they have made a mistake by becoming ‘old’. The reason behind elderly people feeling ‘unwanted’ and ‘worthless’ is the prejudice and the discrimination with which they are being treated in the society. Sadly, it is the Western society where elderly people experience major problems. In the United States, the negative attitude and misconception about the old age has resulted in elderly people experiencing disadvantage in their personal and social life (Macioni, 2009, p.396). Moreover, the thing to be noted here is that the disadvantages experienced by elderly people is not because of their age or physical health, but are due to the social factors like isolation, ageism, lack of opportunities, adjustment to retired life etc (Macioni, 2009, p.396). Hence, it is not the ‘age’ of elderly people that is causing harm to their healthy life but the ‘social factors’ that are related to the ‘old age’ (Macioni, 2009, p.396). People need to understand that the negative treatment of elderly people is not only destroying the life of elderly people on individual level, but is also destroying the health of the society as a whole (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p. 363). Society cannot afford its elderly population to be depressed and psychologically weak as the sociology of age reveals that age composition is essential for a healthy society as the solution of social problems depends on “how well social institutions serve different generations of people” (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p. 363). Moreover, due to their experience and wisdom gained from life, elderly people have lot to contribute to the society. Hence, it is high time for people to understand that for the formation of a healthy society, it is important to give respect and positive treatment to the elderly people, as they not only comprise the largest age group of the society, but also deserve it for successfully fulfilling the responsibilities and facing the challenges of life. Ageism Ageism is a term used by sociologists to define the prejudice and discrimination practiced against elderly people due to their age (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 93). Ageism has seeped in every aspect of the society and is not limited to a single attitude or belief towards the elderly people (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 93). Elderly people are not able to take advantage of different sources and opportunities in social and professional life as they experience discrimination and prejudice in different areas of life (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 93). People think that with growing age, the abilities of person are reduced. It is wrongly believed that elderly people are not capable of handling the responsibilities of adults as they are childlike and forgetful in nature (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 92). The prejudice against old age leads to discrimination of elderly people in the family and at different social places (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 92). The age of elderly people becomes a decisive factor in their life chances and they get unequal and different treatment from others (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 92). Ageism also affects the professional life of elderly people as they are considered incompetent and hence, lose the opportunity to go ahead in their professional life (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 92). This not only affects the personal life of elderly people but also reduces the chances of social institutions gaining from elderly people’s experience and wisdom. Moreover, ageism not only affect the social status of elderly people but also increases the chances of development of different health problems, as ageism is one of the strongest factor in causing psychological problems like depression and anxiety in elderly people. Roots of Ageism The cultural background of a person plays an important role in the development of his attitude towards elderly people. Ageism is not prevalent in all the cultures of the world. The treatment of elder people in the society depends on how aging is perceived in particular culture, and what norms are practiced regarding the caretaking of the elderly people (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.365). There are some cultures that value elderly people and honor their status by giving them the authority to take decisions in the society (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 93). In Samoa, the elderly people are most respected and hence, old age is considered the best time of life (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.365). In African countries, the head of the social groups are mostly elder people, as it is considered that elderly people have superior wisdom and understanding of life and hence, are more capable of taking right decisions and giving right advice to others (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.365). It is important to note that even some cultures from industrialized nations practice very positive behavior and outlook towards elderly people. In the industrialized and technologically advanced nation like Japan, elderly people are given great respected, value and honor (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.365). Respect for elders is ingrained in their cultural tradition and hence, is passed from one generation to another (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.365). This ensures that people from all generations, no matter how modern they are, practice respect and reverence towards their elders. These cultures consider elder people as wise and hence, respect them with their growing age (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 93). This also increases the self-esteem and social status of elderly people and allow them to lead a healthy, happy and respectable life (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.365). Sadly, one does not get to see this kind of respectable and positive treatment of elderly people in the Western culture. In the Western culture, elder people are considered as burden to the society as it is believed that they no longer contribute anything to the society (Andersen & Taylor, 2011, p. 94). Sadly, the popular culture, which is followed by people from western countries, is one of the major culprits in spreading ageism. Misrepresentation of Old Age Popular culture has played a major role in spreading a negative attitude towards the process of aging. Through serials, advertisements and reality shows, media has successfully ingrained the idea in the minds of people that ‘old age’ is bad and one should keep away from it (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.367). By promoting ‘fear of aging’ through popular culture, the fashion and cosmetic industry has established a permanent and important place for their products in the market (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.367). Cosmetic industries promise people that by using their product and surgeries, they can reverse the process of aging, when the truth is that aging is the fact of life and no one can stop it (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.367). According to Bazzini et al. (1997), the image of the older people are misrepresented and distorted in the television and movies (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.367). As the beliefs and values of general population is highly influenced by the media, misconceptions and prejudice against elder people gets ingrained in the minds of people very easily (Pasupathi & Lockenhoff, 2002, p.219). According to Langer and associates (1988), the stereotype images of elderly people in mass media and everyday conversation shapes the stereotype beliefs about old age right from the childhood (Pasupathi & Lockenhoff, 2002, p.219). Moreover, the elder people are underrepresented in the media. Greenberg and Colette’s (1997) “analysis of new season characters on major networks from 1966 to 1992 revealed that only 2 percent of the characters were over 65 years old” (Pasupathi & Lockenhoff, 2002, p.219). This shows that the popular culture is promoting the idea that elder people are not important as they do not have any role to play in family life, work life or social life of a person. This makes people to think that elderly people are burden on the society. Hence, they begin to ignore them and treat them as worthless part of the society. Due to the negative beliefs and stereotype thinking about elderly people, young people keep an emotional distance from them. This leads to communication gap between two generations. This emotional and communication gap leads to major problems in the social structure as it pushes the elderly people towards psychological and emotional problems, which affects the overall well being of the society. Depression in Elderly People The American society is age conscious and age segregated society (Snyder & Peter, 1994, p. 39). People like to interact and socialize with people of their own age (Snyder & Peter, 1994, p. 39). Hence, there are very few occasions where children get to interact or spend time with elderly people in the family or social circle (Snyder & Peter, 1994, p. 39). Hence, instead of understanding or forming opinion about the elderly people through direct contact or association, children form their opinion on the basis of what they see in the media or hear from their friends (Snyder & Peter, 1994, p. 39). In this way, what influence their beliefs about elderly people are the stereotypical ideas and beliefs and not the real picture of the elderly people (Snyder & Peter, 1994, p. 39). This makes them insensitive towards the emotional and social needs of elderly people. Hence, instead of being a positive support and emotional anchor in their lives, young people treat elderly people with neglect and coldness. This leads elderly people to feel lonely and isolated. This feeling of isolation makes them vulnerable to psychological and physical problems. Social rejection, prejudice and discrimination against their age are making elderly people prone to depression and hopeless attitude towards life. Osborn et al. (2003) has found that with the growing age, prevalence of depression increases in human beings (Chew-Graham, Baldwin & Burns, 2008, p.1). Copeland et al. (1999) found that 8.8 % to 23.6% of elderly population in Europe suffers from depression (Chew-Graham, Baldwin & Burns, 2008, p.1). It has been found that social factors like isolation, dependence, change in housing, problems in relations with family members etc., play major role in development of depression in elderly population (Chew-Graham, Baldwin & Burns, 2008, p.4). Moreover, due to pressure from people around them, elderly people do not express their depressive feelings and hence, depression gets deeper and is manifested through physical problems (Pasupathi & Lockenhoff, 2002, p.206). Moreover, even if elderly people are diagnosed with depression, the prejudice against them makes psychotherapists to believe that elderly people are not capable of self-reflection and hence, will not response properly to the treatment (Pasupathi & Lockenhoff, 2002, p.206). Their capability to recover is underestimated and hence, the depression and anxiety in elderly people often remains untreated (Pasupathi & Lockenhoff, 2002, p.206). The sad thing is that, as the largest age group of US comprises of elderly people, it is at risk of becoming culturally, psychologically and emotionally weak society. The Risk In the US, the population of people over the age of fifty has doubled since 1950 and by the year 2050, the population of elderly people is estimated to be 125 million (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p. 363). Social factors like age, race and social status play a key role in shaping the life expectancy of a person (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p.365). It has been found that life expectancy of people is increasing due to timely medical health and healthy lifestyle (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p. 371). This has increased the speed of growth in population of elderly people and has created a need for proper understanding between people from different generations (Andersen & Taylor, 2008, p. 371). If the largest group in the society is depressed and anxious, then the chances of that society remaining enthusiastic, energetic and optimistic are very low. It is extremely important for the young people in western culture to understand that even elderly people have a ‘life’ and even they have genuine emotional and communication needs. Hence, instead of forming the negative and stereotypical opinions about elderly people, they should create bond with elderly people and devote certain amount of their time and energy to them. This will not only ensure fulfillment in lives of elderly people but will also remove fears of aging in young people by developing positive attitude towards the process of aging. Conclusion The literature review shows that the western society is prone to becoming weak and fearful due to their negative attitude towards the process of aging and elderly people. If they are to develop a healthy, strong and happy society, then people in Western society need to remove prejudice in their thinking and should stop discriminating against elderly people. This is because through their wisdom and experience, elderly people can contribute immensely in building a strong foundation to the society. References Andersen, M. & Taylor, H.(2008). Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society ((4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Andersen, M. & Taylor, H.(2011). Sociology: The Essentials (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Chew-Graham, C., Baldwin, R. & Burns, A. (2008). Integrated Management of Depression in the Elderly. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP. Pasupathi, M. & Lockenhoff, C.E. (2002). Ageist Behavior. In T.D. Nelson (Ed.), Ageism: Stereotyping and Prejudice against Older Persons (pp 201-246). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Macionis, J.J. (2009). Sociology (10th ed.). New Delhi, IN: Pearson Prentice Hall. Snyder, M. & Peter, M. (1994). The Psychology of Prejudice. In M.P.Zanna & J.M. Olson (Eds.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Read More