Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Using Fictional Characters to Challenge Ageist Assumptions and Negative Stereotyping

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Professional Education with Fiction Media

Abstract

Hayes employs the TV situation comedy, The Royle Family, to enable students training to be podiatrists to examine their own and social attitudes towards aging and the elderly. Focusing on the character ‘Nana’, the grandmother in the series, she examines issues such as stereotyping and media representations of the elderly. Hayes reflects on the significance to a profession such as podiatry of identifying personal and professional assumptions about the elderly, and the implications that negative stereotyping can have for the treatment and services that the elderly receive. She illustrate the profound impact that developing students’ critical reflection through analysis of popular texts, alongside the exploration of factual and theoretical material can have on their self-awareness and on their affective responses to this growing group of health service users.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adogwa, O., Elsamadicy, A. A., Sergesketter, A. R., Black, C., Tarnsky, A., Ongele, M. O., et al. (2017). Relationship among Koenig depression scale and postoperative outcomes, ambulation, and perception of pain in elderly patients (≥65 years) undergoing elective spinal surgery for adult scoliosis. World Neurosurgery, 107(November), 471–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aherne, C., & Cash, C. (Creators). (1998–2012). The Royle family [Television series]. UK: Granada Television.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, H., Kruger, T. M., & Karasik, R. J. (Eds.). (2017). A hands-on approach to teaching about aging: 32 activities for the classroom and beyond. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, R. (Creator). (1973–2010). Last of the summer wine [Television series]. UK: British Broadcasting Company (BBC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, H. L. (2002). Developing media literacy skills to challenge television’s portrayal of older women. Educational Gerontology, 28(7), 599–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuddy, A. J., Norton, M. I., & Fiske, S. T. (2005). This old stereotype: The pervasiveness and persistence of the elderly stereotype. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 267–285. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00405.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuddy, A. J., Norton, M. I., & Fiske, S. T. (2016). Corrigendum to “This old stereotype: The pervasiveness and persistence of the elderly stereotype”. Journal of Social Issues, 72(3), 614.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finch, P. M. (1999). The effect of problem-based learning on the academic performance of students studying podiatric medicine in Ontario. Medical Education, 33, 411–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holland, T., & Smith, J. (Creators). (1985–). EastEnders [Television series]. UK: British Broadcasting Company (BBC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kagan, S. H. (2017). Ageism and the helping professions. In T. D. Nelson (Ed.), Ageism: Stereotyping and prejudice against older persons (pp. 165–196). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, D. M. (2017). Teaching for social justice. Revista Intercambio, 3(4), 26–28. http://revistaintercambio.org/index.php/INTERCAMBIO/article/view/70.

  • Kemp, C. L., Ball, M. M., Morgan, J. C., Doyle, P. J., Burgess, E. O., & Perkins, M. M. (2018). Maneuvering together, apart, and at odds: Residents’ care convoys in assisted living. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 73(4), e13–e23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, M., Billett, S., Gherardi, S., & Grealish, L. (2015). Practice-based learning in higher education: Jostling cultures. In M. Kennedy, S. Billett, S. Gherardi, & L. Grealish (Eds.), Practice-based learning in higher education: Jostling cultures (pp. 1–13). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S., & Masia, B. B. (1964). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals; Handbook II: Affective domain. New York: David McKay Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGarry, A. (2015). Sample evaluation of caseload complexity in a community health-care NHS trust. British Journal of Community Nursing, 20(4), 174–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menz, H. B. (2016). Chronic foot pain in older people. Maturitas, 91, 110–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mezirow, J. (2018). Transformative learning theory. In K. Illeris (Ed.), Contemporary theories of learning: Learning theorists in their own words (pp. 114–128). Abingdon: Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nancarrow, S., & Borthwick, A. (2016). Interprofessional working for the health professions: From fried eggs to omelettes? In M. Dent, I. L. Bourgeault, J. Denis, & E. Kuhlmann (Eds.), The Routledge companion to the professions and professionalism (pp. 343–354). Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • North, M. S., & Fiske, S. T. (2015). Modern attitudes toward older adults in the aging world: A cross-cultural meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 141(5), 993–1021.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, H., & Lee, J. (2017). The influence of media, positive perception, and identification on survey-based measures of corruption. Business Ethics: A European Review, 26(3), 312–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, R., & Waugh, F. (2018). Emancipatory social work with older people: Challenging students to overcome the limitations of ageism and institutional oppression. Social Work and Policy Studies: Social Justice, Practice and Theory, 1. https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/SWPS/article/view/11733.

  • Shlisky, J., Bloom, D. E., Beaudreault, A. R., Tucker, K. L., Keller, H. H., Freund-Levi, Y., et al. (2017). Nutritional considerations for healthy aging and reduction in age-related chronic disease. Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 8(1), 17–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stough, T., Ceulemans, K., Lambrechts, W., & Cappuyns, V. (2018). Assessing sustainability in higher education curricula: A critical reflection on validity issues. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 4456–4466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, J. (Creator). (1981–2003). Only fools and horses [Television series]. UK: British Broadcasting Company (BBC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sultana, J., Fontana, A., Giorgianni, F., Basile, G., Patorno, E., Pilotto, A., et al. (2018). Can information on functional and cognitive status improve short-term mortality risk prediction among community-dwelling older people? A cohort study using a UK primary care database. Clinical Epidemiology, 10, 31–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vasil, L., & Wass, H. (1993). Portrayal of the elderly in the media: A literature review and implications for educational gerontologists. Educational Gerontology: An International Quarterly, 19(1), 71–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wadsworth, B. J. (1996). Piaget’s theory of cognitive and affective development: Foundations of constructivism. London: Longman Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolgemuth, J. R., Erdil-Moody, Z., Opsal, T., Cross, J. E., Kaanta, T., Dickmann, E. M., et al. (2015). Participants’ experiences of the qualitative interview: Considering the importance of research paradigms. Qualitative Research, 15(3), 351–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. K. (2013). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zebrowitz, L. A., & Montepare, J. M. (2000). Too young, too old: Stigmatizing adolescents and elders. In T. F. Heatherton, R. E. Kleck, M. R. Hebl, & J. G. Hull (Eds.), The social psychology of stigma (pp. 334–373). London: Guilford Publications.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK

    Catherine Hayes

Authors
  1. Catherine Hayes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Catherine Hayes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK

    Christine Jarvis

  2. Faculty of Education, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Patricia Gouthro

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Hayes, C. (2019). Using Fictional Characters to Challenge Ageist Assumptions and Negative Stereotyping. In: Jarvis, C., Gouthro, P. (eds) Professional Education with Fiction Media. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17693-8_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17693-8_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-17692-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-17693-8

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation