Sociology of Aging - Discussion 8 - Essay Example

Sociology Discussion 8: Sociology of Aging Q What is an ethnic group? What is a minority group? What are the various categories associated with each. Describe each.An ethnic group refers to a set of people who differ in characteristics from other people in the society in terms of their religious practices, language, customs or race. A minority group is an ethnic group subjected to bias and discrimination mostly due to their lack of dominance in a society (Harris, 2007). Ethnic group categories include: Europeans, Africans, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans and Arabs.

Minority group categorization depends on the level of discrimination of an ethnic group in the society or lack of opportunity to get certain resources. In United States, there are many minority groups, from Asia, Africa, Americas and Middle East.Q.2 What are some stereotypes associated with these groups? How do these stereotypes impact the elder population within each?Different ethnic and minority groups are usually associated with stereotypes due to their cultures (Harris, 2007). Ethnic groups get associated with stereotypes due to their physical characteristics including a people’s skin pigmentation, the businesses that most of them conduct and their way of live.

Stereotypes may be positive and in some cases negative, this is why they are damaging to an ethnic groups’ reputation (Harris, 2007). Some positive stereotypes include the stereotype that Asians are trustworthy people and the Jews are good at accounting. Some negative stereotypes include that Arabs are terrorists and that African-American are violent. Some of the stereotypes associated with minority groups include the stereotype that minority groups like the Mexicans and Arabs are not as educated as other groups and can only do casual work.

Another of stereotype associated with the African-American is that they are all poor.However, the elderly also suffer from stereotypes arising from their ethnic group and from the fact that they are older than the rest of the society (Harris, 2007). For example, African-American elderly people get associated with the stereotype that they are poor, and that they are cognitively impaired.ReferenceHarris, D. (2007). “Chapter 8: The minority and elderly.” In The sociology of aging. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Inc