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“Old” Does Not Always Mean “Incompetent”: The Implication of Respect in the Perception of Older People Subtypes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2023

Valérian Boudjemadi Open the ORCID record for Valérian Boudjemadi [Opens in a new window] ,
Wojciech Świątkowski ,
Luc Vieira ,
Antonin Carrier  and
Odile Rohmer
Valérian Boudjemadi*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
Wojciech Świątkowski
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Luc Vieira
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychology, University of Paris, Paris, France
Antonin Carrier
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
Odile Rohmer
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
*
Corresponding author: La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à : / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: Valérian Boudjemadi, Maître de Conférences (Ph.D.) Faculté de Psychologie Université de Strasbourg 12 rue Goethe 67000 Strasbourg France (Email: boudjemadi@unistra.fr)
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Abstract

Building on the Stereotype Content Model, the present work examined the heterogeneity of the stereotypes about older people. We aimed to broaden the range of perceived predictors of competence in older people and included respect in addition to status. Seventeen subtypes were selected in a pilot study (n = 77). The main study was conducted on a French sample (n = 212) that took part in a self-reported survey. Cluster analysis showed that specific older people subtypes appear in three combinations of warmth and competence. Correlation and regression analyses showed that competition negatively predicts warmth, and that status positively predicts competence. In a substantial number of target groups, respect played a more important role than status in the perception of group competence. To sum up, this study suggests that the perceived competence of older people is not only related to perceived socio-economic status but also to the amount of respect they receive.

Résumé

Résumé

À partir du modèle du contenu des stéréotypes, le présent travail a examiné l’hétérogénéité des stéréotypes concernant les personnes âgées. Nous avons cherché à élargir l’éventail des prédicteurs de la compétence perçue chez les personnes âgées en y incluant le respect en plus du statut social. Dix-sept sous-types ont été sélectionnés dans une étude pilote (n = 77). L’étude principale a été menée auprès d’un échantillon français (n = 212) qui a participé à un sondage d’autoévaluation. L’analyse typologique a montré que trois combinaisons de chaleur et de compétence caractérisent des sous-types distincts de personnes âgées. Les analyses de corrélation et de régression ont montré que la compétition est un prédicteur négatif de la chaleur et que le statut social est un prédicteur positif de la compétence. Dans un nombre important de groupes cibles, le respect a joué un rôle plus important que le statut dans la perception de la compétence. En résumé, cette étude suggère que la compétence perçue des personnes âgées n’est pas seulement liée au statut socio-économique perçu, mais aussi au degré de respect qu’elles reçoivent.

Keywords

Agingageismolder peoplesubtypesstereotype content modelsocial hierarchyrespectVieillissementâgismepersonnes âgéessous-typesmodèle du contenu des stéréotypeshiérarchie socialerespect
Type
Article
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , September 2023 , pp. 475 - 484
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Copyright
© Canadian Association on Gerontology 2023

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