Overview

"Along with race and gender, people commonly use age to categorise - and stereotype - others. Of the three categories, age is the only one in which the members of the in-group (the young) will eventually join the out-group (the old). Although ageism is found cross-culturally, it is especially prevalent in the United States, where most people regard growing older with depression, fear, and anxiety. Older people in the United States are stigmatised and marginalised, with often devastating consequences. Although researchers have paid a great deal of attention to racism and sexism, there has been a dearth of research on ageism. A major reason for this neglect is that age prejudice is still considered socially acceptable. As baby boomers approach retirement age, however, there has been increased academic and popular interest in ageing. This volume presents the current thinking on age stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination by researchers in gerontology, psychology, sociology, and communication. The book presents theoretical and empirical findings on the origins and effects of ageism, as well as suggestions on how to reduce ageism for the approaching ""graying of America."""

Full Product Details

9780262640572

Table of Contents

Reviews

The strength of the volume lies in the authors' various interpretations of how ageism develops. Joan T. Erber APA Review of Books This book certainly provides an overwhelming amount of evidence of the phenomenon from social science research... a cure for skeptics. Rosalie A. Kane, Ph.D New England Journal of Medicine

Physicians, nurses, social workers, and many others in both practice and policy-development roles need to be aware of ageism. This book certainly provides an overwhelming amount of evidence of the phenomenon from social science research; I recommend it as a cure for skeptics. - Rosalie A. Kane, Ph.D, New England Journal of Medicine

Author Information

Todd D. Nelson is Professor of Psychology at California State University, Stanislaus.

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