“They” are old but “I” feel younger: Age-group dissociation as a self-protective strategy in old age.

Abstract

Age becomes an important self-defining aspect particularly during advanced age. With increasing age, negative attributes related to age and aging become salient. Aging-related declines, losses, as well as the finitude of life seem to threaten older adults' sense of self. We hypothesize that older adults will try to avoid the negative consequences of their age group membership by distancing themselves from their age group. Study 1 (N = 544, 65% women; 18-85 years of age) examined the role of age-group identification for self-conception and self-image (subjective age and future time perspective) across the life span. Results show that weakly identified older adults feel younger than their chronological age and report a more expanded future time perspective relative to their same-age counterparts. A second experiment (N = 68, 69% women; 65-85 years of age) tested the impact of age stereotypes on older adults' level of age-group identification. Results suggest that older adults are more likely to psychologically dissociate themselves from their age group when negative age stereotypes are salient. Discussion focuses on (mal)adaptive consequences of age-group dissociation in later adulthood. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024887Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-53111 Accepted Version Originally published at: Weiss, David; Lang, Frieder R (2012). "They" are old but "I" feel younger: Age-group dissociation as a self-protective strategy in old age. Psychology and Aging, 27(1):153-163. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024887 "They" are old but "I" feel younger -1 RUNNING HEAD: "THEY" ARE OLD BUT "I" FEEL YOUNGER "They" are old but "I" feel younger:Age-group dissociation as a self-protective strategy in old age "They" are old but "I" feel younger -2 AbstractAge becomes an important self-defining aspect particularly during advanced age. With

Ageism in Mental Health Assessment and Treatment of Older Adults

“…According to Ingram and Luxton's (2005) stress and vulnerability model, exposure to various environmental stressors is linked with an increased risk for developing psychiatric conditions. Following this line of thought, people who hold negative attitudes toward their ageing may be less willing to take part in positive social activities (Weiss and Lang 2012), and may hold negative images of age-related health problems. This may in turn result in an increased vulnerability to depression, that is, a type of "selffulfilling prophecy" (Kessler and Bowen 2015).…”

Multidimensionality in Developmental Conceptions Across Adulthood

“…Thus, these approaches confound general views on aging with views on one's personal development. Views on personal trajectories and views on others' development might diverge (Weiss & Lang, 2012) and should be differentially related to subjective well-being. For instance, views on my personal development might affect my current well-being more than views on general trajectories.…”

Air quality and health education to increase knowledge and encourage health protective behaviour among older adults in Hamilton, Canada

“…Therefore, older adults are reluctant to consider themselves as being ''old'' or elderly (Hurd, 1999;Linn and Hunter 1979). This reluctance to consider oneself as elderly is referred to as disidentification; it is a coping strategy used by individuals who choose not to identify with the stigma of being old (Weiss and Freund, 2012;Weiss and Lang, 2012;Steele, 1997). The definition of being at risk clearly states that it includes those who are elderly, which may deter some individuals from self-identifying with being at risk since they do not consider themselves as elderly.…”