The Field of Social Gerontology

1. The Field of Social Gerontology Chapter 1

2. Gerontology • The scientific study of the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging. • 1904: Coined by immunologist Elie Metchnikoff • Social Gerontology: sub field, focuses on the social aspects of aging, eg. family relationships, health, retirement

3. Successful Aging • Disease Prevention • Disability Reduction • Attainment of peak physical and psychological functioning • Participating in rewarding and productive activities • Negative to positive • Involves the individual and society

4. Conceptual Issues In Research on Aging • Defining Old Age • Chronological Age – young-old, middle-old, oldest-old • Social Roles • Functional Age – well elderly somewhat impaired elderly, frail elderly • Subjective Age – you’re as young as you feel

5. Cohorts and Generations ■ The aggregate of individuals who experience the same event within the same time interval ■ Most studies use it ■ Sometimes used interchangeably, studies of family processes

6. Classifying Cohorts: Historical Change • Five birth cohorts in the twentieth century • Oldest – Swing Generation – 1900-1926 • Silent Generation – 1927-1945 • Biggest – Baby Boomers – 1946-1964 • Baby Bust – 1965-1976 • Echo Boomers – 1977-1994

7. Compositional Differences • Composition and character • Vary in racial, gender, and ethnic composition • Demographic factors – family size & life expectancy

8. Structural Changes • Change in social institutions – family, educational system, and the workplace • Cohorts are linked to other cohorts • eg. Single parent households, female participation in the labor force, divorce rates

9. The Life Course Framework ■ Combines the study of changing age structure and the aging of the individual ■ Transitions – role changes individuals make, ex. having children, retiring, age graded ■ Trajectory – series of transitions, recognizing there are multiple ways in the ordering and timing of life, ex. Work trajectory – preparation for work, work, and retirement

10. Ageism • Ageism: a set of beliefs about the aged. • Two distinct activities: • Discrimination (people are denied opportunities because of their age) • Prejudice (negative stereotypes about older people.)

11. New Ageism ■ Tendency to patronize the elderly ■ Ageism is transmitted in a variety of ways: ■ Family ■ Workplace ■ Between groups of friends ■ Media

12. Stereotyping ■ Composite of ideas and beliefs attributed to people as a group or social category ■ Negative stereotyping: Age Discrimination ■ Most commonly found in the workplace

13. Television ■Images improved over the past decade ■ 1970s: primetime showed the elderly as comical, stubborn, foolish ■ 1990s: TV commercials depict elderly in much more positive light than in the 1980s

14. Books and Film • Positive portrayals except in children's books • Lead roles where men search for connection, such as in “About Schmidt” or “Broken Flowers”

15. Profile of Older Americans • Health: older people need more assistance, but it is a myth that most older people live in nursing homes • Marital Status: women have higher chance of being widowed • Income: Poverty rates among elderly declining, many differences by marital status, gender, race • Education: Retirees are increasingly better educated, differs by race & class