Work

An inconvenienced youth? Ageism and its potential intergenerational roots.

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Age is the only social category identifying subgroups that everyone may eventually join. Despite this and despite the well-known growth of the older population, age-based prejudice remains an understudied topic in social psychology. This article systematically reviews the literature on ageism, highlighting extant research on its consequences and theoretical perspectives on its causes. We then identify a crucial gap in the literature, potential intergenerational tensions, speculating how a growing-older population-and society's efforts to accommodate it-might stoke intergenerational fires, particularly among the younger generation. Presenting both sides of this incipient issue, we review relevant empirical work that introduces reasons for both optimism and pessimism concerning intergenerational relations within an aging society. We conclude by suggesting future avenues for ageism research, emphasizing the importance of understanding forthcoming intergenerational dynamics for the benefit of the field and broader society.

Source: Psychological Bulletin

DOI: 10.1037/a0027843

Authors: Michael S. North, Susan T. Fiske

Institution: Princeton University

Language: English

Topic: Aging and Gerontology Research

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Princeton University, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Award: Infrastructure for Population Research