Failing performance Physical unattractiveness Loneliness Morbidity The present study focuses on; The effects that indivually held age stereotypes may have on the self-views of elderly people.

 is “...a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people.” (Cardwell, 1996).  Stereotypes can be positive or negative.  For example, we could stereotype all older people as cranky or we could stereotype them as wise.

 Concerning the relation between age streotypes and self-views in older people, 3 general assumptions are determined. 1. Contamination Hypothesis 2. Comparison Hypothesis 3. Externalisation Hypothesis

 People tend to gradually include stereotyped views about age and aging into their self views.  Negative age stereotypes are acquired early in life  As people grow older, self-views become increasingly contaminated with negative implications of the age stereotype.

1. Social Comparison Theory  States that in the absence of objective measures for self-evaluation, we compare ourselves to others to find how we are doing. a. Upward Comparison; ourselves vs. better than we are b. Downward Comparison; ourselves vs. worse than we are.  Assumes that age stereotypes serve as a reference standard for self enhancing  Old age automatically seems to activate a negative age stereotype.

 Older people might revise prior expectations about age and ageing on the basis of their own experiences viewing own experiences as common and typical = false consensus effect.  Indivually held age stereotypes are a projection of elderly persons’ self-views.

 A view of one's self; specifically, carefulness or regard for one's own interests.  According to the contamination hypothesis,  self-views are assimilated to previously held stereotyped views of the typical elderly.  According to externalisation hypothesis,  A person’s self-views should influence her or his views about elderly people in general.

 Contamination effects are triggered by self-categorisation as ‘old’!  Become more prevalent in old age  To counteract contamination effects, elderly people can try to dissociate their self-concept from age stereotypes; By playing down the importance of negative aspects of the stereotype By avoiding a self-categorization as ‘old’ (many elderly people report feeling less than they actually are)

 Self-views can be defended against the influence of a negative age stereotype; By changing the criteria for ascribing personally relevant attributes By rescaling the personal importance of these attributes.  Such adjustments represent an accomodative mode of coping.  Older persons = accomodative flexibility they are more prone to enrich the attribute ‘old’ with positive meaning

 Accomodative flexibility; should help to protect the self-concept of elderly people against contamination effects of stereotyped expectations of the typical old person.  The present study; Appraisals of the self and the typical old person were assessed.

 Sample;  Recruited from an urban area in south west Germany.  Participants were randomly selected  Contacted by  Middle and old age (54 to77 yrs)  Longitudinal interval of 8 yrs  690 participants  Measures of self-evaluation and individual age stereotype;  Self evaluations, stereotypes of the typical old person, were assessed by semantic differential.  Contained 32 pairs of antonyms (e.g. Patient-impatient)

 Flexible Goal Adjustment is measure of accomodative flexibility  Assesses the readiness to adjust goals  Readiness to find positive meanings in aversive situations + I find it easy to see something positive even in a serious event. - I am never really satisfied unless things come up to my wishes exactly.

 Global ratings for the typical old person were much more negative than the self-ratings.  People who score high on FGA tended to view the typical old person more positively.  Similarity between patterns of self ratings and stereotype ratings was more pronounced for older participants and for participants scoring low on the FGA scale.

 Conforming to the contamination hypothesis; Stereotyped expectations about elderly people predicted later self-appraisals.  Conforming to the externalisation hypothesis; Self-views had an influence on individually held age stereotype.

 People score high on;  dispositional variable seem capable of protecting theirselves from negative stereotypes.  FGA seem more able to dissociate problems.  Age stereotypes taint (lekelemek) self- evaluations.

 Rothermund,K. & Brandtstädter, J. (2003). Age stereotypes, self-views in later life: Evaluating rival assumptions. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27,