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History of Ageism

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Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging

Synonyms

Age stereotypes; Ageism; Discrimination; Negative attitudes; Prejudice

Definition

Ageism generally refers to negative attitudes toward older adults including negative stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination (Butler 1969; Nelson 2005; Levy and Macdonald 2016). Ageism can also refer to positive ageism or favoritism toward older adults (Palmore 1989).

Overview

The problem of ageism was documented as early as 1953by Tuckman and Lorge who noted that “In our culture with its emphasis on youth and speed, old people are expected to play a decreasingly active role in our social and industrial life. These cultural expectations encourage the formation of misconceptions and stereotypes about old age” (p. 249). The term “ageism” was later introduced in 1969 by Robert Butler as “a form of bigotry we now tend to overlook: age discrimination or age-ism, prejudice by one age group toward other age groups” and as “a deep seated uneasiness on the part of the young and the middle-aged – a...

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Correspondence to Sheri R. Levy .

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Levy, S.R., Macdonald, J.L. (2019). History of Ageism. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_597-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_597-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2

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