lecture 9, Ageism and Age-related stereotypes

what is the problem with age related stereotypes

can be exaggerated, can be applied incorrectly to a whole track of people, can lead to prejudice

what is ageism

a socially constructed way of thinking about older persons based on negative attitudes and stereotypes and a tendency to structure society based on an assumption that everyone is young

what are the result of ageist beliefs on decision

can result in implicit biases in how people make decisions and act.

by practitioners: decisions on treatments

by policy makers: interventions to promote healthy living as “too late to be effective”

what are the result of ageist beliefs on promotion of leisure/sports

reflected in the type of leisure pursuits usually prescribed/promoted for older people

what are the results of ageist beliefs that become internalized

• age-related perceptions are associated with reductions in personal health-seeking behaviors (people who accept ageist stereotypes tend to risk poor health and exercise less as they age)

• age-related perceptions can affect an older person’s self-confidence or performance
  (negative perception = less confidence = perform poorly)

what is a narrative

narratives shape our expectations of how we will/can age
ex. disney book, children books, seem harmless but its cerates a narrative of what it may look like to age

our narratives are shaped by…

culture (stereotypes)

stories from older adults

significant others

lived experiences

what is the fitness discourses of older athletes

“the body is a machine to be worked on, to avoid the deteriorative effects of getting old”

• key part is that they are working to avoid getting old
  (sport = to delay the effects of aging)

what is the competition discourses among older athletes

the body is a machine to be trained to achieve peak performance measured in higher rankings, personal best, and/or wins

what to make of these performance discourses

1. they challenge the dominant participation discourse

2. they challenge dominant constructions of aging and old age
   (they are image that resist ageism, as if aging is a bad thing problem)

what about the model of master’s athlete

these images needs to represent master athletes

“that’s not atteignable by me (lot of distance between me and what you’re showing me)

intimidation factor

similarity between the observers and the model

whether the observers have time to act toward the image

what image are more effective by the aging individuals

images of average (rather than spectacular) older athletes may be more effectively received by aging individuals contemplating a return to sport because they are more attainable