Gerontology Lecture Series
Klaus Rothermund
Age Stereotypes: Core Determinants of Development in Old Age
Dr. Klaus Rothermund is a Professor and Chair for Psychology at Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Germany. For more than two decades, Rothermund has made influential contributions to the field of aging research and lifespan development. A major focus of Rothermund's current research is on age stereotypes and how the views of aging influence development in old age.
Previous research on age stereotypes is characterized by several blind spots: It has focused (a) on stereotypes of old people, neglecting stereotypes of the young, (b) on general stereotypes, neglecting domain-specific views on aging, (c) on descriptive stereotypes, neglecting prescriptive age norms, and on (d) shared beliefs, neglecting age-related differences in the endorsement of age stereotypes. Taking into account the complexities of age stereotypes and their differential endorsement allows us to gain a deeper understanding of their functions, acquisition, and implications for lifespan development. Recent studies from our lab support the view that age-related differences in the endorsement of age stereotypes mostly reflect internalization and projection processes rather than in-group biases. Age stereotypes serve the function of organizing development in accordance with a standardized life biography by specifying what is considered to be age-appropriate behaviour, but they also limit developmental options by propagating rigid normative views of how old and what they should and should not do.
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