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Deriving from scapegoat theory, the linkage between one's self-esteem and perceptions of elderly people is hypothesized. The relationship was tested with a random sample of 240 Hong Kong Chinese. Results show that a person who is higher in self-esteem is more likely to perceive elderly people as socially and psychologically adjusted, but physically incompetent. All the three relationships can be explained by scapegoat theory. Accordingly, one projects both positive and negative images on elderly people in order to defend one's self, or relieve one's own blameworthiness.

Issues concerning the effectiveness of promotional activities for working people's occupational safety and health are the focus of the present study. Data were collected from a random sample of 668 working people in Hong Kong by the telephone survey method. The study relies on a framework of social cognitive theory, which posits mediational roles of beliefs concerning one's self-efficacy, the collective efficacy of the promotional organization, and the efficacy of behavior for occupational safety and health. It involves a causal model incorporating exposure, learning, efficacy beliefs, actual and intended behavior, work accident, occupation, and other background characteristics, and prior scores of self-efficacy, behavior, and accident. Analysis of the causal model reveals the significant contribution of promotional activities, through the social learning process of exposure, learning, and development of efficacy beliefs, to behavioral change. That is, the total effects of exposure and learning on behavioral outcomes and their mediators were significant. Moreover, working people in industries targeted for promotion demonstrated higher levels of behavior and efficacy beliefs than those in nontargeted industries.

Social learning theory expects the social worker to hold more favorable beliefs about elderly people and scapegoat theory expects one having higher self-esteem to be so. The role of social work and self-esteem may be factors explaining ageism at the individual level. Because ageism seems to emerge in Hong Kong as well as other industrialized societies, the study surveyed the general public, social workers, students, elderly center members to (1) determine the relative extent of ageism in terms of beliefs about physical, social, and psychological dimensions of elderly people, and (2) test hypotheses deriving from social learning and scapegoat theories. Analysis of data from 902 respondents showed that people younger than 60 years were more favorable regarding the social dimension and less favorable regarding the psychological dimension of beliefs about elderly people. One with higher self-esteem tended to be more favorable in beliefs about social and psychological dimensions of elderly people but less favorable in the belief about the physical dimension. Although the gerontological social worker was more favorable in the belief regarding the social dimension of elderly people than others, this difference might be attributable to his or her higher self-esteem. Hence the role of social work did not necessarily improve one's image of elderly people in Hong Kong.

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