On defining ageism

Bytheway, Bill; Johnson, Jamie

doi:10.1177/026101839001002902

Cited by 63 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Yet ageism is more complex than this. The power relations between young and old are not static nor unidimensional (Bytheway and Johnson, 1990), and people of all ages are subject to ageism via culturally constructed rules and norms about age-appropriate behaviour. Further, positions in the life course are transitional; everyone has experience of being younger, and most people in western societies can now expect to reach old age.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Old age’ and Ageism in Urban Research: The Case of Fear of Crime

Pain

1997

Int J Urban Regional Res

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A critique has recently been made of research and theory on ageing in spatial research, arguing for the development of approaches which are informed by critical theoretical perspectives. Perhaps the most significant of these is the recognition that ‘old age’ is culturally constructed. This paper illustrates the value of such an approach with reference to understanding of fear of crime. It is suggested that many difficulties with past research result from epistemological problems, including ageism. A number of assumptions about elderly people and crime can be contested if scrutiny is informed by humanistic, feminist and social constructionist perspectives. Drawing on in depth interviews with elderly people, some of the problems and prospects of work on old age are discussed. Age is only one dimension by which people situate themselves and are situated by others in relation to the risk of crime. Local contexts, life course experiences and other social identities are involved in the constitution of fear for each individual. While the role of ageing can be understood within a framework of power relations, its positive as well as negative impacts on reactions to crime require representation. Similar analysis could profitably be developed in other areas of urban research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Old age’ and Ageism in Urban Research: The Case of Fear of Crime

Pain

1997

Int J Urban Regional Res

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“…This has been called the "dialectical confluence of ageism" (Wilkinson and Ferraro 2002), and is perhaps the main reason why empirical data needs to be interpreted with the use of theory in the later stages of the research process. A second feature is that actors in the role of researchers are co-creators (meaning makers) of society's ageist structure (Bytheway and Johnson 1990;Føllesdal et al 2001;Snellman 2016). A third feature is awareness, which is needed to understand, among other things, (a) the uniqueness of situations and the broader consequences of ageism, (b) what comprises the ageist structure of society, and (c) how the ageist structure is sustained.…”

Section: Interpretive Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Normative, Empiricist, and Interpretive Considerations in the Ageism Research Process

Snellman

2018

International Perspectives on Aging

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This chapter reflects on the normative, empiricist, and interpretive considerations researchers are facing in the process of researching ageism. The starting point of this study was a doctoral dissertation that, by triangulating data, methods, and theory, explored how ageism is manifested in the lives of older people (Snellman 2009). Such a research endeavour is warranted by system justification theory, arguing that support for an ageist structure of society is sometimes strongest among individuals who are most harmed by it (Jost et al. 2004). A large and increasing number of ageism studies report on empirical data; however, these studies are rarely explicitly related to epistemological and ontological questions. Little attention has previously been devoted to the philosophy of science aspects of ageism and therefore there is a gap in what we know about the wider scope of challenges in researching ageism and how we view and understand ageism in our world.One way to devote attention to the philosophy of science aspects of ageism is to focus on the normative, empiricist, and interpretive (Howarth 2000) considerations and choices we as researchers are forced to make during the research process. In short, these considerations enable researchers to (a) take a standpoint against and strive to change negative ageist consequences in society (normative); (b) observe accurately and show how ageist elements are related in a narrow context (empiricist); and (c) observe, show, understand, and reflect critically on how ageist elements are related in a wider context (interpretive).Among the myriad of choices to be made is the choice of what definition of ageism to use in any given case. This chapter demonstrates different types of ageism definitions. These are influenced by normative, empiricist, and interpretive

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“…Some may distinguish from the young old and the old old while others feel a sense of worthlessness about their age and position in society. Bytheway & Johnson (1990) describe the "sense of ceasing to be people and to be of a different species that appears to cause most distress to old people 'themselves' ".…”

Section: Reasons For Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elderly people, discrimination and some implications for interprofessional work

Tinker

1994

Journal of Interprofessional Care

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This paper is concerned with the place of elderly people in society and how they might be involved in discrimination in the light of interprofessional issues. After a short discussion of the positive and negative elements of discrimination the question of the extent of discrimination in services and other ways is addressed. Reasons for discrimination are examined and then suggestions made about how any problems can be overcome and, specifically, how far an interprofessional approach can help. The paper concludes by asking what the implications are of the evidence presented both for professionals and for society.

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On defining ageism

Cited by 63 publications

References 3 publications

‘Old age’ and Ageism in Urban Research: The Case of Fear of Crime

‘Old age’ and Ageism in Urban Research: The Case of Fear of Crime

Normative, Empiricist, and Interpretive Considerations in the Ageism Research Process

Elderly people, discrimination and some implications for interprofessional work

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