Age stereotypes and self-views in later life: Evaluating rival assumptions

Abstract

Concerning the relation between age stereotypes and self-views in older people, three general assumptions can be distinguished: (1) age stereotypes contaminate the self-views of older people (“contamination hypothesis”), (2) age stereotypes serve as a reference standard for self-enhancing comparisons (“comparison hypothesis”), (3) individually held age stereotypes are a projection of elderly persons’ self-views (“externalisation hypothesis”). These hypotheses were evaluated in a cross-sequential study assessing self-ratings and ratings of the “typical old person” over a longitudinal interval of 8 years in a sample of 690 participants (initial age range 54–77 years). Conforming to the contamination hypothesis (but contrary to the comparison hypothesis), stereotyped expectations about elderly people predicted later self-appraisals. Conforming with the externalisation hypothesis, self-views had an influence on individually held age stereotypes. Findings also highlight the importance of differential factors: A disposition to flexibly disengage from blocked goals shields self-views from self-deprecating influences of negative age stereotypes in old age.