Intergenerational Communication Beliefs Across the Lifespan: Comparative Data from Ghana and South Africa

Abstract

This paper examines (for the first time) young adult American, Ghanaian, and Black South Africans' perceptions of communication and aging. Irrespective of cultural background, as age of target increased, so did trait attributions of benevolence, norms of politeness and deference, and communicative respect and avoidance; however, attributions of personal vitality and communication satisfaction decreased linearly. Young adults' reported avoidant communication with older people negatively predicted their conversational satisfaction and enjoyment of it. In addition, communicative respect was more strongly predictive of Africans' satisfaction while certain age stereotypes had contrastive effects for the Ghanaian and South Africans' enjoyment of intergenerational communication.

Young Adults’ Perceptions of Intergenerational Communication: Mongolian and American Data

“…Separate analyses were conducted for the Mongolian and American samples. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed the same factors and general loading invariance between the two nations, and the same factors across target ages, for age stereotypes, norms of respect, and communication behaviors, and these were, indeed identical to the factors revealed in past studies and described above (e.g., Giles et al 2005). For the data collected in this study (both the USA and Mongolia samples), the reliability coefficients (Cronbach's α) for the factors by each target were calculated (see below).…”

Teenagers’ perceptions of communication and ‘good communication’ with peers, young adults, and older adults

“…An example can be found in Giles et al's (2005) African data, in which similar age stereotypes in terms of personal vitality were associated with positive ratings of communication satisfaction in Ghanaians but negative ones in South Africans. It is important, then, to be mindful of the cultural composition of respondent samples.…”

“…Cai, Giles, & Noels, 1998;Giles, Dailey, Sarkar, & Makoni, 2007;Giles, Makoni, & Dailey, 2005) has given greater attention to other age groups (as well as other cultural contexts, as we mention briefly at the end of this introduction). Williams and Garrett (2002) asked a large sample of UK respondents aged 20-59 years to judge their communication with elders (over 65 years), with young teenagers (13-16 years), and also with same-age peers.…”

Collective Familial Decision-Making In Times Of Trouble: Intergenerational Solidarity in Ghana

“…There is a presumption that the extended family will care for the aged, however it is apparent that in many cases today in Ghana the senior members support the next one or two generations (Odai-Tettey and Boling 2006). Giles et al (2005) reported that younger adults and youth defer to the elderly in matters of respect and communications in South Africa, but specifically not in Ghana. We did however find direct benefits of traditional deference by younger women to the opinions of older women in Ghana.…”

“…We have observed deference from younger to senior women during difficult times that we believe was instrumental in protecting family integrity when they were displaced by violence, or providing for the care and rehabilitation of children who suffered from life-threatening malnutrition. Giles et al (2005) noted that in Ghana, with the exception of people that have migrated to urban centers, traditional deference to older adults by younger adults remains normative. The essential role of the senior women in the situations that we studied was illustrative of a collective, intergenerational decision-making that would apply to many other aspects of life and helps explain the persistence of subjugated cultures and ethnic traditions, as well as the profound outcome of individual and family survival .…”