Jasmin Tahmaseb McConatha

Attitudes toward aging: A comparative analysis of young adults from the United States and Germany

Social and cultural attitudes toward aging provide a framework for assessing ones own aging experiences as well as ones attitudes toward older men and women. Ageism, or prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory practices toward older adults (Butler, 1980), has been found to be widespread around the world. This study focuses on a comparative analysis of the attitudes of young adults from Germany and the United States. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to evaluate similarities and differences in the anxiety associated with four measurable dimensions associated with ageism: fear of old people, psychological concerns associated with aging, concern over changes in physical appearance as a result of aging, and fear of losses associated with aging. The second purpose of this study was to evaluate the age at which young adults from these two countries might consider themselves to be “old.” The findings indicate significant country and gender differences across the dimensions. German participants tended to view aging much more negatively than American participants did. However, Americans considered themselves to be “old” at a much younger age than Germans. Gender differences indicated that women in both countries were more concerned with age-related changes in their physical appearance than were men. Analyses of the results are discussed in relation to the influence of ageism and negative cultural stereotypes of aging on peoples self-image across the life span.

A COMPUTER‐BASED INTERVENTION FOR THE EDUCATION AND THERAPY OF INSTITUTIONALIZED OLDER ADULTS

Institutionalization often presents an unstimulating environment, in addition to requiring a surrender of autonomy. Research has shown that people quickly come to respond to the world in a limited and rigid fashion when their choices and activities are limited. This decline is frequently associated with a corresponding decline in psychological health and, consequently, an increase in depression. According to Seligman (1981), changing depressed individuals’ environment for the better and enhancing their sense of control should serve as an antidepressive. Thus the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a psychoeducational model making use of computer interaction for the therapy, education, and recreation of a group of institutionalized older adults. The results indicated that the computer interaction was an effective tool for increasing these older adults’ cognitive abilities and daily living skills and decreasing their levels of depression.

The relation of humor to depression and personality.

The present study focused on an assessment of humor, depression, and personality. 38 male and 91 female college students responded to five self-report questionnaires, i.e., Martin and Lefcourts Situational Humor Response Questionnaire and Coping Humor Scale, Svebaks Sense of Humor Questionnaire, Zimmermans Inventory to Diagnose Depression, and the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Analysis indicated that individuals who scored lower on the depression scale tended to score higher on the Coping Humor Scale, Extraversion, and Neuroticism. Also, individuals scoring higher on the humor scales tended to score higher on Extraversion and Emotional Stability. These personality factors appear to be strongly related to the sense of humor construct and depression. Perhaps the personality factors of introversion and neuroticism may be employed to identify a predisposition toward depression.

TURKISH AND U.S. ATTITUDES TOWARD AGING

As people live longer and the number of older adults increases worldwide, it becomes important to understand the factors that influence how we understand and perceive our own aging as well as how we construct our attitudes toward older adults. Although studies have indicated that later adulthood can be a healthy, productive, and satisfying time of life, ageism or prejudice and discrimination against older adults and a fear of the aging process, continues to be a widespread phenomena. The purpose of this study was to compare attitudes and anxieties toward aging of young and middle-aged men and women from the United States and Turkey. The results indicate that significant country and gender differences exist in how people feel about getting older and the age at which they consider themselves to be “old.” Contact with elders as well as education regarding the process of aging appear to have a significant impact on attitudes toward aging.

Emotional control in adulthood.

Although it is widely believed that emotions vary with age, there is a dearth of information on emotional experiences in later adulthood. Several researchers think that older adults experience less emotional intensity than younger people while others have suggested that aging is accompanied by a decrease in positive affect and an increase in negative emotions. Sex similarities and differences in emotionality have also been documented. This study focuses on age and sex similarities and differences in emotional control. Three hundred and twenty seven men and women aged 19 to 92 years were administered two emotion measures. The results support previous research which suggests that the control of emotions increases with age. In evaluating sex differences in emotional control, women scored as more emotionally expressive than men, a finding which is consistent with previous research. Results are discussed in relation to socioemotional selectivity theory.

Description of Older Adults as Depicted in Magazine Advertisements

Negative attitudes about aging have been widespread and films, television, radio, and print media may serve as an important source of socialization or reflect the current views of older adults. This study focused on examination of the frequency of depictions of older men and women in 765 advertisements appearing in Time and Newsweek national weekly news magazines, and on an analysis of their roles suggested in photographs depicting a total of 2,505 persons. These were collected over a one-year period and coded by three persons. Analysis indicated that older adults, especially older women, were not only presented infrequently but, when presented roles, were often passive or dependent as is consistent with social stereotypes.

Reflections of older Iranian women Adapting to life in the United States

Abstract Age is an important and often overlooked attribute that influences adjustment to a new cultural context. This paper focuses on the ways in which older Iranian women, who spent their youth and middle adult years in Iran, have adapted to life in the United States. The results are based on extensive interviews with 19 Iranian women over the age of 65 (age range was 65 to 85). Although the majority of women interviewed expressed positive feelings about themselves and a sense of satisfaction with the transitions in their lives, considerable individual differences were identified. These differences focused primarily on the ways in which they attempted to adapt or cope with the new cultural environment in which they were living. Analysis resulted in the identification of three general strategies of adaptation to immigration. These strategies were labeled as withdrawn, insular, and assimilative.

City Life West African Communities in New York

This article focuses on the relevance of the notion of community to contemporary urban studies. The results of a six-year ethnographic study of West African traders in New York City suggest that the notion of community—however problematic—is one worth retaining. Given a conception of community that is refined to confront the complexities of postmodernity, the authors suggest, the social scientist is able to demonstrate how macro-forces (globalization, immigration, informal economies, and state regulation) affect the lives of individuals living in the fragmented transnational spaces that increasingly make up contemporary social worlds. This premise is reinforced through the presentation of ethnographic data that demonstrate how contemporary dispersed communities of West Africans in New York provide economic, social, and cultural resources that enable many, though not all, West African traders to cope with the cultural alienation of “city life.”

Relations of humor with perceptions of stress.

Humor has cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components but may be conceptualized as a multidimensional personality trait, comprised of both negative and positive dimensions and styles. Sense of humor may influence other evaluations of life, including perception of stress. Analysis of responses from 51 community adults and 131 undergraduates in psychology, nonrepresentative, random samples, indicated that styles of humor were correlated with self-perception of perceived stress; the largest correlations account for less than 50% of the common variance. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical links to coping literature, potential for therapeutic interventions, and areas for research.

Life Satisfaction in Three Countries

Studies addressing factors of Life Satisfaction have focused on how individuals in particular societies experience their lives as worthwhile, enjoyable, and fulfilling and indicated a range of individual and cultural factors shape individual perceptions of Life Satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to compare the Life Satisfaction of adults from the United States, Turkey, and Germany. Participants included 163 (84 women and 79 men) from the USA, 172 (70 women, 88 men) from Germany, and 174 (79 women and 95 men) from Turkey. Significant mean differences by country were found on Life Satisfaction. Post hoc Tukey HSD tests indicated that U.S. participants reported higher Life Satisfaction than German or Turkish groups. Country differences were also found on Health Satisfaction, a predictor of Life Satisfaction. Stepwise multiple regressions involving the Turkish sample and a subsample of the American participants indicated some consistency in other factors predicting Life Satisfaction ratings; in particular, being “Too Busy” was negatively related to Life Satisfaction for both U.S. and Turkish participants. These findings support previous research indicating several factors such as health and national economic well-being influence Life Satisfaction.