Roberta Provenzano believed the study of psychology should ultimately bring more happiness to the world. A deep thinker, she focused particularly on aging. Her collected articles on the subject propose to show that the myths and stereotypes of deterioration and senility associated with old age are based on preconceived notions rather than fact. She shows that, in spite of some physical limitations, the elderly, who are now in greater proportion in our society than ever before, can participate actively and constructively in their communities. This collection, published in honor of Provenzano, addresses age-related topics with an expertise that seems more relevant as time passes. It explores myths and stereotypes imposed upon the elderly, biological aspects of aging, psychological aspects of aging, and sociological aspects of aging Relying on scientific studies, Provenzano highlights how older people come to terms with specific conditions of aging. Quoting the adage "You are as old as you feel," she infers that aging does not necessarily mean defeat and decline, but can instead be a rewarding experience of personal fulfillment and social contribution.

Roberta's Papers on the Psychology of Aging

By Roberta Provenzano

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Roberta Provenzano, PhD
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-0712-7

Contents

Foreword..................................................................................................................viiPart One..................................................................................................................11. Myths and Stereotypes Commonly Imposed upon the Elderly within Our Society—and Their Effects.....................32. Ageism and the Promotion of Ageism.....................................................................................83. Biological Theories of Aging...........................................................................................104. Intellectual Performance of the Elderly................................................................................145. Disengagement..........................................................................................................176. Changes in Personality.................................................................................................21Part Two..................................................................................................................257. Old Age and the Process of Aging.......................................................................................278. Biological Aspects of Aging............................................................................................299. Psychological Aspects of Aging.........................................................................................3110. Sociological Aspects of Aging.........................................................................................3211. Normal Aging..........................................................................................................3412. Self-concept..........................................................................................................3513. Integrity vs. Despair and Disgust....................................................................................3614. Intellectual Functioning..............................................................................................3715. Memory................................................................................................................3816. Life Satisfaction and Adjustment to Aging.............................................................................3917. Social Isolation, Disengagement, and Role Loss........................................................................4018. "Senility"............................................................................................................4219. Other Myths...........................................................................................................4320. Personal Experience vs. Public Expectation...........................................................................4421. Potential Role of the Media in Improving the Image of Older People....................................................45References................................................................................................................49Table 1...................................................................................................................53

Chapter One

Myths and Stereotypes Commonly Imposed upon the Elderly within Our Society—and Their Effects

The unfortunate position in which large numbers of elderly people find themselves is rationalized by a widely accepted view that has little scientific substantiation, maintaining that aging is synonymous with general deterioration and that the aged can contribute little if anything to our technologically advanced society.

To be sure, there are biological changes associated with normal aging, but they seldom mean that the elderly cannot deal efficiently and productively with life. Also, there are enormous individual differences in aging: some people become exceptionally disabled and require the services available to the handicapped, while many others live to a very old age in excellent physical, mental, and emotional condition. In many populations, a good deal of decline is statistically normal in the sense that it occurs frequently, but it is not developmentally normal.

Chronological age and biological age aren't necessarily one and the same, and the dominance of chronological aging is a myth. Older people are not necessarily unproductive and do tend to remain actively concerned about their personal and community relationships. In 1974, 30 percent of people over sixty-five were employed in America. Many others have become involved in community organizations and creative activities—the kind of work they had no time for while building a career and raising a family. Physiological decline in functions may not be fixed and inevitable, and there may be both behavioral and biological intervention strategies that may reverse some of the deleterious performance observed in old people. Drastic decline occurs only when development has been impaired by severe psychological, social, and biological circumstances, so normal aging and pathological aging should be differentiated. If conditions for development are reasonably favorable, old age can be an era of personal fulfillment and social contribution.

A study of a comparison (Harris 1977) between the problems attributed to most people over sixty-five by the public at large and the problems actually experienced personally by older people themselves indicated the extent to which the American public have an accurate or distorted view of what it is like to grow old.

In most cases, the discrepancy between actual experience and expectation is enormous. While serious problems of not enough money, fear of crime, poor health, loneliness, and inadequate medical care indeed exist among certain minorities of old people, they are by no means as all-pervasive as the public thinks. Neither should having a problem be confused with being a problem. Such generalizations and myths about the elderly as an economically and socially deprived group can do the old a disservice, for they confront older people with a society that sees them merely as a problem and not as part of the solution to any of society's problems. Such problems that the public perceives among the elderly can only generate a sense of guilt and pity among the young instead of a sense of appreciation toward the elderly.

A striking finding in Harris's study is the fact that age does not appear to influence significantly the way individuals tend to view themselves: the public sixty-five and over tends to see itself as somewhat more friendly and warm than those under sixty-five, and as wiser from experience. The public's view of themselves in both these areas tends to increase continually with age. The public sixty-five and over have a relatively high self-image in terms of being useful members of their community: 40 percent of them consider themselves personally to be "very useful members of their community," while 39 percent said "somewhat useful members," and 17 percent said "not useful members at all." The self-image in this area held by the public sixty-five and over is, in fact, more positive than that held by the public ages eighteen to sixty-four: while 40 percent of the older group considered themselves to be "very useful members of their community," only 29 percent of the...