Stereotype Embodiment Theory

Levy, Becca R.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_604-1

Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging 2020

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_604-1

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Stereotype Embodiment Theory

Becca R. Levy

Abstract: Stereotype embodiment theory (SET) proposes that members of stigmatized groups tend to assimilate stereotypes (i.e., images about them as a category) from society, leading to self-perceptions that, in turn, can influence their health. Negative age stereotypes can have a detrimental impact and positive age stereotypes can have a beneficial impact on the cognitive and physical health of older persons. In their negative form, age stereotypes are derogatory as well as stress-inducing and are a pernicious form of a… Show more

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2023

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Cited by 2 publications

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Critique and Postcritique: Analyzing Age Stereotypes in Literary Studies and Health Care

Wohlmann

2023

The Gerontologist

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Background and Objectives Gerontological research shows that stereotypes about older people negatively impact the quality of health care they receive. Therefore, knowledge about ageism is particularly relevant for medical students. Narrative Medicine draws on theory and methods from literary studies to interlace the humanities and medical studies. Research Design and Methods This paper first describes a Narrative-Medicine intervention at the University of Southern Denmark where medical students learn about ageism and stereotypes through a presentation of gerontological research results. In addition, literary texts and methods of close reading and reflective writing are employed to help students identify problematic stereotypes. The results of a survey conducted during the intervention suggest that students’ awareness about ageism increased. Yet, rather than exploring the results of the survey, this paper’s second part uses the intervention as a springboard to self-critically ask what type of humanities approaches, methods and theories are best suited to convey knowledge about ageist stereotypes. The paper sketches two approaches within literary studies – critique and postcritique – and applies them to a poem about an older man. Results The paper discusses the gains and limitations of each approach and makes suggestions for how they can be joined with research about age stereotypes. Discussion and Implications To create productive pathways between the humanities and gerontology, the heterogeneity of the humanities – with literary studies as the example – need to be acknowledged. That is, clarity about the differences in humanities-based methods is crucial to establish a firmer ground for their usability in interdisciplinary contexts.

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Critique and Postcritique: Analyzing Age Stereotypes in Literary Studies and Health Care

Wohlmann

2023

The Gerontologist

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So Typical! Philip Roth's Age Stereotypes

Wohlmann

2023

Poetics Today

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Stereotypes and clichés about older age typically evoke criticism and resistance. Rightly so, given that they simplify, overgeneralize, distort, and limit. This article treats stereotypes and clichés as forms that can indeed have powerful and harmful meanings; however, it claims that a focus on content may overlook some of the surprising and unpredictable affordances these forms can also have: stereotypes can help order experience, offer guidelines for behavior, describe relationships, and provide solace and comfort. The article uses Philip Roth's novel Everyman as a particularly rich test case in which stereotypes and clichés abound: a grumpy and “dirty” old man sees in aging nothing but decline, tragedy, and an accumulation of illnesses—associations that age scholars have challenged for decades. These stereotypes, however, also have less predictable affordances, especially when they are conspicuously repeated and amplified via literary strategies. Rather than claiming that these strategies undermine and challenge the problematic nature of age stereotypes and clichés, this article aims to broaden the repertoire of critical approaches to these forms.

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Stereotype Embodiment Theory

Cited by 2 publications

References 34 publications

Critique and Postcritique: Analyzing Age Stereotypes in Literary Studies and Health Care

Critique and Postcritique: Analyzing Age Stereotypes in Literary Studies and Health Care

So Typical! Philip Roth's Age Stereotypes

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