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ust as age and time become woven into our society\'s fabric, so too is the way s

ID: 3495288 • Letter: U

Question

ust as age and time become woven into our society's fabric, so too is the way society defines each of us in terms of this magic number (Whitbourne & Whitbourne, 2014). Yet, age may not always tell us very much about a person. Examine examples of greeting cards, popular magazines, television shows, and movies to identify stereotypes and attitudes society has about the aging population. Describe several ways in which these media pieces generalize age.

Include the following in your post:

Identify and explain the pros and cons of the attitudes and stereotypes of the aging population.

Explain the accuracy of these generalizations and why they occur.

Explanation / Answer

Aging is a part of normal life, which is influenced by psychological and social factors that interfere with the aging process and sense of well-being in the elderly. With increasing age, individuals develop self-stereotypes as they develop a sense of belonging to a specific group, which affects the sense of hope, playfulness and social participation. This explains the reason why elderly people are more likely to express stereotyped behaviors towards their group, which are typically negative in dependent elderly. Negative life events tend to accumulate as age increases, which causes physiological and cognitive health to decline and interferes with well-being.

As the population grows older, significant attention is drawn to the concept of successful aging, which as a hallmark has the participation of elderly in various aspects of life and activities. Particularly, social engagement and active involvement have been considered the main determinants of successful aging. The advantages and disadvantages of stereotypes may vary from one individual to the other and is influenced by their health conditions and social interests.